WHEN AND HOW?

1/ if we take the GN3 dump on day X1, and then we spend X2 days to adjust and import, and then we start the production on the day X1+30, it means the GN4 database won’t contain the content produced of the last month. Is it ok? The alternative is to make a preliminary import, and see how long it took to adjust, and then redo it closer to the roll out date?

2/ GN4 "OUT OF THE BOX" would be pretty much different than GN3, and it can cause problems in editorial procedures and protests of the staff. It’s not only question of “which-button-i-need-to-press-to-do-something”, but also of the content presentation (directory styles, sort orders etc, fields in the dialog boxes etc). How close/far we can/should/must come related to their existing system?

INITIAL ANALYSIS

1.If the customer's network is secured, you'll need an account to connect, probably with a fixed external IP address.

2.Initial review & analysis of the existing database and data to see how much is to migrate and what to recreate manually, looking at the existing GN3 database, and that includes:

▪Get list of users and groups

▪Get list of folders and permissions

▪Get list of automatic copy-flow paths

▪Get list and descriptions of actual content presentation (dir.styles, sort orders, dialog boxes and find the differences with the standard GN4 configuration)

▪Compare the GN3 and GN4 schemas and find differences related to attributes and elements order/names.

▪Text estimating data

▪Custom scripts

▪OPI (and other) queues

▪Review the wire import

▪Review the picture processing procedures

▪Review the printing procedures

▪Review the archiving, including the differences between Tark3 and Tark4

▪Review the Web export

3.At this point it would be useful to have a feedback from the customer (editorial) to point us to what is not needed anymore (obsolete content not to migrate, unused attributes, baskets, fonts, formats, user names, etc).

DATA EXPORT & ADJUSTMENTS

4.Connect to the GN3 production server (OUT OF PRODUCTION TIME – when is that?) and export data from all titles.

5.Do necessary adjustments of the exported data.

6.Do a preliminary import of exported data in a new GN4 database (locally), to see if everything goes smoothly.

GN4 INSTALLATION

7.Virtual machines or not?

8.How many servers (where to install what)? Back4 on GN4 server?

9.Fail-over procedures?

10.Which version of GN4 to install?

11.Download and install GN4 server.

12.Download and install Exalead server.

13.Download and install Back4 server (if not on the GN4 server).

DATA IMPORT & ADJUSTMENTS

14.Before importing, make sure that GN4 servers “see” GN3 picture folders.

15.Import of GN3 data (when? see question 1 in “General questions”).

16.Re-create users and groups.

17.Re-create folders and permissions.

18.Re-create automatic copy-flow paths.

19.Adjust content presentation (dir.styles etc).

20.Re-create wire import.

21.Re-create printing procedures.

22.Re-create Web export procedures.

23.Re-create procedures to archive GN4 content in GN4 database.

24.Create the procedure for porting Tark3 content to Tark4.

25.Port Tark3 to Tark4 (when? see question 1 in “General questions”).

PRELIMINARY GN4 TESTING

26.Basic testing of new GN4 as per Tera testing sheets.

27.Print on GN4 of some old imported pages to see if it works ok.

28.Make some new pages, print them and see if it goes ok.

29.Test export to Web.

30.Test archiving.

WRITE SITE & TRAINING DOCUMENTATION

31.Write the site description (servers, processes, fail-over instructions etc).

32.Write the training documentation.

TRAINING

33.Organize on-site printing of the training documentation in enough copies.

34.Training on-site (how many days? How many hours per day? Train the trainers?)

ROLL-OUT

35.Baby-sit the roll-out.