Microsoft SQL Server Migration Pays Big Dividends For SAP/ERP Customers

Microsoft SQL
Server Migration
Pays Big Dividends for
SAP/ERP Customers
Quantified savings
for customers transitioning
from competitive databases
Migrating an SAP/ERP environment to Microsoft SQL Server
can reduce unplanned downtime by over 20%, cut IT labor
costs by nearly 25%, and cut ongoing software support costs
up to 85%. Migration from competitive databases is made
easy by tools, best practices, and certified SAP migration
specialists. Payback is as short as nine months, with ongoing
annual savings of 30%-37% possible.
Authored by:
Wipro Technologies
Product Strategy & Architecture Practice (PSA)
February 2008
Copyright Wipro Ltd. 2008. All rights reserved. No portion of this study can be used or reproduced without permission of the author. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are
subject to change.
Microsoft SQL Server Migration Pays Big Dividends for SAP/ERP Customers
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Data Sources and Methodology
The Bottom Line: Strong Payback from Migrating SAP/ERP Environments to Microsoft SQL Server
Lowering Ongoing Costs
IT Labor Cost Reductions
Reduction in Downtime
Lower Salary Costs
Less Complex Administration
Cost Savings in Ongoing Software Support
Reduction in Ongoing Hardware Costs
The Importance of Infrastructure Optimization
10
Migrating from IBM DB2 on AIX to Microsoft SQL Server
13
Ongoing Costs
13
Migration Costs
14
Optimizing the Migration to Microsoft SQL Server
14
Project Outcomes
15
Low Risk
15
Predictable and Reasonable Cost
15
More Reliable Platforms
15
Calculating Migration Costs
15
Migration Best Practices
16
Summary
17
Appendix AData Sources and Methodology
18
Appendix BTypical Migration Project Plan
20
Appendix CFeatures of Microsoft SQL Server 2005
23
Appendix DAbout Wipro Product Strategy & Architecture Practice
24
Product Strategy & Architecture Practice
Executive Summary
In this study, Wipro consultants collected data from 68 companies running SAP on a variety of hardware and database
platforms. We additionally performed in-depth analysis on five companies who had migrated from a competitive platform
to Microsoft SQL Server.
ERP Migration*: Summary of Benefits

Medium SAP
Implementation
Large SAP
Implementation
Total Benefits (5 years)
$1,140,345
$11,956,652
Total Migration Costs
$298,160
$1,882,445
Net Benefits
$842,185
$10,074,206
Net Present Value of Benefits
$574,030
$7,343,298
Payback Period (months)
15
Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
74%
137%
* Migration from an SAP system on an Oracle database running on a Unix platform to

Microsoft SQL Server running on Windows Server 2003. Attributes of Medium
and Large implementations are profiled in Figure 4 later in the paper
Figure 1. Summary of benefits.
As shown in Figure 1, the case for migration is compelling. Migration from the Oracle database running on a UNIX-based
platform to Microsoft SQL Server can yield an Internal Rate of Return1 (IRR) of 74% to 137% while simultaneously lowering
unplanned downtime and increasing system performance. The study found that the larger the SAP/ERP implementation,
the larger the percentage of savings. The major savings drivers are shown in Figure 2. A picture of the costs and savings
over five years is shown in Figure 3.
Impact
Savings Driver
IT Administration Labor
20-25% savings
Fewer personnel required to manage Microsoft

SQL Server platform
IT Incident Management
Labor
20-25% savings
Bundled monitoring and fault tolerance tools lower

unplanned downtime
Software Support
61-86% savings
Differences in database licensing approaches and

bundling of database tools lowers ongoing support costs
Infrastructure Optimization
Best Practices
Downtime reduction
of 20% or more
Benefits apply to all platforms, but implementation is

easier and less expensive with Microsoft SQL Server
Figure 2. Major drivers of cost savings.
IRR is the discount rate often used in capital budgeting that makes the net present value of all cash flows from a particular project equal to zero. Generally speaking, the higher a
project's IRR, the more desirable it is to undertake the project. A 10% discount rate was used in all NPV calculations.
page 1 of 24
Migration Cost vs. Five Year Savings (NPV)
Medium Scenario
$1,000,000
$900,000
$800,000
$700,000
$600,000
$500,000
$400,000
$300,000
$200,000
$100,000
$0
Large Scenario
$10,000,000
$9,065,023
$864,561
$8,000,000
$6,000,000
$4,000,000
$298,160
$2,000,000
$1,882,445
$0
Migration Costs
5 year NPV benefits
Figure 3. Investing in a migration to Microsoft SQL Server yields large returns.
Implementing Infrastructure Optimization (IO)2 best practices of database mirroring, clustering, and rules-based system
monitoring can further reduce downtime and lower costs. These three capabilities are included at little or no additional
cost as part of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Windows Server 2003.
By leveraging external expertise and embracing migration best practices, migration projects are both low risk and modestly
priced. All the migration projects studied were viewed as completely successful, both operationally and financially.
Migration costs are typically repaid within 10 to 15 months.
In summary, migration of an SAP/ERP landscape3 to Microsoft SQL Server provides a rapid return on investment and
persuasive ongoing cost savings. Organizations will receive the greatest savings from reductions in IT labor costs and
ongoing software support fees. Savings are not the only motivation to migrate. The resulting landscape is more reliable
and scalable, with less unplanned downtime. Implementing Infrastructure Optimization best practices can provide even
greater returns.
Our recommendations are:
When an SAP/ERP landscape is 18 to 24 months out from a major inflection point in the system lifecycle
(such as a hardware refresh), begin researching migration to the Microsoft SQL Server platform. Visiting
reference sites is an easy way to gain knowledge and confirm suitability.
Call on certified SAP migration specialists as well as Microsoft and hardware vendor support to ensure a
cost-effective and low-risk migration. Use the migration best practices described in this paper to ensure
smooth implementation.
Investigate Infrastructure Optimization best practices for further lowering of costs.
2
3
icrosofts Infrastructure Optimization Initiative is a series of models for improving operations, based on best practices that reduce cost or improve business performance.
M
Process improvement related optimization models are available from both industry and academia. See www.microsoft.com/io for more details
An SAP landscape includes the entire system architecture of an SAP implementation, including hardware platform, operating system, database, storage, networking, etc.
It is typically a three-tier architecture.
page 2 of 24
Introduction
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are the nervous system of an organization, tracking and coordinating vital
operational support. They move products, place orders, assist in decision-making, track projects, and support numerous
industry-specific needs. Implemented primarily in the 1980s and 1990s, most organizations have their ERP environments
firmly in-place and under control. The task now turns to optimizing the management of these environments by lowering
costs, improving reliability, and, for many companies, scaling for system growth.
As companies approach an inflection point in their ERP system lifecyclewhether it is the need for a hardware refresh,
significant capacity increase, or merger-driven database consolidationthey often re-evaluate their hardware and database
choices. Many of these companies have found that migrating their SAP/ERP landscape from a competitive database and
platform to Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Windows Server 2003 enables them to meet all their optimization goals.
To understand this movement in more detail, Wipro conducted an extensive survey of SAP/ERP customers, probing costs,
reliability, and migration experiences. The results provide a convincing story of the benefits of migrating an SAP/ERP
landscape to Microsoft SQL Server software running on industry-standard hardware. This paper provides a framework for
estimating SQL Server migration ROI along with baseline metrics for typical organizations:
Migration costs are paid back within 10-15 months, Internal Rate of Return (IRR) ranging from 74%-137%
Reduction in annual database and tools support costs of up to $1.1 million are
possible for large installations
Unplanned downtime is reduced an average of
23%
Ongoing IT labor savings total over 20% annually
page 3 of 24

