Adventures in Systems Integration 3rd Party EDMS Integration with Banner

1
Adventures in Systems Integration3rd Party EDMS
Integration with Banner

• Paul Drobny
• Divisional Manager of Systems Technology
• Student Affairs, UC Davis

2
In this Session

• From Concept Design to Delivery and Beyond
• Basics of EDMS Unstructured Data
• Using Contractor Integrator Services
• Supporting Distributed Customers in the Campus
  Data Center
• The Importance of Project Communications
• Minimizing Dependence Matrix Effects on Users
• Treating 2 Enterprise Systems as One
• Tight vs. Loose Integration What works?

3
The Back Story

• Goal Extend Banner ERP Software with
  Unstructured Data
• Buy Sungards ERP Extender (tightly integrated)?
• Buy a better 3rd Party tool
• Provide the difference in the fit/gap results
  locally?
• Can Microsoft Co-exist with Oracle?

4
EDMS Basics

• Photos of Documents in Tiff format
• Docs stored in Microsoft Directories
• MetaData stores pointers to docs, not photos
• Search feature supported by MetaData attributes
• Distributed scanning, centralized storage
• Workflow enables office routing and status
• Rich Security environment for docs, everything
• Microsoft-centric solutions
• Automatic Document Retentioning

5
As Delivered

• SQL Server Production Instance Only
• Scanners in Registrar, Fin Aid Admissions
• EDMS core in UC Davis Data Center The DC
• Dedicated Microsoft Domain
• Integrated to Banner via Text File Extraction
• One DataStore with 230 Attributes in Metadata
  DB
• Heterogeneous Microsoft environments
• 3rd Party Support Contractor in Detroit

6
As Administered

• 3 Dept Agreement Central Support
• Purchasing, Licensing, Hardware Equally Shared
• Staff in Dept Data Center
• Ante into funding pot (by 3, DC T M)
• Rotating staff (about .5 FTE Total)
• 30 Manager from Student Affairs
• Staff in Data Center (1 Architect, .5 Admin)
• Single Master (Mistress?) Securities Admin
• Shared Admin Responsibilities (Microsoft Model)

7
Issue 1Test Instance

• Firewalls
• Subnet Proximity
• Neighbors on your subnet
• Search features supported by MetaData attributes
• Microsoft Domain Controllers
• Prod is Test

8
DC Architecture
9
DC Change 1
10
First Changes

• Duplicate Hardware for Stage/Test Instance
• Remove SISDocs from Riff Raff channel (first)
• Move Adjacent to SIS same subnet
• Protect behind firewalls of SIS
• Dedicated Microsoft Domain
• Duplicate Firewalls and Domain Controllers
• Proliferation of Microsoft Boxes
• Service Level Agreements Multiply

11
Issue 2 MetaData

• Document Storage Dependent on Indexing
• SIS System of Record protected by Stewardship
• Shuffle text files via FTP then run Upload
• Move 220 Attributes for Admissions
• Move difference data, or all data?
• Oracle SIS, SQL Server SISDocs

12
Issue 3 Heterogeneous Departmental Environments

• One has Microsoft Domain, Exchange Services
• One uses Obsolete OS Win 2k, No Domain
• Different Integrations, Fileservices
• Problems present differently in all environments
• Email Client corrupts Tiff files?
• Upgrades take 4 months with current staffing

13
Solutions 2

• Dump SQL Server in favor of Oracle
• MetaData Instances on SIS
• Homogenize OS support with Terminal Services
• Subnet Control Remains in Department
• Speed Upgrades by Solving Problems Once
• Require Secure Scan Stations DC Exposure
• Eliminate Some Hardware, Add Some More!?!

14
Next Iteration SIS/Docs
15
DC Change 1
16
Problem Performance

• Strange Application Error Escalation
• License Management an Issue
• Application dependence Datastore to Datastore
• Meta Loads of Huge Data Sets
• MetaData on a Diet?
• System of Record Autofill Real Time Indexes
• Business Springs from the SIS

17
Problems of Other Sorts

• SIS uses Token Access
• How Many Places is a User Managed?
• Microsoft Centric Apps Easily Integrate with Like
• Vendor Blues
• Remote Support, but what do you Pay For?
• Help w/o Onsight Familiarity?
• Distinguishing among internal and external
  problems
• When Firing a Partner Becomes Necessary

18
Last Iteration DC Architecture
19
DC Change 1
20
Advantages

• Reduced Box Count
• On the Same Subnet as SIS
• Run Oracle instance on SIS Hardware
• Behind Firewalls Maintained for SIS
• DB to DB transfer high speed, no text
• Firewalls Pass Microsoft Domain Info
• Leverage SIS Token through Xeda work

