Repository Administration

Challenge

Defining the role of the PowerCenter Administrator to understand the tasks required to properly manage the domain and repository.

Description

The PowerCenter Administrator has many responsibilities. In addition to regularly backing up the domain and repository, truncating logs, and updating the database statistics, he or she also typically performs the following functions:

• Determines metadata strategy
• Installs/configures client/server software
• Migrates development to test and production
• Maintains PowerCenter servers
• Upgrades software
• Administers security and folder organization
• Monitors and tunes environment

Note: The Administrator is also typically responsible for maintaining domain and repository passwords; changing them on a regular basis and keeping a record of them in a secure place.

Determine Metadata Strategy

The PowerCenter Administrator is responsible for developing the structure and standard for metadata in the PowerCenter Repository.  This includes developing naming conventions for all objects in the repository, creating a folder organization, and maintaining the repository. The Administrator is also responsible for modifying the metadata strategies to suit changing business needs or to fit the needs of a particular project.  Such changes may include new folder names and/or a different security setup.

Install/Configure Client/Server Software

This responsibility includes installing and configuring the application servers in all applicable environments (e.g., development, QA, production, etc.).  The Administrator must have a thorough understanding of the working environment, along with access to resources such as a Windows or UNIX Admin and a DBA point of contact with administrator privileges. 

The Administrator is also responsible for installing and configuring the client tools. Although end users can generally install the client software, the configuration of the client tool connections benefits from being consistent throughout the repository environment. The Administrator, therefore, needs to enforce this consistency in order to maintain an organized repository.

Migrate Development to Production

When the time comes for content in the development environment to be moved to the test and production environments, it is the responsibility of the Administrator to schedule, track, and copy folder changes.  Also, it is crucial to keep track of the changes that have taken place.  It is the role of the Administrator to track these changes through a change control process. The Administrator should be the only individual able to physically move folders from one environment to another.

If a versioned repository is used, the Administrator should set up labels and instruct the developers on the labels that they must apply to their repository objects (i.e., reusable transformations, mappings, workflows and sessions). This task also requires close communication with project staff to review the status of items of work to ensure, for example, that only tested or approved work is migrated.

Maintain PowerCenter Servers

The Administrator must also be able to understand and troubleshoot the server environment. He or she should have a good understanding of PowerCenter’s Service-Oriented Architecture and how the domain and application services interact with each other. The Administrator should also understand what the Integration Service does when a session is running and be able to identify those processes. Additionally, certain mappings may produce files in addition to the standard session and workflow logs. The Administrator should be familiar with these files and know how and where to maintain them.

Upgrade Software

If and when the time comes to upgrade software, the Administrator is responsible for overseeing the installation and upgrade process. 

Security and Folder Administration

Security administration consists of both the PowerCenter domain and repository. For the domain, it involves creating, maintaining, and updating all domain users and their associated rights and privileges to services and alerts. For the repository, it involves creating, maintaining, and updating all users within the repository, including creating and assigning groups based on new and changing projects and defining which folders are to be shared, and at what level.  Folder administration involves creating and maintaining the security of all folders. The Administrator should be the only user with privileges to edit folder properties.

Monitor and Tune Environment

Proactively monitoring the domain and user activity helps ensure a healthy functioning PowerCenter environment. The Administrator should review user activity for the domain to verify that the appropriate rights and privileges have been applied. The domain activity will ensure correct CPU and license usage.

The Administrator should have sole responsibility for implementing performance changes to the server environment. He or she should observe server performance throughout development so as to identify any bottlenecks in the system. In the production environment, the Repository Administrator should monitor the jobs and any growth (e.g., increases in data or throughput time) and communicate such change to appropriate staff address bottlenecks, accommodate growth, and ensure that the required data is loaded within the prescribed load window.