The data used in this paper was obtained via a survey of 68 companies running SAP/ERP on a variety of landscapes.
We backed up this quantitative information with qualitative information from outside Subject Matter Experts (SMEs),
prior Wipro research4,5 and publicly available case studies. To understand migration costs and best practices in detail,
we performed comprehensive, 1.5 hour qualitative and quantitative interviews with companies who had migrated to
Microsoft SQL Server within the last 12 months.
Scenarios
Medium
Large
Company Size
$1.4 billion revenue,

3,000 employees
$16 billion revenue,

40,000 employees
Number of SAP /ERP modules

(Financials, Human Capital
Management, etc.)
Database Size (GB) of SAP/ERP

production instance
540
4800
Dialog Steps per Day

(millions of transactions)
1.9
5.9
Concurrent Users
76
960
Named Users
299
5,800
Characteristics
99.5% SLA, few and

simple interfaces
99.99% SLA, larger

number and more
complex interfaces
Figure 4. Characteristics of modeled scenarios.
As with any complex system, there are many factors that influence the cost of an SAP/ERP landscape, including industry,
geography, size of company, and so forth. There is no one size fits all model. In response, we took the approach of creating
a stalking horse, by which we mean a starting point to explore the benefits, costs, risks and paybacks of transitioning
an SAP/ERP environments to Microsoft SQL Server. In fact, we created two stalking horsesone dubbed the Medium
scenario, the other the Large scenario. The key attributes of these scenarios are shown in Figure 4. These are roughly
based on the 20th and 80th percentiles in our survey data. These scenarios should be used as a suggested starting point
for looking at Microsoft SQL Server migration in your organization, and should be modified to reflect your particular
situation.
4
5
Moving ERP to SQL Server Yields Substantial Savings, Wipro PSA Practice, 2004
TCO Benefits of SQL Server, Wipro PSA Practice, 2004
page 4 of 24
The Bottom Line:

Strong Payback from Migrating SAP/ERP Environments
to Microsoft SQL Server
Our research revealed a compelling case for migrating to Microsoft SQL Server for both the Medium and Large scenarios,
with total costs and benefits shown in Figure 5. Migration from the Oracle database running on a UNIX-based platform
to Microsoft SQL Server can yield a internal rate of return of 74% to 137% while simultaneously lowering unplanned
downtime and increasing system performance.
Migration Cost vs. Five Year Savings (NPV)
Medium Scenario
$1,000,000
$900,000
$800,000
$700,000
$600,000
$500,000
$400,000
$300,000
$200,000
$100,000
$0
$(100,000)
Large Scenario
$10,000,000
$9,065,023
$864,561
$8,000,000
$593,390
$4,540,900
$6,000,000
$4,000,000
$298,160
$185,748
$2,000,000
$1,882,445
$0
$1,255,304
$627,142
$265,911
$112,411
$5,259
$(2,000,000)
5 Year NPV
of Savings
Migration
Cost*
Migration
Cost*
$4,475,384
$48,740
5 Year NPV
of Savings
* Assumes migration timed to coincide with server hardware refresh cycle. Lower priced Windows hardware creates a net
savings in hardware expenditures; these are counted as a "hardware cost avoidance" benefit in the NPV.
Labor
Software
Hardware
Figure 5. Migration benefits far outweigh costs.
Appendix A provides more detail on the data, model scenario attributes, and methodologies used in this paper.
Figure 6 shows a detailed breakdown of the costs savings by category, and the drivers behind the savings.
Some highlights to note:
Labor costs are both the largest expense, and the greatest area of cost savings. It is clear that in order to
reduce your ongoing costs to any great extent, you have to reduce your IT labor expense.
Database and tool software are the next biggest cost, especially in the Large scenario. The savings
percentages are very significant here.
Database tool functionality (including monitoring, security, tuning

and clustering) are included with Microsoft SQL Server and
Windows Server 2003, and thus incur no additional cost. The same
tools from Oracle can add costs of between $14,000 and $491,000.
Total annual savings are 30% to 37%. The larger the system,
the greater the proportion of savingsannual savings of over
$228,000 and $2,400,000 respectively.
Every case is different, but we have found that

an SAP/ERP landscape running Microsoft SQL
Server on Windows generally has a 10-25%
lower TCO than other platforms. While the
less expensive hardware and software are part
of the reason, the real savings comes from
reduction in IT labor costs
Sridhar Srinivasan, VP Microsoft Business Unit,
Wipro Technologies
TCO = Total Cost of Ownership
page 5 of 24
Medium Scenario
Large Scenario
Microsoft
SQL
Server
Oracle/
Unix
Savings
%
Savings
Microsoft
SQL
Server
Incident
Mgt Labor
213,572
281,167
67,595
24%
1,522,552 2,153,942
631,390
29%
Lower downtime, better

diagnosis tools
Admin Labor
198,748
263,007
64,259
24%
1,636,117 2,014,820
378,703
19%
Less complex to manage,

especially capacity management,
performance tuning, and
monitoring. Integrated toolset
reduces scripting etc.
Database
Support
30,113
70,464
40,351
57%
180,850
787,224
606,374
77%
No extra charge for multi-core

processors; lower base cost
Test/Dev Lab
Labor
64,171
83,115
18,944
23%
491,599
636,724
145,125
23%
Less complex to manage,

especially capacity management,
performance tuning, and
monitoring. Integrated toolset
reduces scripting etc.
Database
Tools
Support
14,520
14,520
100%
491,040
491,040
100%
Tools come bundled with

