Technology Migration and Production Systems
Jeffrey R Meyers
PE, President, Miner and Miner PO BOX548 Greeley, CO 80632
Abstract
Changes in base technology present a number of issues and challenges for managers of
AM/FM/GIS, especially for those in production environments. New platforms, operating
systems and database management techniques combine to provide opportunities in
fimction and performance never before possible. At the same time, implementing new
technology can disrupt production schedules, drain the often limited resources of the core
team, and introduce new risks in the roll-out of systems. This paper addresses three
aspects of technology migration: providing some context for change in base technology,
recognizing models for change and their implications, and finally providing some
suggestions for implementing change in production environments. The author gives four
specific examples that can be tailored to fit the utility or developer’s own environment,
based on the experiences of managing a development staff through the life cycle of one
base technology and into a new generation of another.
Technology Migration
Context For Charwe
Most users of mature AM/FM/GIS have seen at least some changes in their own
technology. In fact, the industry by its nature thrives on and therefore promotes change.
For example, the wide use of AM/FM/GIS among utilities has provided the motivation
for some key technological improvements in base GIS software, driven by the different
and in some aspects more difficult requirements of detailed facilities models. Among the
key milestone improvements over the last 10 years are:
- Open systems with ability to interconnect with and manage to commercial
Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS.)
- Ability to manage edits on individual model entities, known as “Feature Locking”
database management.
- Ability to provide long transaction and version management functions, to permit
multiple users to edit or modifi the same geographic data at the same time.
- A move to Windows-based/desktop systems with no decrease in functionality or
performance
- Use of object-oriented programming languages and modeling techniques
And change will continue. New trends in AM/FM/GIS technology will take advantage of
more sophisticated geographic data types and advanced software tools. The overarching
trend in the industry is the convergence of technologies which began as isolated tools for
mapping and record keeping into integrated systems which merge geographic and other
related attribute data. A second trend is towards the availability of desktop applications
through the use of GIS servers which supply distributed client applications, without the
overhead of large databases and complex GIS models. Third, there is increasing interest
in object-oriented methodologies for defining complex object classes and standard
development environments and analysis tools.
Change and Risk
Experience has shown that migration or changing of an existing computer system to a
newer one can produce nearly as much turmoil as the original introduction of new
systems. An entire science of change management has grownup around the
implementation of new automated systems, based on the study of their impact on people
and organizations. Beyond the fact that computer technology itself is intimidating to
many new users, automating a system or business process involves adopting new
techniques and ways of doing things, and may also conjure images of loss of control and
even job security for users. For managers, implementation of a new automated system
has a number of risks, from loss of quality control over the process to the ultimate risk:
that the system won’t work.
Replacement or migration of an existing, mature automated system has its own set of
risks, which parallel those of new systems in many areas. (Migration for purposes of this
discussion includes the implementation of new technology from hardware and software to
databases.) Users of mature technology may fear loss of fkrniliar environment and the
obsolescence of job skills. At the very least, some significant restraining may be
involved. Managers and users alike worry that production schedules will be disrupted.
And, executives fear the biggest risk: that after all of the investment, the new technology
will not live up to its promise, or worse, may not even work at all.
Change in the AM/FM/GIS Enviromnent
Upgrading or replacing a mature AM/FM/GIS is as difficult as migrating any other
automation technology. When faced with the business requirements for migration, the
user must reckon that one or all of the following areas might be affected:
- Hardware Environments
- Applications
- People
- Processes
- Data Structures
Careful assessment of the impact of migration on each of these areas is wise. Since they
are interrelated, aspects of one may affect others in positive or negative fashion. For
example, what seems to be a straightforward port of a UNIX-based system to a Windows
NT environment may enable certain Windows-component improvements in the
application, while imposing requirements on the PC workstations that the installed base
of machines cannot meet.
