Built and Deploy Technical Video Series

Introduction

• Host: Monica McGowan, Solutions Manager at Oracle.
• Guest: Sambu Degosh, Technical Lead at Albertsons.
• Topic: Scaling payroll operations for 300,000 employees by moving PeopleSoft payroll application to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

Users of PeopleSoft Payroll Application

• Users include:
  • Store employees and managers
  • Directors
  • Warehouse staff
  • Data center employees
• Access points: Various locations, including stores and warehouses.

Architecture Overview

1. Application Subnet
   • Hosts application and management servers for payroll.
   • Consists of:
     • Web and application servers
     • PUM servers for upgrades
     • Dedicated servers for batch processes (e.g., payroll run)
     • Elastic search function for enhanced search capabilities
2. Third-party Products
   • ESP: Used for scheduling.
   • Mentis: Data masking tool for lower environments (protects PII-sensitive data).
   • STAT: Quest product for migration, change control, and version control.
3. Utility and Support Servers
   • Used by managed services team for tenancy support.

Database Subnet

• Database as a Service: Supports third-party tools on cost-effective VMs.
• Exadata Cloud Service:
  • High-performing quarter rack Exadata systems with two database nodes.
  • Utilizes Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC).

Exadata Deployment

• Benefits of migrating to Exadata:
  • 40-50% performance gain in payroll operations.
  • Improved payroll run times.

Production and Disaster Recovery (DR) Environment

• Production Database: Spread across both nodes using Oracle RAC.
• Disaster Recovery Setup:
  • Two additional Exadata quarter racks for DR.
  • Non-database components use rsync; database uses Oracle Data Guard replication.
  • DR environment mirrors production with adjustments:
    • DR database shares Exadata server with non-production environments and is downsized during normal operations.
    • Non-production workloads are allocated to the second Exadata during regular operations.

Sacrificial DR Concept

• Allows downsizing/upscaling of resources as needed.
• In DR scenarios, the non-production environments are shut down to allocate resources to the DR database.

Challenges in Migrating to OCI

• Initial hurdles:
  • Understanding access protocols and server management.
  • Establishing development protocols and code migration processes.
• Support from OCI transition team:
  • Provided clear explanations and guidance, especially for security concerns.

Conclusion

• Acknowledgment to the ACS team at Oracle for their support.
• Encouragement to follow future technical conversations with OCI customers.