Microsoft SQL Server, but have
to be purchased separately
on Oracle
Training
18,914
24,651
5,737
23%
139,307
181,967
42,660
23%
Less training required; courses

generally less expensive
Base
Platform
(HW and OS)
17,876
34,540
16,663
48%
40,237
136,275
96,039
70%
OS support costs significantly

less for Windows Server
Total
543,394
771,464
228,069
30%
Oracle/
Unix
Savings
4,010,662 6,401,992 2,391,330
%
Savings Cost Driver
37%
Figure 6. Annual costs savings are significant across all categories.
In the following sections, well explore these results in more detail:
Lowered Ongoing Costs examines annual operating cost savings available when moving to a
Microsoft SQL Server landscape from an Oracle/UNIX landscape.
Infrastructure Optimization Savings explores the benefits of using Infrastructure Optimization

Best Practices (regardless of landscape). It also explores the cost and difficulty of implementing
the Best Practices on different landscapes.
Migration Best Practices summarizes the optimal approach to ensure a low-risk, cost-effective
migration to Microsoft SQL Server.
page 6 of 24
Lowering Ongoing Costs

Most companies already have their SAP/ERP system up and running; what matters most to them is reducing ongoing
costs. In this section we examine the differences in ongoing cost between a Microsoft SQL Server/Windows landscape
and an Oracle/UNIX landscape. (Because SAP/ERP licensing and storage costs are assumed to be the same across both
landscapes, we exclude them from the analysis.) Figure 7 shows the ongoing cost savings by category. Well explore the
sources of the savings in the following sections.
Medium Scenario
Total Ongoing Costs
$800,000
$7,000,000
$700,000
30%
lower costs
$600,000
$500,000
$400,000
Large Scenario
$771,464
$651,940
$543,394
$495,405
$300,000
$6,000,000
37%
lower costs
$5,000,000
$4,000,000
$4,010,662
$3,000,000
$3,789,575
$6,401,992
$4,987,453
$2,000,000
$200,000
$1,000,000
$100,000
$0
$45,490
$2,499
SQL Server/
Windows
$115,637
$1,385,610
$205,015
$0
$3,887
Oracle/Unix
IT Labor
Software
$16,072
$28,929
SQL Server/
Windows
Oracle/Unix
Hardware
Figure 7. IT labor reduction is the largest area of savings, followed by software.
IT Labor Cost Reductions

Labor cost savings ranged from 20-25%, and accounted
for the largest area of savings. These figures correspond
to what we heard from migration customers who had
experience in both environments. Other studies have
found even higher savings.7 We hypothesize that these
lower labor costs are driven by:
Reduction in downtime
Lower salary costs
Less complex administration
Key Findings: Ongoing Costs

Labor costs are the largest component of ongoing costs, and hence
the best target for cost reduction. Labor cost savings of 20% or more
are possible in a Microsoft SQL Server landscape.
Microsofts licensing approach lowers software support costs by
up to 86%.
Unplanned downtime is reduced by over 20% in a Microsoft
SQL Server landscape.
It is easy and cost-effective to implement Infrastructure Optimization
Best Practices for SAP on Microsoft SQL Server, further lowering labor
costs and decreasing downtime.
Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database: A Comparative Study on Total Cost of Administration, Alinean, Inc. May 2006
http://www.alinean.com/PDFs/Alinean-MicrosoftAndOracleTCAStudy.pdf
page 7 of 24
The following paragraphs explore these factors in more detail.
Reduction in Downtime
Though not included in our calculations, it is important

to recognize the impact of lost productivity and other
costs imposed by unplanned downtime on the rest of
the organization. $40,000 an hour in end user productivity
losses are not uncommon.8 A reduction of eight hours in
unplanned downtime would reduce annual productivity
losses by $320,000. (Of course, you should use lost
productivity estimates specific to your company).
Downtime
200
180
160
Hours per year
Planned downtime is a scheduled outage of the SAP/ERP

landscape in order to perform maintenance, install support
packages, patches, etc. Unplanned downtime is a system
failure of some sortwhether network, server, hardware,
software, database, security breach, etc. Downtime was
significantly lower with Microsoft SQL Serverabout half
that of the Oracle/UNIX systems, for both Medium and
Large scenarios, as shown in Figure 8. Of particular note
is the eight to nine hour annual reduction in unplanned
downtime. This 22% drop directly impacts the level of
Incident Management labor.
120
60
40
20
Oracle/
Unix
SQL Svr/
Win
Medium
Unplanned
Oracle/
Unix
Large/Complex
Planned
Figure 8. Unplanned downtime is reduced over 20%
in the Microsoft SQL environment.
Average DBA Salary*

(including 28% burden rate)
$120,000
$100,000
$80,000
$60,000
Earlier studies9 have shown that a Microsoft SQL Server

landscape has lower ongoing administrative costs
than Oracle/Unix, especially in the areas of capacity
management, performance tuning, and monitoring.
Additional advantages stem from the more integrated
features of Microsoft SQL Server that can be found under
one hood vs. requiring command line interfaces, CRON
jobs, shell-scripting or add-on products.
$40,000
67
61
SQL Svr/
Win
Less Complex Administration
30
28
Lower Salary Costs

Beyond the IT labor hours saved, additional savings come
from the fact that Microsoft SQL Server DBAs and other
Microsoft support positions generally draw a somewhat
lower salary for any given level of experience, as shown
in Figure 9.
147
135
100
80
39
36
140
$20,000
$0
source: Payscale.com
Microsoft
SQL Server
Oracle
database
* DBAs with five years experience

Figure 9. Salaries are lower for
Microsoft DBAs vs. Oracle DBAs.
Disaster recovery spending How much is enough? Tom Pisello, CEO and founder of Alinean http://www.alinean.com/Newsletters/2004-1-Jan.asp Jan 2004
page 8 of 24
Cost Savings in Ongoing Software Support

As shown in Figure 10, ongoing software support charges were significantly lower for Microsoft SQL Server61% lower in
the Medium scenario and 86% in the Large scenario.
Medium Scenario
Ongoing Software Support Costs
$140,000
$1,600,000
$120,000
$1,400,000
$14,520
$100,000
$70,464
$80,000
$60,000
$1,200,000
$800,000
$787,224
$600,000
$40,000
$400,000
$30,113
$200,000
$30,653
$-
$15,377
$-
$491,040
$1,000,000
61%
lower costs
$20,000
Large Scenario
85%
lower costs
$180,850
$107,346
$24,165
Microsoft
SQL Server
Oracle/Unix
Database Tools
Microsoft
SQL Server
Database
Oracle/Unix
Operating System
Figure 10. Differentials in software licensing costs are especially pronounced in the Large scenario.
Operating system support costs are lower in the Microsoft SQL Server environment. But the biggest cost differentials
are in the database and database tools support and maintenance costs. The reason stems from the fact that annual
database support costs are based on a percentage (usually 20-25%) of the initial license costs. Thus, differences in initial
database licensing costs reverberate through the years as differences in support costs. The side bar entitled Navigating
the Complexities of Database Licensing provides an introduction to this topic. The base price Microsoft SQL Server licensing
is less expensive ($25,000 vs. $40,000 per processor for an Enterprise Edition license). But the real cost differences come
from the add-ons and multipliers that are present in the Oracle database licensing regime. These differences are especially
noticeable in the Large scenario, as Oracles per-core processor charges make their presence felt. A fault-tolerant system
with standby servers would see an even bigger differential.
Reduction in Ongoing Hardware Costs

