Getting from SAS 9.1.3 to SAS 9.2: Migration Tools or Promotion Tools

If you are running a metadata server in your SAS ® 9.1.3 environment, you must upgrade your metadata when you move to SAS ® 9.2. There are two possible approaches to take. The first approach is a migration, which will essentially copy your SAS 9.1.3 environment over to SAS 9.2 as part of your SAS 9.2 installation process. The second approach is to make a fresh start by installing SAS 9.2 first, then promoting specific content from SAS 9.1.3 afterwards. This paper will describe the tools, processes, and considerations for each approach. The goal is to help you make an educated assessment to determine which approach will work best for you. INTRODUCTION “Upgrade” and “migration” are both understood to refer to the process of creating a more current software deployment based on an existing deployment. This is no different for SAS and the process to move from SAS 9.1.3 to SAS 9.2. Upgrading (or migration) to SAS 9.2 is: The process of populating a new deployment of SAS software with content, data, or metadata (or a combination of these) from an existing deployment. Migration might include steps to upgrade to a new software release, convert data or metadata, or make changes to ensure compatibility. There are two main methods for upgrading to SAS 9.2. The first is to create a “complete” SAS 9.2 deployment, which contains the content from your 9.1.3 deployment, by using SAS migration tools. The second approach involves creating a new SAS deployment with SAS 9.2 software “out of the box” (OOTB), and then recreating user content by using SAS promotion tools and rebuilding content from scratch. These approaches can also be used in tandem, if you use migration tools first, followed by promotion. Both of these approaches require that you are currently running the most current release of SAS ® 9: SAS 9.1.3 Service Pack 4. If you are using an earlier version of SAS ® 9, you must upgrade to the current release before using the tools to upgrade existing content. You should also have the most current hot fixes applied. How do you determine which would be the best approach? There are multiple factors to consider before you choose. By spending some time upfront to assess and plan for your upgrade, you can determine the best approach for your environment. The four main factors, which we’ll call SNAP, are: • Structure of SAS 9.1.3 environment • Nature of SAS 9.1.3 content • Aims for SAS 9.2 • Period of time for upgrading Although SAS provides tools to help with the upgrade, using the tools are not the only actions required. You will need to perform some manual steps to prepare for and to complete your upgrade. With appropriate planning upfront, those activities can be identified and included in the overall upgrade process. However, we will not be discussing the complete upgrade process in detail in this paper. Further information is planned to be available from the SAS Customer Support site in the SAS® 9.2 Intelligence Platform: SAS 9.1.3 to SAS 9.2 Migration Guide, when SAS 9.2 Phase 2 is released. THE UPGRADE PROCESS Upgrading software requires careful planning, with consideration of options and timing. Upgrading from SAS 9.1.3 to SAS 9.2 is no different. The goal is to complete the upgrade as quickly and easily as possible and to retain (or improve) the performance that was experienced in SAS 9.1.3. Four general phases are typically defined for enterprise software upgrades: 1. plan/design 2. prepare 3. implement 4. rollout