Database merger

  • Team,

    My Client has one service desk application at its two location ( A & B) with individual identical database. Now client wants to merge the both the database ( of two location) and have Application to fetch data from consolidated Database.

    I wanted to know what aread should i take care for this requirement

    I put down some points.

    1) Issues with Primary Key – Foreign key Relationship.

    2) Duplicate / similar data

    3) The tables should have identical structure.

    4) Server logins, Database users and Application roles

    5) Hardware / Disk requirement at the consolidated place.

    Kindly check and share your suggestion / recommendations.

  • Question #1 is... is the client looking to really use it as a single helpdesk application or just wants (because somebody had the brilliant idea) to put the two databases together and keep using them as a two separate applications?

    Question #2 is... is current database design indentifying specific location?

    _____________________________________
    Pablo (Paul) Berzukov

    Author of Understanding Database Administration available at Amazon and other bookstores.

    Disclaimer: Advice is provided to the best of my knowledge but no implicit or explicit warranties are provided. Since the advisor explicitly encourages testing any and all suggestions on a test non-production environment advisor should not held liable or responsible for any actions taken based on the given advice.
  • chetanr.jain (7/12/2010)


    Team,

    My Client has one service desk application at its two location ( A & B) with individual identical database. Now client wants to merge the both the database ( of two location) and have Application to fetch data from consolidated Database.

    I wanted to know what aread should i take care for this requirement

    I put down some points.

    1) Issues with Primary Key – Foreign key Relationship.

    2) Duplicate / similar data

    3) The tables should have identical structure.

    4) Server logins, Database users and Application roles

    5) Hardware / Disk requirement at the consolidated place.

    Kindly check and share your suggestion / recommendations.

    I'd rearrange the order on these issues just a bit:

    1) Do the tables have identical structure?

    You have to get that one out of way first. If the structures are different, you've already got a completely different task in front of you than if the structures are identical.

    But the biggest question is not how to merge the two databases. The biggest question is, will the two databases remain merged? Are they still going to be collecting data at both locations or will data collection move to the merged system?

    If they're still collecting data at both locations, I'd suggest creating a reporting system, with a completely seperate architecture, one suited to merging these databases. That way you can create your own key structure and simply union the two data sets rather than try to literally merge the data.

    Other than that, yeah I think the rest of your checklist largely covers the big items. The one question I'd want answered up front, who is responsible for rectifying data discrepancies? Because you're going to run into them. New York vs. New York City vs. NYC vs. N.Y. vs NY... which one is correct and who decides? Plus, how quick can you get turnaround from the responsible party. Finally, assuming they make you the responsible party, as is likely, how much backup will you get for your decisions, because someone at that other location really likes NY and you changed it to NYC.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • @paul-2

    Ans 1 : Client is looking for Consolidated Application which will be access by both the sites.

    Ans 2 : did not got what exactly u r trying to ask?

    @Grant

    Ans 1 : Mostly yes. Might be some tables will have additional columns

    but as per my conservation with developer, those additional can be ignored.

    Ans 2 : After this merger, the new database will be used only. Data will be collected at new database.

    Any more thoughts / suggestion / questions are welcome .. 🙂

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