Overview:

Business Vision:

The global leading truck manufacturer embarked on a digital transformation initiative to modernize its data platform. The primary objectives were to optimize costs, enhance digital capabilities, and improve the overall digital footprint of the organization.

Challenges:

The company’s traditional data warehouse and operational data store (ODS) platforms were struggling to scale with the increasing demands of their digital architecture. This limitation resulted in high operational costs and limited digital capabilities, hampering their ability to leverage data for informed decision-making.
The data platform was built on legacy technologies such as Teradata and SSIS, and it relied heavily on highly complex Teradata stored procedures for ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processing. The complexity of the existing infrastructure was hindering agility, making it challenging to respond swiftly to changing business requirements.
To overcome these challenges, the company decided to modernize its data platform by moving to the cloud, specifically AWS (Amazon Web Services). The target technologies included AWS Aurora, Snowflake, and AWS Glue, which offered scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.

Solution Approach:

To address the data platform modernization, the company partnered with DataSwitch, a specialized data solutions provider. DataSwitch proposed an end-to-end solution for data modernization, which included the migration strategy for schema, data, and ETL processes.
The following key steps were taken in the solution approach:

• Schema Migration:

  DataSwitch utilized its DS Migrate tool to convert the existing schema from Teradata to AWS Aurora and Snowflake. This process involved mapping and transforming the database structure to fit the new cloud-based platforms.

• Data Migration:

  Automation was the key to efficient data migration. DataSwitch automated the migration of data from Teradata to AWS Aurora and Snowflake. This ensured a smooth and rapid transfer of data, minimizing downtime and avoiding data loss.

• ETL Modernization:

  The complex Teradata stored procedures and SSIS packages were a major concern for the migration. DataSwitch provided automation to convert these complex jobs to AWS Aurora Postgres stored procedures and AWS Glue jobs. This transformation enhanced the ETL process, making it more streamlined and cost-effective.

• Collaboration with Client Data Team:

  DataSwitch’s professional services team actively engaged with the client’s data team throughout the entire conversion process. This collaboration ensured a seamless transition, and the data team was fully involved in the migration, leading to a successful implementation.

Value Delivered:

The modernization effort led to significant value for the global leading truck manufacturer:

• 80% Faster Processing Time:

  The migration to AWS cloud platforms resulted in an 80% reduction in processing time compared to the legacy infrastructure. This improvement enhanced the overall performance and responsiveness of the data platform.

• Conversion of Complex Jobs:

  DataSwitch successfully converted over 200 complex Teradata stored procedures and SSIS packages to AWS Aurora Postgres and AWS Glue jobs. This transformation enabled better manageability and performance of the ETL processes.

• 90% Automation Efficiency:

  The migration and modernization processes were highly automated, leading to a remarkable 90% automation efficiency. This automation significantly reduced the manual effort and accelerated the migration timeline.

• Large-Scale Object Migration:

  DataSwitch migrated a vast number of database objects, including tables, views, and stored procedures, totaling over 3000, to AWS Aurora. This migration effort laid the foundation for a modern and scalable data platform.

Fast Facts:

The data platform modernization project involved the following key details:

• Technologies Used:

  DS Migrate, SSIS, Teradata, AWS Glue, AWS Aurora (PostgreSQL), Snowflake.

• Data Volume Migrated:

  Approximately 5 TB of production data was successfully migrated from Teradata to AWS Aurora.

• Historical Data Migration:

  The historical data migration was completed within an impressive timeframe of approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes.

By embracing data platform modernization with AWS cloud services and leveraging DataSwitch’s expertise and automation capabilities, the global leading truck manufacturer achieved its vision of optimizing costs and improving digital capabilities. The company now has a robust, scalable, and cost-effective data platform that empowers data-driven decision-making and supports its digital transformation journey.