21
Advantages 2

• Adjacent to both SIS Xeda
• Xeda Integration automagic
• Programming within DB, not Inline Code
• Troubleshooting tools familiar to Depts
• SSN Encryption Oracle function used in SIS
• DB Refresh Sync easier to co-ordinate
• SIS Team Crossover Support

22
The Next Set of Issues

• Real Time DB Lookups for Indexers
• How Many Primary Keys Do you Need?
• Migration Shouldnt Hardware Match?
• Update MetaData Only As Necessary
• Triggers from SIS to SISDocs DB/DB Xfer
• A Word About Web Clients Services
• Virtualize the Hardware and ave

23
Source Code Programming

• Scripts are more prevalent than Sources
• Designed with critical stubs among the toolkit
  options (insert script here), stored in MetaData
• Limits your ability to modify (that might be
  good)
• It Helps to Have .Net Experience even if not
  programming (for Architecture Sake)
• APIs for Everything .. Program Control Calls

24
A Word About Teams
25
A Word About Teams
26
Loose vs Tight Coupling Characteristics

• Loose
• Less than 10 Attributes in MetaData
• Primary Key Only Maybe Student ID?
• Use ODBC to talk to Database
• Use Real Time System of Record Access
• Create Interfaces Between Systems
• In Short Service Oriented Architecture
• Tight
• Configurations Similar
• Depend on Same DB for Data Transfer
• Developed in Same Tools
• Informed Understanding of All Business Process
• Dependency Matrix Managed by Vendor
• Installations Easy

27
The Winner Loose

• Users Benefit from Purpose Built Product
• Choose DB Based on Staff Familiarity
• Workflows Interface Generally Instead of
  Specifically
• Institution Needs Integration Level Knowledge
  Anyway
• Ultimately B to B will Use SOA Design
• Manageable Issues
• Dependence Matrix
• Security
• User ID Management?

28
Glossary

• ERP Enterprise Resource Planning (Program)
  Associated with management dogma of the late
  80s, the concept of Enterprise Planning alludes
  to overall control of a business as a single
  entity, not a collection of vertical disciplines.
  Applied to automation in the late 90s, the
  concept speaks to using computers to holistically
  manage the entire enterprise as if it were a
  single computer program, though this is generally
  not the case in any modern institution, certainly
  not institutions in Higher Education
• Fit/Gap or Fit/Gap Analysis Examination of a
  business process to determine which parts are
  critical to business success, and which parts may
  be expendable or done in another way. The process
  is used by wise institutions when defining where
  automated support is required, and how to
  communicate that activity to potential vendors
  and stakeholders.
• Domain In Microsoft parlance, this refers to a
  group of systems, users and their privileges to
  use system resources. The concept is at the
  center of their securities and access controls
  list. It defines a hierarchical structure and
  system architecture designed to support a wide
  range of organizations from the very small to the
  very large. Larger structures are hierarchal in
  nature. Domain Controllers are used as the
  authorization and authentication services so that
  many users can access many resources .
• EDMS Electronic Document Management Systems are
  generally an enterprise level conglomeration of
  automated services that organize and manipulate a
  large number of photographs of paper documents.
  They use database applications, standardized file
  formats and large disk spaces as core technology.
• Metadata - The database at the center of an EDMS
  is referred to as metadata. This is generally a
  database that has millions or billions of
  records, but stored only a few attributes about
  each document like where that document is on disk
  space, a primary key that allows the document to
  be indexed to another often legacy database, and
  any other keys to help index the documents.
• SOA Stands for Service Oriented Architecture,
  but conceptually is the design of large,
  complicated computer programs as loosely coupled
  services that are able to talk to each other over
  the network. In this way, the data structures
  (entity relationship models) are passed from
  service to service to accomplish operations.
  Because the services communicate, it makes it
  easy to connect and re-connect the services in
  different ways, to more accurately model the way
  your institution works. It is also easier to make
  major changes when major business projects are
  pursued.
• Systems Architecture The basic layout of
  automation, and the standards that define how
  modifications to that automation are made, and
  what infrastructure uses. This is similar to the
  foundation of a house. Choosing a flexible
  foundation allows for the house to be modified
  with minimal cost to greatest benefit of the
  homeowner.
• Systems Integration When commercial software
  companies design new products, it is common
  practice to buy some pieces that represent
  working parts of the final product, then make
  those pieces work together by adding code where
  functionality is missing and using all sorts of
  engineering tools to make the parts work
  together.
• Primary Key When an entity relationship model
  has an attribute that is unique for each and
  every record in a table, the table has a primary
  key. Occasionally a primary key has to be the
  combination of 2 or more attributes which when
  taken in sum constitute a primary key

29
Questions or Comments?

• Paul Drobny
• psdrobny_at_ucdavis.edu