The Challenge
A government health agency faced an urgent need to upgrade from Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) 11g running on Oracle Exalytics. The Exalytics hardware was reaching its end-of-support lifecycle, leading to prohibitively high maintenance costs and potential security vulnerabilities. Additionally, the agency needed modern analytics capabilities that could handle larger data volumes, provide more advanced insights, and ensure minimal disruption to ongoing health initiatives.
Key issues included:
- End-of-Support Hardware: Continued reliance on aging Exalytics hardware posed increased risk and higher maintenance overhead.
- Rising Costs: Hardware support fees were escalating, diverting funds from other critical health service improvements.
- Limited Analytics Features: The older OBIEE environment lacked the flexibility and modern visualisation tools desired by users and decision-makers.
Obsolete hardware, rising costs = urgency for modernisation
The agency’s existing Oracle Exalytics platform was reaching end-of-support, leading to expensive maintenance and operational challenges. At the same time, they needed a secure on-premises solution that could also modernize their analytics capabilities to handle growing data volumes and complex reporting demands. Faced with these pressures, transitioning from OBIEE 11g to Oracle Analytics Server (OAS) required meticulous planning and minimal downtime to ensure uninterrupted service for critical health programs.
The Roadmap to Success: From OBIEE to OAS on Oracle X8-8
Blue Crystal Solutions developed a structured migration plan to move the agency from OBIEE 11g on Exalytics to OAS on Oracle X8-8. Each step was carefully orchestrated to maintain data integrity and minimise downtime.
1. Database Foundation
Installed and Configured Oracle Database 19c: Set up a robust database environment to support the new OAS platform. This provided improved performance, reliability, and scalability, ensuring a stable foundation for advanced analytics.
2. Middleware Setup
Installed and Configured Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure 12c: Deployed the necessary middleware components to enable seamless integration across the enterprise. This step ensured compatibility and a smooth transition to the new analytics platform.
3. Analytics Server Installation
Installed and Configured OAS 5.x: Implemented OAS as the next-generation analytics tool, offering enhanced features such as advanced data visualization, self-service analytics, and augmented data discovery.
4. Data & Dashboards Migration
Generated Export Bundle from OBIEE 11g: Created an export package of existing dashboards, reports, and metadata to facilitate smooth migration.
Imported Bundle into OAS: Transferred all critical assets into OAS, followed by rigorous validation to ensure consistency and accuracy of data.
5. Post-Implementation Review & Optimisation
Configuration & Performance Tuning: Conducted a thorough review of the new environment to optimize response times and user experience. Fine-tuning settings in OAS and the Oracle Database maximised performance and reliability.
User Acceptance Testing & Training: Facilitated user acceptance sessions and targeted training to help stakeholders seamlessly transition to the updated analytics platform.
The Benefits
By migrating to Oracle Analytics Server on Oracle X8-8, the agency unlocked multiple advantages:
- Modern Analytics Capability: The move from OBIEE to OAS introduced cutting-edge features, including interactive dashboards, intuitive data visualizations, and AI-driven insights—empowering more data-driven decisions.
- Significant Cost Savings: Eliminating reliance on end-of-support Exalytics hardware reduced maintenance expenses and future-proofed the analytics environment.
- Improved Performance & Scalability: Oracle X8-8 servers and Oracle Database 19c provided faster query processing and the ability to scale efficiently as data volumes grow.
- Cloud-Ready Flexibility: Although still on-premises, the new infrastructure is easily adaptable for cloud deployment, giving the agency freedom to adopt a hybrid or full-cloud approach down the line.
- Enhanced Security & Compliance: Upgrading to the latest supported hardware and software versions ensured the agency met government standards for data protection and IT compliance.
The successful migration to Oracle Analytics Server on Oracle X8-8 has modernised the government health agency’s analytics landscape, improved performance, and reduced total cost of ownership. By staying on a supported platform, the agency is better positioned to handle evolving data needs and can easily pivot to a cloud-based architecture when desired.
Looking to adopt a similar solution?
Contact Blue Crystal Solutions to discuss how we can help your organisation modernise and optimise its analytics, whether you plan to remain on-premises or transition to the cloud.
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