Evoke Unlocks Mainframe Data with MA/Extract; New Product Works with Evoke's Migration Architect to Reduce Time and Cost of Migrating Legacy Data
Evoke Software Corporation, a pioneer in Data Profiling technology, has announced that the Company is shipping MA/Extract for VSAM, a product that makes data stored in VSAM and sequential files -- estimated at 50% of the total data on MVS mainframes -- readily available for analysis by Migration Architect. Until now, migrating non-relational data "locked away" on OS/390 (MVS) mainframe systems to newer packaged applications and data warehouses has presented a challenge because it was too time consuming and expensive to understand. With MA/Extract for VSAM, this data is easily extracted and formatted for Data Profiling and Mapping with Migration Architect, a critical first step in migrating legacy data.
The company also announced that it is shipping Migration Architect Release 3.0, which includes the Evoke Repository and support for IBM DB2 Universal Database. With the Evoke Repository, the profiling results and data models produced by Migration Architect can be transferred to an industry-standard relational database, making it more readily available to users, as well as other data migration and integration tools.
"Nearly 50% of MVS mainframe data is in VSAM or sequential files which, until now, has been complex to access and understand. This presents a very challenging problem that has stalled many well-intentioned projects," said Brian Jeffery, managing director, International Technology Group, an enterprise systems consulting firm based in Mountain View, California. "Evoke's MA/Extract for VSAM provides a way to jump-start these projects and migrate this critical information to new applications and data warehouses."
"The vast majority of our customers are in the midst of (or planning) data migration projects that involve non-relational files, so it makes sense that Evoke should use its expertise in data profiling to create a product that makes the process of understanding and extracting data from these files easier and faster," said Craig Olson, vice president of marketing for Evoke Software. "The old 'garbage-in-garbage-out' rule applies to these files, too. Without undertaking a methodical process of understanding the content and structure of the data, it would be difficult to obtain quality results."
MA/Extract for VSAM opens up corporate information assets that were once considered unusable or too expensive and time consuming to access for strategic projects such as data warehouses, ERP and CRM systems, as well as e-commerce applications. The product reduces the time required to prepare this data for analysis in Migration Architect and improves the accuracy of the results from the Data Profiling and Mapping process.
MA/Extract for VSAM replaces a complex manual analysis and programming task with an automated process that captures data structure from COBOL file definitions and allows the user to validate this structure using samples of actual data. This information is then used to determine the best way to format the data for processing by Migration Architect. Once the ideal format is determined, MA/Extract performs the extraction and prepares the data for Profiling and Mapping.
MA/Extract for VSAM runs on IBM OS/390 Version 1.2 or later. The user interface runs on Microsoft Windows 95, 98, or NT, and supports all COBOL programs and copybooks compatible with IBM VS COBOL II.
A key feature of Migration Architect Release 3.0 is the Evoke Repository, which allows data analysts to export Migration Architect catalog data to relational databases, opening up the data for other uses. In the past, information developed in Migration Architect was stored in a proprietary catalog. With the Evoke Repository, data analysts can now create customized reports using standard report generators and can import the information into other analysis and modeling tools, including those for extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) and enterprise application integration (EAI).
By creating reports using the Evoke Repository, data analysts can structure and format these reports to meet their specific requirements. In addition, columns can be added that contain organization-specific data, thereby extending the range of information that Migration Architect captures. For example, an organization may want to add a column to an attribute report that contains a textual explanation of why certain modeling decisions about each attribute were made. Or, the data analyst may want to include explanations of inter-attribute dependency rules.
Another feature of Migration Architect Release 3.0 is the ability to import data from, and generate DDL for, any IBM DB2 Universal Database. As a result, Migration Architect now has direct access to DB2 data on all major enterprise platforms, including OS/390, various versions of UNIX, Microsoft Windows NT, and AS/400. In addition, Migration Architect continues to support Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and Microsoft SQL Server databases.
"The features in Migration Architect 3.0 add enormous value to the product," said Ralph Nordstrom, data warehouse architect for the Automobile Club of Southern California. "The new Evoke Repository will make it easier for us to include Migration Architect data profiling results in our corporate repository and to generate custom reports for our data migration projects. The other features, such as support for IBM DB2 Universal Database, speak to Evoke's ongoing commitment to enhance an already excellent tool."
MA/Extract for VSAM is a companion product to Migration Architect Release 3.0. Both products are available immediately. MA/Extract for VSAM has a US list price of $50,000 for a single OS/390 system and requires that Migration Architect 3.0 also be installed. A site license for MA/Extract for VSAM costs $100,000. Migration Architect has a US list price of $200,000 for the server component and $50,000 for each concurrent user.
Migration Architect utilizes a combination of automated discovery and interactive analysis to automate the time-consuming and complicated process of profiling legacy data prior to implementing data migration and data integration projects. Migration Architect's unique inference-based technology enables data and business analysts to interactively profile data sources, providing them with a thorough understanding of data content, structure, quality, and integrity. The resulting profile is used to develop an accurate data model and set of source-to-target transformation maps. This, in turn, is used in conjunction with third-party tools to extract, scrub, transform, and load the data from one system to another, or to integrate the data across multiple disparate systems.
Evoke Software develops and markets Data Profiling and Mapping software and services for ERP, CRM, data warehousing, data consolidation, and enterprise application integration (EAI) projects. With the creation of its flagship product, Migration Architect, Evoke is pioneering a new category of software -- Data Profiling and Mapping -- that addresses a growing need among Fortune 1000/Global 2000 companies for timely and accurate IT project completion.
Evoke has sales and support offices throughout the U.S. and Europe, and has strategic relationships with key business and technology partners worldwide. Evoke is a private company backed by premier investment firms, including Wheatley Partners, Hambrecht & Quist, Axiom Venture Partners, and RRE Investors.
For more information, please contact Evoke Software at 877-386-5379 or visit the Company's website at http://www.evokesoft.com.