Informix Consultancy

Informix Upgrade & Migration

Informix upgrade and migration services:

Informix Version Upgrade

Upgrading your Informix software allows you to take advantage of all the latest available product features and ensures that you’re getting the highest quality and performance.

Informix Platform Migration

Migrating an Informix database environment to a new platform can yield significant performance and capacity benefits with a combination of system and software enhancements.

Cloud Migration

Cloud is a popular choice for many database applications because of its flexibility, ease of deployment and relatively low cost. Informix software is perfectly adapted for cloud.

Efficiency. Informix 14.10 delivers 10% more transaction throughput than Informix 12.10.
Performance. Informix 14.10 delivers 5x better replication performance than Informix 12.10.
Maintenance. Informix 11.70 is out of support (2020). Informix 12.10 is still supported, but Informix 14.10 is the latest available software release for which all new product features will be available.
Cost. Informix 14.10 now includes storage compression free with Enterprise Edition.
Capacity. Informix 14.10 Workgroup Edition allows 100% greater memory allocation and 50% more processor threads.
Security. Informix 14.10 provides improved encryption facilities.
Compliance. Informix 14.10 provides improved installation and deployment procedures to protect customers from licence compliance issues.

Key technical areas where we can help:

Capacity modelling
System sizing and specification
Storage technologies
Database migration path
Database design
Connectivity and networking
Software licensing and cost modelling
Migration testing

Informix 11.70 is out of support: Upgrade now!

This means that if you are currently using Informix 11.70, then after 30 September 2020 you will not be able to receive technical support for this product from IBM. It will not affect you entitlement to use the product.

If you have active maintenance subscription and you are able to upgrade to a more recent, supported version of the product then we would recommend upgrading to version 14.10. IBM has already stated that the preferred replacement version is Informix 14.10.

If you are not able to upgrade before the deadline and you need technical assistance please contact us for advice.

Program. ID	Name	Version	End-of-Support	Replacement
5725-D14	IBM Informix Ultimate Warehouse Edition	11.7.x	30th Sept. 2020	14.1
5725-A39	IBM Informix Ultimate Edition	11.7.x	30th Sept. 2020	14.1
5725-A40	IBM Informix Growth Edition	11.7.x	30th Sept. 2020	14.1
5724-Z04	IBM Informix Express Edition	11.7.x	30th Sept. 2020	14.1

Understanding the scope of an Informix upgrade and migration project.

For the purposes of cost estimation, risk assessment and project management it’s important to understand the scope of a database migration project.

From a practical perspective we distinguish between a database upgrade and a database migration because an upgrade generally requires no data movement whereas a database migration always involves data movement. Because of this a database migration has a higher level of cost, effort and risk.

A database upgrade is where we move from one version of a database product to a more recent version of the same product. We make a distinction between a minor version upgrade (for example, a maintenance upgrade or database patch) and a major version upgrade which we also refer to as a version migration as it can often require data migration.

A database migration is where we move some or all workload from one database environment to a completely separate environment. This means that a database migration will always require movement of data. A database migration can often include a database upgrade. During a migration we might change the version and type of operating system, the infrastructure (e.g. hardware, firmware and networking), the database deployment architecture (e.g. replication topology, back-up and recovery technology, application connectivity architecture etc.), the database version or even the database product itself.

Migrating database workload and database applications to cloud infrastructure is another example of a database migration project that requires data movement. Cloud migration projects have their own set of unique challenges and opportunities.

Considering an Informix database migration?

A database platform design or database migration project introduces plenty of technical and project management challenges. As with all complex projects, the success of a design or migration project is largely based on the quality of analysis, planning and preparation. When considering this type of project, it is essential to be clear about the key objectives and wherever possible to undertake a suitable risk assessment.

The cost of a design or migration project is based on an understanding of the interplay between the key cost components: hardware infrastructure; software licensing; project and technical resource. A software licensing cost model should be completed before committing to a hardware architecture. Testing is normally the most resource-intensive project element and is almost always underestimated due to a poor risk assessment or a poor test strategy.