Migration from Sterling Order Management System legacy to next-generation platform

If you are subscribed to Sterling™ Order Management System on the legacy platform, you can migrate to the next-generation platform. This topic provides all the essential information to ensure a smooth and efficient migration process.

Key benefits

The key benefits of migrating to the next-generation platform includes:

Access to next-generation microservices that include Sterling Intelligent Promising Inventory Visibility, Sterling Store Engagement, and Sterling Call Center.
Elastic or auto scaling capability to minimize the impact during peak season with the Sterling Order Management System next-generation platform.
Ability to isolate scaling of individual modules or customization.
Ability to use Self Service for the following tasks:
- Accelerate continuous integration continuous delivery (CI/CD) deployment by using the command line interface (CLI) tool.
- Manage your own firewall policy and signed certificate without contacting IBM® support.
- Monitor unified real-time server logs in the Graylog interface.
- Migrate the configuration deployment tool (CDT).

Note: If you are not sure whether you are on the next-generation platform of Sterling Order Management System, you can contact your Customer Success Manager or IBM Support. To schedule your migration to the next-generation platform, contact IBM Support. IBM then works with you to align the migration schedule with your project plans.

To avoid the complexity of troubleshooting issues that might occur during the migration process, first migrate from Sterling Order Management System legacy to the next-generation platform. Then migrate Sterling Intelligent Promising Inventory Visibility, Sterling Store Engagement, and Sterling Call Center.

Order Hub access is provisioned after successful migration to the Sterling Order Management System.

Responsibilities of IBM

IBM is responsible for the following aspects during the migration process, and IBM verifies the integrity of data migration.

Migrate all application components.
Copy configuration and transaction data from all environments, which are development, QA, pre-production, and production.
Migrate catalog search indexes.
Migrate server configurations.
Migrate queue definitions.
Export to the latest customization .jar files and configurations.
Move all reports from Sterling Order Management System pre-production and production environments.

Preparation tips

To help you with a smooth and effective migration, review and complete the following activities:

Purge data wherever possible on all the V1 environments. For more information, see Available purges.
Collect and document the inbound and outbound integrations for Sterling Order Management System environments (Host/IP).
Plan an approach for managing client certificates by using one of the following ways:
- Using a Mobile Device Management (MDM) to distribute and manage certificate distribution to all devices.
- Using a reverse proxy server. For more information about configuring reverse proxy, see Configuring reverse proxy with NGINX.
Consolidate or combine smaller agent servers into a single agent, which reduces the JVM memory footprint and boosts resource utilization and management in V2.

Your responsibilities

Ensure that you complete the following activities:

Perform smoke testing and performance testing by using embedded monitoring tools.
In addition to IBM verifying the data, perform spot check of migrated data and configuration.
Reconfigure inbound and outbound firewall policies by using Self Service.
Forward external system communication to the next-generation platform.
Verify and install the new certificate by using Self Service. You must proactively clean up any unused certificates after the migration.
Get accustom to triaging and monitor issues by using the Graylog interface from Self Service.

Migration process

IBM confirms the migration start date and you sign off. IBM then provides three environment types, development, QA, pre-production, production. The following table describes the migration phases:

Phase	Task	Approximate duration
Phase 1	IBM provides a development and QA environment on the migration start date to perform preliminary testing.	1 - 4 weeks
Phase 2	IBM provides pre-production and production environments. You perform the testing.	4 - 6 weeks
Phase 3	You complete the testing and then contact the assigned IBM Support team to initiate a production cutover. IBM provides the cutover.	1 week of lead time to schedule the cutover.
Phase 4	IBM cleans up your data on the legacy platform.	1 week from the date of successful cutover.

Based on your regression test plan, the entire migration process can take 6-12 weeks to complete. During the migration period, IBM Support will closely work with you to resolve any open issues on any of the environments.

Frequently asked questions

Find answers to frequently asked questions for migrating to the Sterling Order Management System next-generation platform.

How do I initiate the Sterling Order Management System migration process from the legacy platform to the next-generation platform?
Contact IBM Support to book the migration timeline.
Can I migrate to the Sterling Order Management System next-generation platform for each organization at different times?
No. All organizations on the instance must be upgraded at the same time to prevent data discrepancy.
How long is the migration process for migrating from Sterling Order Management System legacy platform to the Sterling Order Management System next-generation platform?
The migration process can take 6 - 12 weeks based on the outcome and confidence of your regression testing.
What happens after the Production cutover?
IBM disconnects the traffic to the legacy platform and all new traffic is diverted to the next-generation platform of Sterling Order Management System.
How long is my data retained on the legacy platform after my migration to the next-generation platform?
IBM schedules a purge after 1 week from the date of successful cutover.
Will my external service that is integrated with Sterling Order Management System work during the migration process?
To ensure that your integrated external system continues to connect to Sterling Order Management System, use Self Service to update your firewall and certificate policies. It is recommended that you cover all integration testing as part of your regressions.
When will each of my environment on the legacy platform be unavailable?
All environments on the legacy platform are unavailable after the final production cutover is initiated. You can access all environments on your legacy platform until the cutover.
Will I be able to access my Sterling Order Management System Cognos® data during the migration to the next-generation platform?
You can continue to access your Sterling Order Management System analytical data on the legacy environment until the production-level cutover date. IBM is responsible to provision the Cognos database on the next-generation environments one week in advance. On the cutover date, IBM performs any data integrity validation on the Cognos database. During this time, you cannot access your Cognos instance. The duration of this validation is approximately 24 hours.