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It is easy to think of migration activities as a one-time effort to initially load data into an application or move documents from one docbase to another.  Experienced Documentum customers have found that migration is an ongoing process that happens frequently.  Migration tools are needed when undergoing a significant platform upgrade (i.e. Documentum 4.x to 5.x), merging in a new business unit due to an acquisition, or performing ongoing bulk imports and exports.  Although migrations are performed regularly, no two migrations are the same.

The Problem - Typical Shortcomings of Documentum Migration Utilities

Because most document migrations have unique requirements, it is difficult to find one common technical approach or product to migrate data between various sources.  Typical “Out of the Box” approaches usually rely on a bulk load utility or Documentum’s Dump and Load tool.  Many customers have found these approaches to perform poorly. Typical migration challenges with these approaches include:

• Unique Business Rules
• Different Data Sources
• Data Tracking
• Performance

The Solution - OpenMigrate

OpenMigrate’s framework is configurable, modular, and extensible, providing the capabilities to address both one-time and ongoing migrations with a flexible and high-performance architecture.  Developed by Technology Services Group for our Documentum customers, OpenMigrate was our answer to the shortcomings of typical Documentum migration utilities.

How it Works

There are several OpenMigrate components.

1. Migration Engine – This component is the core of the product, initializing the infrastructure and controlling the flow of data from the source to the target.  The Migration Engine leverages XML configuration files to determine what transformations/mappings to apply to each object being migrated.  It is responsible for "asking" the Source to provide a Migration Node for each piece of content; the Mapping layer to manipulate and transform the Node; and the Target to write the Node to the target system.  The Migration Node is the heart of OpenMigrate's transaction model:  each node either completely succeeds or completely fails.  The configurable nature of OpenMigrate allows a Node to represent a single file, an entire version tree, or even an entire folder of files.
2. Source/Target Interface – This interface allows the migration engine to communicate to the source/target without understanding the specifics of the source/target implementation.  It enables the application to connect easily to many different source and target systems, including different software versions.  It utilizes XML configuration to determine which source/target it will connect to.
3. Source/Target Adapter (e.g., Documentum, File System, Centera, JDBC) – The adapter will directly communicate with the source/target that is being implemented.  Each adapter is written to interact with a specific piece of software (e.g., Documentum, file system).  The adapters leverage configuration files to determine how the data should be read, manipulated and written; and the Migration Queue to know which data should be extracted and populated into the target database.  Within each adapter, a Content Reader retrieves the actual content from the source system.
4. Migration Queue and Log – The Migration Queue is the application’s “to-do” list, responsible for informing the source and target adapters what to migrate.  It is also responsible for recording each object’s status (success or failure). The Migration Log serves as an audit trail providing a detailed mapping for each migrated object.  Like the rest of the system, these components are highly configurable, and the core implementations (JDBC via Hibernate, CSV files, even Excel via Jakarta POI) can be extended if needed.
5. Bulk Load Interface - Utilizing the powerful underlying engine in one of two configurations (File System to Documentum or Documentum to Documentum), the SpringMVC-based Bulk Load web application allows an end user simplified access to the power of OpenMigrate.  Using the streamlined interface, a user uploads a content file and associates it with a document type, then indexes it according to a configurable properties page.  Once the user has set up a batch, he or she can execute the import and observe its progress in real-time.

OpenMigrate’s Flexible Framework

The framework of this migration utility is what differentiates it from the other Documentum migration products. OpenMigrate’s architecture reduces code, improves application quality, flexibility, testability, and scalability.

• Extend, Customize and Reuse
• Open Source Framework
• Configurable
• High-Volume Capable
• Platform Agnostic
• Reduced Validation

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