Since storage costs are assumed to be the same across platforms, server support costs are the primary element in
ongoing hardware costs. At less than 1% of total ongoing costs, server support contracts are a relatively minor contributor.
Nonetheless, Windows-based hardware platforms save about $13,000/year in the Large scenario.
page 9 of 24
Navigating the Complexities of Database Licensing

Comparing apples to apples in database licensing is a
complex undertaking, as the paragraphs below describe.
Base Price: is the cost for a single processor license. For a dual
processor multiply by two, a quad-processor by four, and so
forth. Microsoft and Oracle both license by processor.
Add-on Tools: Want diagnostics, tuning, performance
analysis, advanced security? These features are bundled with
Microsoft SQL Server, but cost extra with Oracleand these
costs can nearly double the cost of the base license.
Standby Server License: Standby servers are used for highavailability and disaster recovery. Oracle requires full licenses
to be purchased on these servers; with Microsoft SQL Server
there is no charge.
Failover Server License: Do you need a separate license for
the failover system in your cluster? Not with Microsoft SQL
Server, but you do with Oracle if it is used on more than
10 different days a year.
Multi-core Multiplier: These days, many servers ship with

dual-, quad- and octi-core processors (i.e. multiple CPUs on
a single chip). Oracle charges .25 to .75 of the base processor
charge for each core, rounded up. An Intel- or AMD-based
quad-core processor would charged as .5*4=2 processors.
Microsoft SQL Server treats any multi-core devices as a
single processor. The Oracle multiplier applies to all the
charges listed abovetools, standby servers, testing labs, etc.
Volume Discount: Once the list price is calculated, a discount
is applied based on the overall volume of business done with
the vendor. Discounts of up to 30% are not uncommon.
This is only an overview. For more licensing alternatives and
other details on this topic, see Navigating the Enterprise
Database Selection Process: A Comparison of RDMS
Acquisition costs by Value Prism Consulting, January, 2006,
or check each vendors website directly.
The Importance of Infrastructure

Optimization
How an organization manages its SAP/ERP system is as important as
the choice of hardware platform, operating system or database. To help
organizations develop a roadmap for improving operations, Microsoft
created the Infrastructure Optimization initiative. The IO initiative consists
of a series of models based on best practices that reduce cost or improve
business performance10.
We can typically reduce our IT labor costs

by 20% or more simply by implementing IO
best practices. We find that reliability goes
up as labor costs go down.
Sridhar Srinivasan, VP Microsoft
Business Unit, Wipro Technologies
While the IO initiative is beyond the scope of this paper, the research for this paper uncovered patterns in top performing
organizations. These patterns have been used to formulate a set of best practices for managing an SAP/ERP landscape.
Best practices are vendor-agnostic and apply equally to UNIX and Windows, Oracle databases and Microsoft SQL Server.
In SAP/ERP environments, best practices reduce costs or unplanned downtime and correspond to recommended
system architectures or management processes. This research identified three best practices that were used by the best
performing organizations to reduce unplanned downtime.
Database Mirroring: Mirrored SAP/ERP databases that provide
a hot spare
Server Clustering: Clustered database and SAP/ERP servers that
provide an on-line spare
Rules-Based Monitoring: Automated monitoring software linked
to a rule-based system that automatically and proactively remediates
issues before unplanned downtime occurs
10
Key Findings: Infrastructure Optimization

