Enterprise Level Deployment of Delphix - Component Requirements Definition

Hi Again!  In today's post I can finally move past the Solution design and on to the defining the Requirement in an enterprise level deployment of Delphix Virtual Data systems in our fictitious healthcare company. If you are new to Delphix technology, please go to https://www.delphix.com or just search for Delphix online.

To bring you up to speed from the last posts we completed the solution design document after 4 separate postings. This week I will walk you through the steps to define the requirements to ensure there is a stakeholder assigned to ensure the requirement has a defined solution and  to verify there is acceptance criteria has been assigned and to identify any solution gaps in the requirement that must be rectified before the solution can implemented. A gap for instance may be that one of the databases is at Oracle release 9.2.0.5 and Delphix VCDMS does not support releases under 9.2.0.8. In that case the database must be upgraded before it can be added to the VCDMS.

You have Delphix Now What | Delphix Goals and Objectives | The Solution Design - Part1 | The solution Design Part 2 | The solution Design - The transition process | The Solution Design - Add Masking | The High Level Time Line

Defining the Requirements

Many of the requirements can come from a standard Delphix template that will be provided at the end of my blog sessions and will be a good starting point. But first lets look at how most projects will of this size will hold a joint requirements analysis and design session among the project manager, the solution architects, the work stream managers, the developers, the testers and the operations teams. The requirements analysis should come from the integrated systems components that I have repasted here for your review.  Basically, I like to take each component individually and work with the system architect, the delivery managers, the business analysts, and the component experts and begin to define the requirements.  Defining the requirements up front helps to clearly understand the various work tasks and to provide the engineers a complete review of the final deployment picture. The engineers can then begin to map out their design and implementation plan. It also helps to identify potential gaps in the current environment that must filled to fulfill the requirement.

The Requirements Review Meetings

Since I group the requirements into subject areas based on the components diagram shown above, I will discuss standard requirements for most Delphix DevOps initiatives and sprinkle in some requirements specific to this implementation. The requirements analysis can happen in an agile roadmap in that as the as the requirements unfold the development and integration staff can begin their design and integrations tasks as they see appropriate.

Virtual Data System Requirements Analysis

Let's begin by understanding the requirements associated to the Virtual Data System itself. Remember from my 2nd blog, the Project Goals and Objectives are centered on Delphix Virtual Copy Data Management and the Delphix Engine is the centerpiece of those goals. Basically the requirements analysis will involve a review of these requirements. But at the same time this allows the installation teams to gain additional information from the Delphix Professional Services or GSI Deployment team. The analysis will cover the system compatibilities and pre-requisit expectations. The sessions allow the teams to ask questions and gain instight into what will be important to them how the Delphix engine configuration will fit into their infrastructure domain. They can determine if any Delphix system requirements are in contention with company processes or policies  and begin the process to define an exception or to clarify the true definition of either the process or the requirement. For instance Delphix Software has a need to  accessed by the Delphix engine the infrastructure team will want to uderstand the access protocols and verify that SSH access between the servers is approved by the company's system access policies.

So here was an example of a typical requirements document that will be analyzed from the business standpoint and Gap standpoint. In this case there were no Gaps found in the requirements of this component. Had there been, we would have had to add the Gap and explain how we intent to fill the gap to meet the requirement. I will not list each component heading in this blog but will jump to the Data Services component heading to provide another aspect component requirements. Again a full list of the companies component system management requirement drivers will appear at the end of my blogs as a requirement traceability matrix. What you see here in these two examples will appear with the rest in a full document.

Data Services Requirements Analysis

So in this case it is important to engage the data services teams, the system architecture team,  and the security teams to ensure their requirements are well understood and documented. The requirements listed here come from the teams based on their teams operational requirements, service level agreements, team capabilities and current processes. This is not requirements specific to Delphix system level install requriements. Similar to the previous section I have listed the requirements separately based on the component.

Data Base Management Systems

Remember the DBA team is giving up their current process of physical databases provisioning to a Virtual Copy Data Management systems. Although the databases themselves will be full object level copies of the databases, the database management teams must control the next practices for database provisioning. With that said, the database team has provided me a list of requirements they need a positive solution for in this implementation.

Application Development Teams

Similar to the database team the application development teams are giving up their current process of physical application provisioning to a Virtual Copy Data Management systems. Although the file systems themselves will be full object level copies, the next practices for provisioning must be controlled by the application development management teams. For this particular team notice I have added process and functionality Gaps to one of the requirements. The Gap will require additional development efforts to address the requirement. With that said, the application team has provided me a list of requirements they need a positive solution for in this implementation.

File Systems Teams

In this case it is not anticipated that the file systems are impacted by this implementation. We do not anticipate that the Virtual Copy Data Management Systems in that case I just mention in the requirements that this component system will not be impacted by the Delphix processes.

Audit Teams

The Security Audit team has some concerns and requirements surrounding the VCDM systems.  They have database and application access processes in place today that they want assurance that these process will be carried forward with VCDM. They also require new servers to be part of the system auditing process here again they wan assurance that the Delphi appliances can be included into their standard Sensage audit system reporting.

Next Installment Post - The Impact Analysis

This ends the blog for today.  Looks like we are moving right along on our implementation. The requirements analysis is complete .  Next week we will go through the impact analysis which will inventory the system scope verify competing project priorities and Gap resolution.