SvalTech
We Make Database Archiving Work For You

As a result, databases were retaining data for decades as required by law. Most of the data in these databases was inactive. Inactive means that it has no planned or expected business use. Without the regulatory mandates, the data would have been deleted through normal business data life-cycle processes. However, the data just continues to pile up in the operational databases.

Treating inactive data the same as active data is very expensive. It requires more hardware to maintain. It requires larger servers, and more expensive software licenses. It lengthens data maintenance windows, recovery times and disaster recovery times. It lengthens extract times and search scans. It is harder to keep databases tuned, harder to keep data available.

A secondary problem emerged that has a similar complaint. Many applications were retired from service in favor of newer, more appropriate applications. Decisions were made to not move the old data but rather to preserve the operational environment in case access to the data is needed up to the end of the last record’s retention period. These are called retired applications.

Retired Applications come about due to:
     - legacy replacement
     - application renovation
     - mergers and acquisitions
     - consolidation of departmental systems

Maintaining the original operational environment is also an expensive proposition. In some cases this means maintaining the environment for decades into the future. The cost components of such a strategy are hardware (often obsolete), application software (often obsolete), DBMS licenses, system operators and administrators, and application subject matter experts.

The Technology:

Out of these two problems emerged the concept of Database Archiving: moving data to a different environment that has lower cost to maintain and yet provide all of the access, security and data safety required. This technology is equally applicable to both problem types described above.
 
Early attempts at archiving database data were done through home-grown solutions within IT shops. Most of these were marginally effective but full of inefficiencies and fraught with their own problems that kept companies from achieving relief from the operational problems and the high costs associated with managing inactive data.

The gap was filled by a number of vendor provided products that attempted to be more efficient and robust solutions. However, early vendor products had many shortcomings of their own and could only be used for targeted application types.

As more effort was put in, there has emerged a standard model of what a best solution looks like. Although the technology evolution has not completed its run, the products offered today are more capable of solving most problems addressable by Database Archiving with highly satisfactory outcomes.  

Chronos is one of the leading products in this category.
   

The Solutions:

Software support does not provide complete solutions in and of itself. Enterprises that have not been doing Database Archiving need much more to establish a successful practice. Even with the presence of many products to choose from, a common complaint is that they don’t know how to get started. There needs to be a complete process of moving a company from being a non-database archiver to a full-database archiver.

SvalTech is dedicated to offering a complete solution.

The complete solution includes:
     - developing an understanding the value of a database archiving practice
     - educating data management staff on the process and tools available
     - reviewing applications to find those with the best potential outcomes
     - building business cases for applications to get management approval
     - implementing the first few applications to build experience and expertise
     - acquiring software that will serve them over many years
     - acquiring software that integrates with the best storage devices
     - integrating Database Archiving into data-life-cycle processes
     - integrating Database Archiving with Data Governance practices

Database Archiving has the potential to return very large value to an enterprise. It cannot achieve this value without a solid, professional application of the available technology.