Infrastructure Optimization Best Practices of
database mirroring, server clustering, and
rule-based monitoring can reduce unplanned
downtime in an SAP landscape.
The Best Practices are more easily and less
expensively implemented in a Microsoft SQL
Server environment.
To learn more about the important subject of Infrastructure Optimization, see www.microsoft.com/io
page 10 of 24
Figure 11 compares the use of the three best practices against unplanned downtime. Interpreting Figure 11 should be
done cautiously. The metrics shown are simple correlations based on a single variable in a complex system. The metrics
should be used as a source of directional information and not for estimating the expected value of the best practices.
Estimating the impact of a best practice would require a sample size much larger than what is available in this research.
The takeaway from the figure is that better performing organizations use these best practices and others to reduce
unplanned downtime.
Annual Unplanned Downtime Hours
Best Practice
Yes
No
% Improvement by
adopting practice
Database Mirroring (n=68)
25.9
39.5
34%
Clustering (n=68)
26.4
32.9
20%
*Rule based
System Monitoring (n=26)
20.5
27.6
26%
* Rule based system monitoring is benchmarked against organizations that also monitor but use manual
remediation. Rule based monitoring is based on a subset (n=26) of the 68 organization sample.
Figure 11. Implementation of best practices can reduce unplanned downtime.
All SAP/ERP landscapes will benefit equally from these best practices and, in fact, the sample used in Figure 11 represents
the full sample of 68 organizations across all databases and platforms. The difference between platforms and vendors
has less to do with the value of the best practices and more to do with the cost and difficulty in implementing them. As
shown in Figure 12, the advantage of the Microsoft SQL Server environment is that much of the enabling technology
comes bundled with the database or server license. Organizations running Windows and SQL can implement all three
best practices with products available from Microsoft, reducing integration headaches. In the Oracle/Unix environment
the solution would require products from multiple vendors. In most cases, the mixed vendor approach increases costs and
makes it more difficult to standardize on a single vendor architecture across the organization.
Best
Practice
Intel or AMD/
Windows/SQL
Cost
Sun/Solaris/
Oracle
Cost
Comment
Database
Replication/
Mirroring
Included with
Microsoft SQL
Server license
$0
Included with
Oracle 10g
$0
Available at no
cost from both
vendors.
Clustering
Included with
Windows Server
2003 EE and SQL
Server 2005 EE
$0
Sun Cluster /
Oracle
Real Application
Clusters
$26,000/
Processor
$20,000/Processor
(Oracle)
System Center
Configuration
Manager 2007*
$1307 for
SCCM2007
$426/Server
$0/SQL Agent
HP OpenView
for UNIX,
Management
Server for Solaris,
and HP Oracle
Software
$37,978 for
HP OV
Rule-based
System
Monitoring
$6,000/Processor
(Sun)
$427/Server
Agent
$1,419/Oracle
Agent
* System Center Configuration Manager 2007 is a renamed and extended version of the former Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM).
Figure 12. It is easier and less costly to implement SAP best practices in a Microsoft SQL Server landscape.
page 11 of 24
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 contains several significant enhancements to support Infrastructure Optimization, as outline in
the paragraphs below. (See Appendix C for a full description of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 improvements).
Database Mirroring. Database replication has been enhanced in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and is important to
SAP/ERP because of its ability to create an on-line spare database in the event that the primary database or database
server fails. SQL Server 2005 database mirroring streams transaction logs to a mirror server and a backup database. If
the primary database should fail, the system will automatically reroute connections to the backup database. Failover
time is measured in seconds.
Clustering. Microsoft Windows Server and SQL Server 2005 also have a clustering solution built into the core
products at no extra charge. Clustering reduces downtime by providing redundant hardware. Failover clustering
creates fault-tolerant virtual servers that provide fast failover in the event of a database server failure. In SQL Server
2005, support for failover clustering has been extended to SQL Server Analysis Services, Notification Services, and SQL
Server replication. This solution requires certified hardware, and failover is transparent to users and applications since
IP addresses are redirected away from failed equipment.
Rules-Based Monitoring. The third best practice, rule-based system monitoring, is made available in Microsoft
environments through System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (formerly Microsoft Operations Manager). One
implementation of SCCM 2007 can be used across an entire Windows Server infrastructure, monitoring all systems. For
SAP/ERP, SCCM 2007 has special counters available through the SQL Server Management Pack that monitor specific
database services, database health, replication, database mirroring and other key functionality. There is also a healthy
Microsoft partner ecosystem that provides monitoring agents and analysis packages for specific SAP/ERP modules
and applications. SCCM 2007 monitors the SAP/ERP databases and is programmed with a set of rules that trigger
actions when a failure is imminent. As a result, unplanned downtime is significantly reduced. Rule based monitoring
through SCCM 2007 is especially valuable in that it also ensures the health of database mirroring used in the first
best practice.
Reducing unplanned downtime with best practices requires an investment whether the solution is from Microsoft or a
number of other vendors. Determining if these best practices make sense for a specific organization depends on the cost
of the solution verses the cost of the unplanned downtime. Since the cost of unplanned downtime is unique to every
organization and measured in revenue and productivity loss, all unplanned downtime metrics in this paper are presented
in hours. Each organization will need to attach a dollar value to each unplanned hour of downtime, and then make a
business case for the best practices. When building a business case for a migration to Microsoft SQL Server, organizations
should include the costs and benefits of these best practices in the business case. ROI can change significantly if these
best practices are made part of the equation.
page 12 of 24

This paper has primarily focused on comparing Oracle to Microsoft SQL server, since most of the survey respondents were
using one of these platforms. However, ten of the respondents were using IBM DB2, and we used that data to assess the
value of a Microsoft SQL Server migration for this scenario. As with the Oracle/Unix analysis, this should be considered a
starting point for your own analysis, not a definitive model.
SQL/Windows
DB2/UNIX
Database
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 EE
IBM DB2 9.5 EE
Operating System
Windows Server 2003 EE
IBM AIX 5L 5.3
Hardware
IBM System x3950/x3650
IBM System p5
Figure 13. Products used in scenario evaluation (both Medium and Large).
Medium
Large
Total Migration Costs
$269,410
$2,167,494
Total Benefits (5-yr)
$1,087,234
$12,122,042
Net Benefits
$817,824
$9,954,549
Net Present Value
$577,458
$7,183,642
Payback Period (Months)
14
10
IRR
84%
118%
Figure 14. Summary of benefits.
As was the case with the Oracle/Unix scenarios, our DB2/UNIX scenarios showed compelling reasons for organizations to
migrate to Microsoft SQL Server instead of refreshing their UNIX-based hardware. Payback is 10 to 14 months, with an IRR
of 84% to 118%, as shown in Figure 14. The two biggest differences between the DB2 and Oracle cases were:
DB2 licensing costs and hence ongoing support costs are even more expensive
IBM POWER5-based hardware is at least 50% more expensive than hardware in the other scenarios,
providing greater cost avoidance potential during migration
Ongoing Costs
Software support and IT labor savings were the major sources of savings from migration, just as they were in Oracle-based
environments.
IBMs DB2 licensing is based primarily on the total number of cores. It also is adjusted using a PVU (processor value unit)
factor, which tends to be higher for faster processor cores. Totaled DB2 pricing is 124% higher in the medium sized
organization and 162% higher in the large organization vs. Microsoft SQL Server. It was also more expensive that Oracles
price. Database tools doubled the base license costs. Licensing costs required for the testing and development labs were
also very significant in both scenarios.
Continued on next page
page 13 of 24
Continued from previous page

AIX initial license costs are modest; however, ongoing maintenance and support costs are high. AIX licensing is based
on the number of processors (Windows is based on number of servers) compounding the OS cost differences for multiprocessor servers. For the Medium scenario, AIX annual costs are 13% more expensive, but in the large organization
scenario, AIX costs are over twice as expensive.
Annual hardware maintenance and support costs (and cost savings) were not significant.
Total IT labor savings from migrating to Microsoft SQL Server from DB2 is 22% for both Medium and Large scenarios. The
22% savings is slightly lower than the savings moving from Oracle to SQL server because our survey indicated that DBAs
were a little more efficient at managing the DB2 environment (but not nearly as cost-effective as managing the SQL/
Windows environment).
Migration Costs
Costs to migrate to the SQL Server/Windows platform from the DB2/UNIX platform were essentially the same as migrating
from the Oracle/UNIX platform.
Cost to purchase Intel or AMD processor based hardware was significantly less (50%+ savings) than purchasing the
IBM POWER5-based hardware with roughly equivalent performance.
Optimizing the Migration to Microsoft SQL Server

Given the significant savings in ongoing costs and lesser downtime between Microsoft SQL Server vs.
Oracle/UNIX landscape, it is not surprising that companies are investigating the possibility of migration
when they reach a system lifecycle inflection point.
To learn more about what contributes to a successful migration, we performed
in-depth interviews with five companies who had migrated their SAP/ERP
implementation to Microsoft SQL Server in the last 12 months. We also talked
with SAP migration experts who have assisted in scores of migrations.
The reasons our interviewees had for changing platforms went beyond just
lowering platform costs and included:
1. Supporting a company-wide policy on centralization and
standardization of hardware and software platforms
Key Findings: Migration

