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HMS Case Study

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SAS Viya on Azure: Migration and Long-Term Platform Operations

HMS migrated analytical sales applications from SAS 9.4 to SAS Viya on Microsoft Azure. The team then took over the operation, maintenance, and ongoing development of the platform.

Management Summary

HMS supported a major European energy and utilities company in implementing SAS Viya on Azure. The project included migrating SAS 9.4-based sales analytics applications, configuring the Azure infrastructure for production use, and taking over subsequent platform operations.

Project summary

#industry
Major European energy and utilities company

Major European energy and utilities company

Industry: Energy Supply
Project Start: 01/2024
Focus: Migration & Modernization
Use Case: Data Platform Migration

Project Objective

Migrate the existing SAS 9.4 environment to SAS Viya, prepare the deployed Azure infrastructure for production use, and establish long-term, supported platform operations.

An overview of the key project aspects:

  • Capture existing business logic and incorporate it into the migration approach
  • Migrate SAS applications using automated text and rule-based replacements
  • Take over monitoring, maintenance, and further development of the SAS Viya platform

Tech Stack

python microsoft azure sas viya argo grafana prometheus ci/cd pipelines sas base azure devops databricks

For us, a SAS migration is not complete until the new platform is running reliably and can be developed in a controlled manner while in operation.

Pascal Geschwill

Project Lead

The Starting Point

The sales team used SAS 9.4 on-premises to gain business-critical performance and customer insights. However, the existing infrastructure no longer met the company’s requirements for cost, performance, and operations. The company therefore decided to migrate to SAS Viya in its Microsoft Azure environment.

SAS deployed the necessary infrastructure in the customer’s Azure environment. Before going live, the configuration and performance had to be optimized for the analytical sales applications. Additional requirements included data integrity, availability, monitoring, and maintenance. The customer and HMS also had to define their respective responsibilities for the subsequent operation of the platform.

The HMS Solution

Migrating to SAS Viya on Azure and Bringing the Platform into Production

HMS supported the project from the initial workshops on design and migration through to the subsequent operation of the SAS Viya platform.

Define Requirements and the Target Concept

Through proof-of-concept workshops and consultations, HMS defined the requirements together with the customer for the new platform. The team mapped out the existing business logic and translated it into a concept for migration, integration, and operation.

Setting Up Azure Infrastructure for SAS Viya

HMS optimized the existing Azure infrastructure and configured SAS Viya for the sales analytics applications. To do so, the project team combined SAS expertise with experience in Azure AKS, Kubernetes, automation, and monitoring.

Migrating Applications from SAS 9.4 to SAS Viya

HMS migrated the existing SAS Base 9.4 environment to SAS Viya. An HMS migration tool supported the migration of the existing applications through automated text and rule replacement. The team reconciled interim results with the documented requirements and continuously reviewed the changes.

Operate and Continuously Develop the Platform

Following the migration, HMS took over the operation and maintenance of the environment. This includes monitoring relevant services, troubleshooting, updates and upgrades, as well as the development of additional features and interfaces. The customer and HMS agreed to share responsibility for platform operations.

Customer Benefits

Stable SAS Viya Environment for Analytical Sales Applications

The migration established a managed SAS Viya environment for the customer’s sales applications. Monitoring, automated processes, and continuous improvement support their long-term use.

More stable

Availability in Platform Operations

HMS monitors the relevant services and resolves any errors that occur. Regular maintenance, updates, and upgrades ensure the environment remains operational over the long term.

More efficient

Automated Workflows for Migration and Maintenance

Text and rule substitution, CI/CD processes, and continuous testing standardize recurring tasks. Verification against the requirements documentation ensures business traceability.

Expandable

Integrate new services and interfaces

HMS continues to develop the platform after the migration. Additional features and custom-programmed interfaces can be integrated into the existing environment.

Long-term support combines technical maintenance of the platform with its gradual adaptation to new requirements.

Our Strengths, Your Benefits

SAS Viya Migration and Platform Operations on Microsoft Azure

In this project, HMS combined SAS migration, cloud engineering, and platform operations. The scope of work included workshops and design, technical implementation, as well as long-term maintenance and further development of the environment.

What You Can Expect from HMS

HMS supports SAS Viya projects with platform expertise, migration experience, and responsibility for ongoing operations.

  • Experience with SAS 9.4, SAS Viya, and Microsoft Azure
  • Automated text and rule replacement during migration
  • Azure AKS, Kubernetes, ArgoCD, and GitOps in a project context
  • Monitoring with Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenSearch
  • Continuous testing and documented development and architecture standards
Karsten Wohlgefahrt
Karsten Wohlgefahrt
Principal Sales Manager

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Next Steps and Further Study

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