<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=718856742027970&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Blog

A step by step guide to the final upgrade from Agile to Cloud PLM

Oracle PLM Cloud has become the solution for today with its ability to provide a platform to rapidly innovate, develop & commercialize quality products, which are regulated and profitable.

How does Cloud PLM differ from On-premise Solutions?

While on-premise Agile PLM allows for product development, processes, and development of product records and more; these are essential features of any PLM. Moving to the Cloud brings you a step ahead in the product conception, with the following advantages:

  • The cloud allows for identification of individual tasks related to each status of the workflow and the overall change.
  • The cloud has powerful security that enables roles and privileges control to directly. Agile PLM on the other hand has no team security. 
  • Cloud provides Page Composer that allows complete customization of the page layout while Agile does not.
  • Sub-classes are of unlimited levels in the cloud, and only of three levels in Agile: base class, class and subclass.

To make the transition to the cloud easier, GoSaaS has a clear and well-defined process that captures input from within the company to ensure every requirement is fulfilled. 

The migration methodology is minimally invasive and ensures successful organizational acceptance of the solution with a step by step defined process. This starts from pre-implementation training and several workshops for key process area owners, after which the migration initiates. Once completed, user testing takes place with Conference Room Pilot(s) (CRP) and User Acceptance Test (UAT). 

Step 1: Pre-Implementation Training

The process starts with product training for business process owners as they provide the requirements for the migration. The training is conducted in the lab and ensures understanding of super users. 

Step 2: Oracle Cloud Migration workshop

Next, GoSaaS’s Subject Matter Expert (SME) facilitates workshops that are attended by relevant process area owners. The objective of the workshops is to collaboratively determine how the client’s current processes can be optimized and mapped to relevant cloud modules.  The workshops are held in a series, each for appropriate business users, covering a specific topic. If the customer is already using a PLM system, the information regarding current configuration and business processes are included in the discussions to identify what is working and what needs to be changed.

After the workshops, GoSaaS’s team documents the migration plan of the system and gets it approved by the client. 

Step 3: Identifying and carrying out migrations of configurations, data, files and customizations.

What are the kinds of Configurations?

  • Basic Configurations: This consists of automatic migration of items and workflow subclasses by GoSaaS Migrator.
  • GS PLM Admin: This consists of the Security model and Approval Matrix in the Agile Product Lifecycle Management. In the cloud, these can be replaced by GoSaaS Power Tools.
  • Advanced Configurations: Instead of writing code, Agile PXes can be mapped using configurations. For example, Agile PXes map to Apps Composer, Business Rules, and Page Composer.

What is GoSaaS Migrator?  

The GoSaaS Migrator is deployed on-premise and automates the tedious and expensive process of transferring your information, configurations, or data such as change order details, from legacy systems such as Agile PLM  to Oracle PLM Cloud. The GoSaaS Migrator guarantees the utmost accuracy so you can make the right decisions with the right information at all times.

Configuration Module 

  • GoSaaS Migrator converts Agile’s configurations and maps it into Microsoft Excel. 
  • Microsoft Excel configurations containing information about Classes, Structure, Unit of Measure, Approved Manufacturer List (AML) & Change Orders are reviewed in workshops, and any changes can be made in Microsoft Excel.
  • Once the Microsoft Excel is signed off, GoSaaS Migrator converts the Microsoft Excel into cloud configurations in the target environment, taking around 10-15 minutes.

Data & File Migration

  • GoSaaS Migrator extracts data from Agile Database and extracts files from File Vault.
  • GoSaaS Migrator transforms the data and files to a cloud-specific format.
  • Upon completion of data transformation, the GoSaaS Migrator generates Cloud FBDI Microsoft Excel templates. Files are then migrated to UCM (cloud vault).
  • CSV files are then generated using FBDI. Microsoft Excel and attachment to an item mapping file are also created.
  • Data is loaded and file to object mappings are created in the cloud.

Customization

There is no longer a requirement to write a code in Oracle Product Lifecycle Management Cloud for customizations from Agile PLM  because those can be mapped to the same functionality using configurations. Agile PLM customizations can be mapped to:

  1. OOTB Features (e.g. Auto-Incorporate)
  2. OTBI (e.g. BOM Explosion Report)
  3. Advanced Configurations (e.g. WF BOM Validation)
  4. GoSaaS Apps (e.g. Mass BOM Update)
  5. Process Change

The remaining, around 8%, can be completed using Java Customizations.

Step 4: Mapping existing integrations from Agile PLM to Oracle PLM Cloud

GoSaaS Integration Processes

The current configurations from the Agile PLM system can be mapped to Oracle PLM Cloud as-is with the help of OIC or GS Integrator.

The GoSaaS Integrator Processes using GS Integrator or OIC include:

  • Oracle Cloud to/from EBS 
  • Oracle Cloud to/from SAP
  • Oracle Cloud to/from Microsoft Dynamics AX
  • Oracle Cloud to/from NetSuite
  • Oracle Quality to/from Salesforce
  • Solidworks/ePDM to/from Oracle cloud
  • OrCAD to/from Oracle Cloud 
  • DxDesigner to/from Oracle Cloud
  • Allegro to/from Oracle Cloud
  • Altium to/from Oracle Cloud

Step 5: Testing & Go-Live

CRP

Once the system is configured, key process owners who participated in the migration workshops test if the configurations have been done properly. In order to keep this step focused, GoSaaS provides CRP scripts that focus only on the processes being implemented in the system. At each step, the scripts also provide a mechanism to capture feedback. Depending on the feedback from a CRP, this process may be repeated a second time “CRP-2” after making configuration adjustments. The second CRP usually  involves more real data available for testing.

UAT

After the process owners have validated the system through CRPs, a broader set of users are involved to test the system and provide any feedback that may have been missed.

Go-Live 

A complete data extraction, transformation, and loading takes place in this phase. Once the system is ready, it is made available to key process area teams to validate the system before making it available to the end-users. 

Methodology

The project management methodology used to implement the upgrade is a choice between waterfall or Agile methodology but to save time and yield better results mostly Agile is implemented. 

With these five steps of the cloud migration strategy, moving to the cloud is simple, seamless, and fast. This means that the user can quickly start to create great business value by designing and producing profitable products efficiently while ensuring team collaboration and product visibility. So, are you ready to make this move to the cloud?

Schedule a Demo with us today!

Subscribe by email