SAP Landscape Migration is well understood,
low-risk, and well supported by tools, vendors,
and certified SAP migration specialists.
Migration Best Practices ensure an optimal
migration, with minimal risk and at a
lower cost.
2. A desire to leverage the vast Microsoft partner ecosystem
Migration IRR is 74% to 137% with a payback

period of 10 to 15 months.
3. The deep labor pool of available Microsoft expertisealready in

house, and also in their local market. This was especially important to
interviewees in remote locations
Microsoft SQL Server on Windows offers

strategic benefits such as standardization, rich
partner ecosystem, and deep labor pools.
4. An inability to meet SLAs on their existing SAP/ERP landscape
page 14 of 24
Project Outcomes
Interviewees told us three major concerns theyd had at the start of the migration project: risk, cost, and reliability. Heres
how these concerns played out over the course of their projects:
Low Risk
We learned from interviewees that with proper planning, risk is very low. Without exception, projects ran to schedule,
with virtually no problems. Most companies said there was nothing they would do differently next time. One interviewee
expressed absolute amazement at how smoothly the project had run. SAP/ERP database migration is a well-understood
technology area with deep vendor expertise, strong migration support tools, and well-honed methodologies. External
migration specialists were called on for every project, and were deemed central to the projects success. The actual
migration itself was completed over a two to three day weekend. The migrated systems ran well from day one, with
only minor tweaks needed afterwards.
Predictable and Reasonable Cost
Migration labor costs are predictable and reasonable. Support was strong from both hardware vendors and Microsoft
engineers throughout the migration, reducing the amount of internal labor and expertise required. Typical migrations
averaged 100-350 days of labor, typically spread over six to twelve months. Internal labor accounted for 60 to 80% of
the total, with the rest coming from external SAP migration specialists, hardware vendors, and Microsoft.
More Reliable Platforms
In all cases, the new platform was more reliable and higher performing than the one it replaced, often by a significant
margin. Most interviewees used reference accounts to assure themselves of its capabilities ahead of time. One
performed a Proof of Concept test with the help of its hardware vendor and Microsoft.
Appendix B contains additional detailed information on typical project schedules, detailed tasks, and project roles in an
SAP/ERP migration project.
Calculating Migration Costs

There are two major cost elements in a migrationthe labor costs (internal and external), and the licensing cost of
Microsoft SQL Server. The SAP/ERP license transfers unchanged to the new landscape. We assume that the migration
occurs at a system lifecycle inflection point (as it did for all our interviewees), so a hardware refresh will occur regardless.
We thus factored in only the net difference in hardware costs between the two systems as part of the migration cost (or
cost-avoidance).
page 15 of 24
Figure 15 shows a typical migration cost profile for both

the Medium and Large scenarios. Notice that labor costs
are proportionately higher in the Large scenario; these
increases are driven by:
Higher number and greater complexity

of interfaces
Higher availability requirements

The increased attention to optimization, in
order to fit the larger database migration into
the available downtime window.
Migration Costs
from Unix/Oracle to Windows and Microsoft SQL Server
$2,500,000
$2,000,000
$1,882,445
$1,500,000
$627,142
$103,380
$1,000,000
$626,924
$500,000
$298,160
$0
$112,411
$13,755
$56,993
$115,000
Medium
Software Costs
Training
$525,000
Large
Internal Labor
External Labor
Figure 15. Migration costs are reasonable for
both Medium and Complex scenarios.
Migration Best Practices

We asked interviewees and SMEs what they would recommend as best practices during a migration to Microsoft SQL
Server. Their responses were consistent:
1. Use the well-honed SAP/ERP migration tools and skills from external consultants. Bring in specialist
expertise in SAP/ERP migration and database architecture.
2. Ensure a close working relationship among all vendors,
consultants and internal teams.
3. Strong vendor support can reduce total labor costs.
4. Bring in business users up front, and have strong
communications throughout to assuage worries.
5. Double-check sizing and growth assumptions early
in the process.
Weve found that a close working

relationship among vendors, consultants,
and internal staff can reduce total labor
costs and increase project success.
Sridhar Srinivasan, VP Microsoft
Business Unit, Wipro Technologies
6. Consider migrating a less critical SAP/ERP system first, to build internal IT understanding, and ease user
concerns. Follow-on migrations will be less costly and perceived as less risky.
7. Set the project calendar far in advance and stick to the dates. Include time for extra trial migrations
should they be needed. A two- or three-day weekend is enough time do the migration and go live for
databases under six terabytes.
8. Since six terabytes is a practical limitation to the amount of data that can be migrated over a
three-day downtime window, it makes sense to start a proactive migration project 12 to 18 months
before this point is reached. Migration is still feasible for databases larger than six terabytes, but it
is a more complex, incremental process.
page 16 of 24
Summary
Migration of an SAP/ERP landscape to Microsoft SQL Server provides attractive ROI and compelling ongoing cost savings.
Look for the greatest savings from reductions in IT labor costs and ongoing software support charges. The resulting
landscape is more reliable and scalable, with less unplanned downtime. Implementing Infrastructure Optimization best
practices can further reduce unplanned downtime and provide even greater returns.
Recommended Next Steps:
When an SAP/ERP landscape is 18 to 24 months out from a major inflection point in the system
lifecycle, begin researching migration to the Microsoft SQL Server platform. Visiting reference sites
is an easy way to gain knowledge and confidence in the results.
Call on certified SAP migration specialists, as well as Microsoft and hardware vendor support to
ensure a cost-effective, low-risk migration. Use the Migration best practices described in this paper
to ensure success.
Investigate Infrastructure Optimization best practices, analyzing which can provide the highest
level of payback for your organization.
page 17 of 24
Appendix A.
The data used in this paper was obtained via a survey of 68 companies running SAP/ERP on a variety of landscapes, using
the screening parameters shown in Figure 16. Size ranged from $600 million revenue with 1,500 employees to $45 billion
revenue with 100,000 employees. Over 90% of the companies were US-based.
Screening Criteria
Range
Database Size
500GB-2000GB
SAP steps per day
1-6 million
SAP architecture
3 or 4 tier
SAP Modules
One or more of Financials,

