Getting There Was The Easy Part

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Getting There Was The Easy Part

• Three Short Stories on Sustaining the ERP Beast
• Janet Backe
• Randy Raine

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Three Short Stories On Sustaining the ERP Beast

• Infrastructure challenges
• Coping with user demands
• Dealing with never ending bundles, patches,
  service and maintenance packs

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Infrastructure Challenges
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Software Environment

• Move to PeopleSoft ERP - 2001
• Student Admin (SA)
• Portal
• Human Resources / Payroll
• Finance
• Budget
• Shrink-wrap Windows applications
• Room Scheduling
• idCam (student cards)
• Facilities Mgmt
• Recreation

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HARDWARE Environment

• SUN servers - Solaris
• Windows servers - 2000/2003
• Blades
• VMWare servers
• Stand-alone Pizza boxes
• Storage
• Network Appliance
• NAS
• SAN
• CIFS
• iSCSI
• Sun
• SAN
• Local disk

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Legacy System
Terminal
Legacy server
Disk
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PeopleSoft 3 Tier Architecture
Work station
Tier 0
Web
Web
Tier 1
App
App
Tier 2
DB
DB
Tier 3
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Infrastructure Challenges

• ISSUES
• Storage
• You cant believe how much you need!
• Software versions
• What is certified with what?
• Conflicting versions
• Environments
• (Demo, Dev, Test, Stage, Upgrade, Prod) 4
• Security vs Productivity
• Providing access while balancing productivity
  with security

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ISSUE Storage

• The vendor was not lying!
• Databases are large
• Each environment needs its own database copy
• Database replication

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Dealing with Storage

• Lots lots lots lots!
• Two state devices - New or Full
• SAN technology
• Expensive but fast reliable
• Replication technology
• NetApps volume cloning snapshots

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ISSUE Software versions

• Multiple O/S versions
• Multiple application versions
• Version conflicts
• Certifications

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Software Versions

• Software Environment

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Dealing with Software Versions

• Dedicated hardware
• License costs
• Hardware costs
• Sys Admin costs
• VMWare
• Reduces hardware costs
• Speeds deployment times

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ISSUE Environments

• Everyone wants their own
• Five PeopleSoft applications
• SA, PA, FIN, HAP, BUD
• Each has at least 5 environments
• Prod, Dev, Test, Demo, Stage, UPG, etc
• Each requires application space, DB space and
  system resources

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Dealing with Environments

• Separation of applications
• Dedicated hardware
• Virtual machines
• Separation of PROD from Dev/Test
• Dedicated hardware
• Lots of storage
• Each environment needs home directory space
• Each environment needs DB space
• Silos
• Attempt to overlap whenever possible to minimize
  server resources
• Application servers hardest hit
• Lots of memory

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ISSUE Security vs Productivity

• PeopleSofts 3-tier architecture
• Developers need access to the database servers
• Developers need access to vendor and other
  internet resources
• University data needs to be secure from
  unauthorized access

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PeopleSoft 3 Tier Architecture
Work station
Tier 0
Load Balancer
Web
Tier 1
Web
Web
App
DB
App
App
Tier 2
DB
Tier 3
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PeopleSoft 3 Tier Architecture
Work station
Tier 0
Load Balancer
Term Server
Web
Tier 1
Web
Web
Term Server
App
DB
App
App
Tier 2
DB
Tier 3
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Infrastructure Challenges
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2. Coping With User Demand
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2. Coping With User Demand

• ISSUES
• Drop In productivity
• Browser Blues
• New systems old ways
• Mismatched support expectations
• Downloading work
• Impact of cumulative change

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ISSUE Drop In Productivity

• Scheduling data entry went from 3 screens to 9
  pages in PeopleSoft
• Learning curve green screen to Web
• Loss of functionality final grade check was
  automated now manual
• No increase in staff decrease in service
• Never enough training (older staff ready to
  retire)

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ISSUE Browser Blues

• PeopleSoft web version stated as browser
  independent
• Back button issues
• MACs only worked with limited number of browsers
• Hot keys not functioning
• Issues with the Portal
• Had to use terminal services

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ISSUE New System Old Ways Conflicting Behaviour

• Trying to force PeopleSoft to work like the
  legacy SIMON
• Continued use of shadow databases
• Reporting database low acceptance
• Interfaces based on legacy systems
• PeopleSoft more flexible but onus on users to
  know what they are doing

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ISSUE Mismatched Support Expectations

• System operates near 24x7, support expectation
  the same
• Role of sustainment business analysts versus
  business area resources
• Everything is a system problem
• Desktop issues versus application issues, i.e.
  Mail is a SIMS problem
• Multiple help desks (goSFU, simshelp_at_sfu.ca,
  help_at_sfu.ca)

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ISSUE Downloading Work (Self serve)
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ISSUE Cumulative Changes
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2. Coping With User Demand

• TECHNIQUES
• Involve users in sustainment upgrades
• Dedicated help desks
• Terminal servers
• Continuous business process streamlining
• System modifications and enhancements
• Integrated systems require integrated user groups
• Challenge sacred cows why are we doing this?
• Extra resources

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3. Dealing With Never Ending Bundles, Patches,
Service Packs etc.

• ISSUES
• Doing upgrades in a 24x7 environment
• Make Work projects
• Replicating fixes, changes to a multitude of
  environments
• Impact on both IT and User resources

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ISSUE Upgrades in 24x7

• Support is 9x5, system is 24x7
• Still need monthly outage
• Having to wait till scheduled outage
• Communication of outages
• So many users
• Which ones are affected?
• Migrations plus table re-orgs

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ISSUE Make Work Projects
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ISSUE Replicating Fixes and Changes in many
environments

• Student Admin
• ACE, ASI, BUN, CNV, CPY, DMO, PLY, SND, TRN, TST,
  UPG, PRD
• Finance
• CST, DEV, DMO, SND, TRG, TST, UPG, YEP, PRD
• Human Resources / Payroll
• CST, DEV, DMO, ERQ, PLY, SND, TST, UPG, PRD
• Portal
• DEV, DMO, SND, TST, UPG, PRD
• Budget
• CFG, DEV, TRN, TST, PRD

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ISSUE Impact on IT and User Resources

• Coordination of work
• Time doing maintenance work
• Difficult to plan based on shifting priorities
• Involvement of user areas to test
• Not planned for in end users resource budget

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3. Dealing With Never Ending Bundles, Patches,
Service Packs etc.

• TECHNIQUES
• Keep current
• Divide in manageable chunks
• Testing, testing and more testing
• Involve expertise in business areas

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Conclusions

• Dont underestimate the sticker shock,
  especially in sustainment
• On the positive side, embrace the opportunities
  for providing leading edge service to you
  community