Cloud Transformation - Stage 4: Initial Data Upload and SSO Setup

Author: Eric Vasbinder

Now that your environment is up and running in the Viewpoint cloud, we are ready to begin the initial upload of data from your on premise Vista server into our cloud.  This stage is straightforward and involves merely taking backups of your existing Vista server and it's related components, then restoring those into your new environment in our cloud.

In case you are interested, here is a listing of all of the stages that should have been completed by the time you have reached this stage. They are shown below at a high level, including where we are at now:

PROGRESS SUMMARY

• Stage 1: Welcome and Planning - COMPLETE

• Stage 2: Initial Cloud Footprint - COMPLETE

• Stage 3: Integration Framework (Vista VPN or Spectrum Whitelisted IPs) - COMPLETE

• Stage 4: Initial Data Upload - IN PROGRESS

• Stage 5: Training, Testing, and Integration Setup

• Stage 6: Go-Live Weekend!

• Stage 7: Post Go-Live Wrap Up and Handoff

Now here's what's on deck:

Initial Data Upload Steps:

1.  Purge and Clean Up Old Data

(Customer):  Please note that prior to the data backups, we highly recommend that you purge (delete) old records from your VA Message Archive.  Best practices recommend that no more than 90 days worth of messages should be stored in VA Message archive.  If more than that is stored in that table, there could be performance and workflow issues with Vista overall, not just after a cloud move.  If you require longer term archival of that information, please export it outside of Vista prior to purging those records.

2.  Create Compressed Backups of all Databases Used

(Customer):  You will create a compressed backup of the following data:

1. 1. Viewpoint Vista records database

   2. VPAttachments database (if used)

   3. SSRS Database (if used)

   4. KDS-HRIM Database (if used)

   5. ConfigService Database

   6. KDS SSRS RDL files (if used)

Please store those in an easy to find location, as we will be using them shortly.

BACKUP CREATION PROCESS

NOTE:  You can create such a back up by first opening SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and connecting to your Vista database server instance.

1. You should then select each database in turn (e.g. "viewpoint", "VPAttachments", "KDS", etc.) and then select "Action".

2. Now select to make a backup, choosing a location with enough space to store the backup.

3. During this process, you should change the options for the backup to FORCE the server to save a compressed backup.

3.  Create a Compressed ZIP Backup of Your Viewpoint Repository Folder

(Customer):  Locate your Viewpoint Repository folder and create a compressed ZIP file backup of this entire folder.  This folder should have all of your create and send templates (if used), custom reports, and more.  Please do not add any backups from Vista into this file as that would make the resulting ZIP file HUGE.  Note you should have already backed up Vista in Step 1 above.

Specifically, this folder is usually located at C:\Viewpoint Repository.  

THIS CAN BE DIFFERENT IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT.  PLEASE REACH OUT TO YOUR VISTA IT ADMIN FOR MORE INFORMATION IF YOU ARE UNSURE.  

To finish this step, you need to compress the entire main repository folder and all sub-folders, OTHER than the BIN sub-folder.  The BIN sub-folder is the one that is not only massive in size, but unnecessary as it only contains the client slide DLLs that are downloaded by the automatic updater.  Those get installed automatically in the cloud, so we do not need a backup of those.

4. Download and Install Azure Storage Explorer

(Customer):  Please download and Install Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer on either your old, on-premise Vista server itself, or another system with the ability to access the database backup files from the previous step. 

Here is a link to detail, step by step instructions with screenshots of how to perform the downloading, installing, connecting, and uploading of data using Azure Storage Explorer:  Uploading Data Into The Cloud with Azure Storage Explorer 

5. Schedule Joint Initial Data Upload Meeting with Viewpoint Transformation Engineers

(Viewpoint and Customer):  Schedule a time to perform the initial data upload between Viewpoint's Transformation engineers and customer IT resources.

6. Begin IDU

(Viewpoint and Customer):  Begin the upload of all backup files using Azure Storage Explorer.

(Customer):  Notify Viewpoint Transformations engineering team when the upload is complete.

7. Restore all Data and Notify Customer

(Viewpoint):  Once the upload process is complete, Viewpoint will restore all appropriate backups into your cloud environment.  When complete, you will be notified and will be able to begin SSO setup, which must be completed prior to beginning Stage 5:  Testing.

SSO Authentication Setup

During this final section of Stage 4, we setup Trimble ID SSO, along with Federation to Azure AD or Okta if desired.  Here is a Vista Cloud FAQ article that will provide more details on this topic:  The Three Steps to SSO Joy - Setting up Trimble ID SSO 

Once SSO setup is complete, we proceed to stage 5:  Cloud Transformation Process - Stage 5:  Test, Auth, and Integrations