Human Capital Management,
Operations, and Corporate Services
Database
Oracle, DB2, Microsoft SQL Server
Industry
Manufacturing industry for 50% or

more of surveyed companies
Figure 16. Screening criteria for survey respondents.
In interviews lasting over an hour, we collected data on hardware, software and support services, configurations and costs,
as well as various categories of IT labor, downtime, SLA goals and more. The surveys were performed during December 2007
and January 2008. We backed up the quantitative information from the telephone surveys with qualitative information
from outside Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), prior Wipro research11, 12 , and publically available case studies.
Two divisions of Wipro have extensive experience in SAP/ERP and in Microsoft SQL Server, and we probed their experience
as well.
To understand migration costs and best practices, we performed detailed, 1.5 hour qualitative and quantitative interviews
specifically to learn more about the migration process and costs. We talked with five project leaders (and often additional
members of their team) that had migrated their companys SAP/ERP landscape to Microsoft SQL Server within the last
12 months. This information, along with input from SAP migration SMEs, was used to develop the section on migration.
11
12
Moving ERP to SQL Server Yields Substantial Savings, Wipro PSA Practice, 2004
page 18 of 24
To reduce differences caused by varying business designs and processes, we pulled a subset of 38 consisting only of
Manufacturing companies, 16 of which were running on Microsoft Windows with Microsoft SQL Server; another 16 were
running an Oracle database on a UNIX-based system, with the remaining six running other databases. The core of the
analysis in this paper is focused on these Oracle database and Microsoft SQL Server Manufacturing industry respondents,
though data from the other interviews was used to deepen and further illuminate the findings. Figure 17 shows a detailed
breakdown of the surveyed companies, broken down by industry and database.
Composition of Surveyed Organizations (n=68)
Other DB
4
Other DB
6
Oracle
16
Microsoft SQL
9
Oracle
17
Microsoft SQL
16
Manufacturing (N=38)
Non-manufacturing (N=30)
Figure 17. Respondents broken down by industry and database.
The major cost elements in each category are shown in Figure 18.
Category
Description
Hardware
Server maintenance and support.

(Storage is excluded, since it is assumed to be the
same regardless of platform.)
Software
Support and maintenance costs for operating system,

database and database tools (tuning, monitoring,
and security, for medium scenario, with addition of
clustering tools for Large scenario.)
IT Labor
Incident Management, Administration, Labs, Training.

Figure 18. Cost Elements included in calculations.
page 19 of 24
Appendix B.
13
Typical Migration Project Plan
From the SAP migration experts we talked to, we received detailed information on typical project structures, tasks, roles,
etc. We include it here as a starting point for understanding the migration process. If you are considering a migration
to Microsoft SQL Server, we strongly recommend contacting Microsoft and your hardware vendorthey have deep
expertise in this area, and provide excellent support.
Typical project flow
Planning: 10-15% of total effort
Infrastructure Preparation: 12-20%
Training: 10-12%
Migration: 45-55%
Post-migration Followup: 10-15%
Typical Migration Timeline

Installation of
- DB Software
- SAP Software
Preparation
HW Partner
Export/Import
1. Test Migration
2. Test Migration
- Sizing
- HW Order
Export / Import
Migration Partner
Test Phase
- Staffing
- Project planning
- SAP contracts
Switch over to
new landscape
Technical Tests
- Basis functionality, Performance

- Printing, 3rd party tools
Final Migration
Application Tests
- Key user test

- Data consistency
Training of the SAP Basis team
Support during
first days
Support
Optimization
Timeline
(typically 6 to 18 months)
13
Information in this section was sourced primarily from Microsofts SAP expertise centers
page 20 of 24
Detailed Project Tasks

Pre-requisites
Migration planning
Setup and validation of project plan
Selection of migration partner
Project staffing
Infrastructure Preparation
HW Sizing
Get input parameters from
the business
Get Quicksizer results and validate
Hardware vendor decision
Confirm decision about HW
to configure
HW preparation
Ordering of HW
Configuration of HW, including
dependent HW (such as network, SAN)
Prepare the SAN
Software ordering and validation
Obtaining installation kits (SAP for
Windows / SQL Server)
Check availability of Backup/Restore
agent for SQL Server
Software installation
OS and patches Installation on Server
(Windows server 2003 + SP1)
SQL Server 2005 installation
Detailed documentation and
procedures (including runtime
evaluation)
Test Phase and Validation
Application functionality (Key
user testing)
SAP Basis functionality
Stress testing
Evaluation and Adaption of interfaces
Performance tuning
Backup / Restore test
Evaluate Backup / Restore time
Final Migration (DEV and PRD system)
Migration preparations
Export of the source DB using R3load
Transfer data from source to target
Import data into SQL Server
using R3load
Migration post activities
Homogeneous system copy to QAS
Backup of all SAP systems

Changing of all interfaces
Adaption of printer configuration
SAP installation and post-activities
Documentation of configuration
and installation of Windows Server
2003+Service Pack 2, patches and
SQL Server 2005
Preparation and Testing of
administration tasks
Installation of 3rd party tools, if any
Backup test of Windows Server
Develop Backup / Restore concept for
SQL Server database
Testing of Backup / Restore concept
Migration
Migration preparation
Order of SAP migration service
Change contracts with SAP
Evaluation of interfaces
Checking of printer configuration
Analysis of the source system
Scheduling SAP Going Live session
Test Migration (DEV and PRD system)
Migration preparations
Export of the source DB using R3load
Transfer data from source to target
Import data into SQL Server using R3load
Migration post activities
Homogeneous system copy to QAS
Adaption of all RFC connections
Training
Database Training
Oracle / SQL Server Delta Workshop
Administration of SQL Server in an
SAP environment
OS courses
Security and patch management
Post migration activities
Going Live support
Standby support during first week
of Live production
Remote support
Performance tuning
Analysis of system performance
during daily workload
Tuning of slow SQL statements
page 21 of 24
Typical Project Roles

Role
Source
Task
Project Manager
Typically Internal
Manage the project; interface with management and

business users
SAP Technical
Migration Specialist
External
Guru on the mechanics of performing the actual migration

how to split tables for optimizing import/export process;
how to fit migration into time window and so forth
SAP Go Live Specialist
External
SAP-provided consultant, included as part of the yearly

SAP support contract
Database Architect(s)
Internal or External
Architecture of new database; addressing missing data

or inconsistency in the old database (e.g. duplicate keys,
missing tables)
Other Specialists
Internal and
external
Design and specify the new hardware configuration,

including storage and required level of fault tolerance.
Stress testing.
Basis team
Usually internal
Modify the Basis environment for Microsoft Windows

Changing the print server from UNIX to Windows
Converting SFU (service for UNIX) or Powershell scripts
C
hanging interfacesdisk paths, file destination,
OC commands in the program code of the interface,
Open SQL inside program code, etc
SAP Application team
Internal
Work with business users, test functionality
End Users
Internal
Testing
page 22 of 24
Appendix C.
Features of Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Feature
Description
Database Mirroring
Extend log shipping capabilities with the database mirroring solution. You will be
able to use database mirroring to enhance availability of your SQL Server systems
by setting up automatic failover to a standby server.
Online Restore
With SQL Server 2005, database administrators are able to perform a restore
operation while an instance of SQL Server is running. Online restore improves the
availability of SQL Server because only the data being restored is unavailable;
the rest of the database remains online and available.
Online Indexing
Operations
The online index option allows concurrent modifications (updates, deletes,

and inserts) to the underlying table or clustered index data and any associated
indexes during index data definition language (DDL) execution. For example,
while a clustered index is being rebuilt, you can continue to make updates to the
underlying data and perform queries against the data.
Fast Recovery
A new faster recovery option improves availability of SQL Server databases.

Administrators can reconnect to a recovering database after the transaction log
has been rolled forward.
Standards-based
Information Access
Any object, data source, or business intelligence component can be exposed

using standards-based protocols such as SOAP and HTTPeliminating the need
for a middle-tier listener, such as IIS, to access a Web services interface that is
exposed by SQL Server 2005.
SQL Server
Management Studio
SQL Server 2005 includes SQL Server Management Studio, a new integrated suite
of management tools with the functionality to develop, deploy, and troubleshoot
SQL Server databases, as well as enhancements to previous functionality.
Dedicated Administrator
Connection
SQL Server 2005 provides a dedicated administrator connection that

administrators can use to access a running server even if the server is locked or
otherwise unavailable. This capability enables administrators to troubleshoot
problems on a server by executing diagnostic functions or Transact-SQL
statements.
Snapshot Isolation
Snapshot Isolation (SI) level is provided at the database level. With SI, users
can access the last committed row using a transitionally consistent view of the
database. This capability provides greater scalability.
Data Partitioning
Data partitioning is enhanced with native table and index partitioning that
enables efficient manageability of large tables and indexes.
Replication Enhancements
For distributed databases, SQL Server 2005 provides comprehensive schema

change (DDL) replication, next-generation monitoring capabilities, built
in replication from Oracle to SQL Server, merge replication over https, and
significant merge replication scalability and performance improvements.
Additionally, the peer-to-peer transactional replication feature improves support
for data scale out using replication.
page 23 of 24
Appendix D.
About Wipro Product Strategy & Architecture Practice
Wipro Technologies is a global services provider delivering technology-driven business solutions that meet the strategic
objectives of our clients. Wipro has more than 40 centers of excellence that create solutions around specific needs of
industries. Wipro delivers unmatched business value to customers through a combination of process excellence, quality
frameworks and service delivery innovation. Wipro is the Worlds first CMMi Level 5 certified software services company and
the first outside USA to receive the IEEE Software Process Award. Wipro has a large range of SAP service offerings, including
Consulting, Implementation, Rollout, Upgrade, Basis Support, System Support and Maintenance, and SAP NetWeaver.
The Wipro Product Strategy & Architecture (PSA) Practice is a division of Wipro Technologies, a global technology services
division of Wipro Ltd. (NYSE-WIT). Wipros PSA Practice has more than 10 years experience in researching, analyzing and
documenting the business value of technology solutions. Wipros PSA practice helps enterprises and technology vendors
develop innovative and effective product and IT strategies that enable them to expand their market opportunities,
extend their competitive advantage and economize their business operations. In addition to consulting with technology
vendors, practice consultants and technologists work with global enterprises and service providers in architecting and
implementing large-scale systems. This practical hands-on experience gives Wipros PSA Practice consultants and technical
architects first-hand knowledge that informs their business analysis work.
For further information, contact info.psa@wipro.com or visit www.wipro.com/pes/services/psa
Copyright Wipro Ltd. 2008. All rights reserved. No portion of this study can be used or reproduced without permission of the author.
For additional reproduction rights and usage information, go to www.wipro.com. Information is based on best available resources.
Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change.
Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Printed in USA
page 24 of 24

Microsoft SQL Server Migration Pays Big Dividends For SAP/ERP Customers

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Microsoft SQL

Data Sources and Methodology

Lowering Ongoing Costs

IT Labor Cost Reductions

Lower Salary Costs

Less Complex Administration

Cost Savings in Ongoing Software Support

Reduction in Ongoing Hardware Costs

The Importance of Infrastructure Optimization

Migrating from IBM DB2 on AIX to Microsoft SQL Server

Optimizing the Migration to Microsoft SQL Server

Predictable and Reasonable Cost

More Reliable Platforms

Calculating Migration Costs

Migration Best Practices

Appendix AData Sources and Methodology

Appendix BTypical Migration Project Plan

Appendix CFeatures of Microsoft SQL Server 2005

Appendix DAbout Wipro Product Strategy & Architecture Practice

Product Strategy & Architecture Practice

ERP Migration*: Summary of Benefits

Total Benefits (5 years)

Total Migration Costs

Net Present Value of Benefits

Payback Period (months)

Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

* Migration from an SAP system on an Oracle database running on a Unix platform to

Fewer personnel required to manage Microsoft

Bundled monitoring and fault tolerance tools lower

Differences in database licensing approaches and

Benefits apply to all platforms, but implementation is

Figure 2. Major drivers of cost savings.

Product Strategy & Architecture Practice

Migration Cost vs. Five Year Savings (NPV)

5 year NPV benefits

Figure 3. Investing in a migration to Microsoft SQL Server yields large returns.

Investigate Infrastructure Optimization best practices for further lowering of costs.

Product Strategy & Architecture Practice

Unplanned downtime is reduced an average of

Ongoing IT labor savings total over 20% annually

Product Strategy & Architecture Practice

Data Sources and Methodology

$1.4 billion revenue,

$16 billion revenue,

Number of SAP /ERP modules

Database Size (GB) of SAP/ERP

Dialog Steps per Day

99.5% SLA, few and

99.99% SLA, larger

Figure 4. Characteristics of modeled scenarios.

Product Strategy & Architecture Practice

The Bottom Line:

Figure 5. Migration benefits far outweigh costs.

Database tool functionality (including monitoring, security, tuning

Every case is different, but we have found that

TCO = Total Cost of Ownership

Product Strategy & Architecture Practice

Lower downtime, better

Less complex to manage,

No extra charge for multi-core

Less complex to manage,

Tools come bundled with

Less training required; courses

* Migration from an SAP system on an Oracle database running on a Unix platform to

Database tool functionality (including monitoring, security, tuning

TCO = Total Cost of Ownership

Infrastructure Optimization Savings explores the benefits of using Infrastructure Optimization

* DBAs with five years experience

3. The deep labor pool of available Microsoft expertisealready in

Higher number and greater complexity