How to Convert from DRM to EPMware

Support for Oracle Data Relationship Management (DRM) is ending in 2034. Although Oracle is encouraging DRM customers to move to its Enterprise Data Management (EDM) platform, many organizations are looking outside Oracle for a new metadata management solution.

EPMware’s all-in-one metadata management and data governance platform stands out as a replacement for Oracle DRM. Converting from Oracle DRM to EPMware will increase the efficiency of metadata management and data governance processes in your organization with more comprehensive and agile features, seamless integration, and greater ROI in one unified solution.

How EPMware Compares to Oracle EDM, DRM, and DRG

EPMware’s multidomain master data and data governance platform supports cloud and on-premise workflows. With built-in business application intelligence, EPMware: 

• Seamlessly manages hierarchies

• Creates dimensional consistency across subscribing applications

• Captures request approvals for centralized governance

Oracle EDM is a cloud-based change management platform used to align hierarchies, manage change requests, and synchronize enterprise metadata across business and reporting systems. As the preferred replacement for DRM, Oracle has been adding functionality to EDM to make it a more viable alternative.

Oracle DRM is an on-premise change management solution used to manage metadata changes across operational, analytic, and enterprise performance management systems. Unlike EPMware, data governance is not built into DRM, so users who want governance and approval capabilities must purchase and bolt on Oracle DRG.

In a side-by-side comparison, the choice comes down to the fact that EPMware is equipped with the best enterprise metadata management and data governance features of Oracle EDM, DRM, and DRG—plus additional capabilities all in one easy-to-integrate platform. 

Why Convert from Oracle DRM to EPMware?

In addition to DRM’s looming end of support date, Oracle’s master data management platform has several limitations that make converting to EPMware a smart business decision:

• Lack of hybrid environment support: DRM is unable to meet customer needs to manage metadata for on-premises and cloud applications, which makes it unsuitable for the many enterprises that operate in hybrid environments.

• Lack of visibility: DRM doesn’t manage large hierarchies with a high number of properties well. In these environments, the system slows down and auditing transactions becomes very cumbersome. In fact, DRM offers very few, if any, built-in reports to provide insight and visibility into a change request across time periods.

• Lack of built-in integrations: DRM does not include built-in integrations to either Hyperion or non-Hyperion applications. The platform’s per-record licensing can get expensive when expanding to include enterprise applications and data warehouses. 

These constraints prevent the Oracle customer from creating a true hub-and-spoke model for master data across ERP, EPM, and data warehouse applications.

Need-to-Knows When Converting from DRM to EPMware

Before diving into a conversion from DRM to EPMware, consider these factors.

Be aware of differences in the data model.

First, it’s important to understand that this conversion is not a lift and shift. The DRM data model is completely different from EPMware. The concept of versions in DRM does not exist in EPMware or EDM. EPMware keeps one running version and allows incremental change management.

Understand the change in DRM properties.

Many of the DRM properties aren’t needed when converting to EPMware. EPMware provides a number of automation capabilities out of the box, so DRM exports are automatically redesigned, often ending up as a simplified version of the existing DRM architecture.

Prepare for business process changes.

As with any new master data management platform adoption, the move to EPMware will likely require some adjustments to the business processes that define how master data change requests are submitted. Planning for these new processes and implementing user training will help simplify and streamline the transition to EPMware.

How to Convert to EPMware from Oracle DRM

Now that we have explored the “whys” of converting from DRM to EPMware, let’s walk through how the conversion takes place. 

Naturally, the specifics of the conversion will depend on the complexity of your DRM/DRG environment. However, the process can generally be distilled down into a handful of steps:

• Export all hierarchies with properties. This is commonly done using a EPMware conversion utility that quickly grabs all hierarchies and properties and prepares them for staging in EPMware. Usually a day one activity for many implementations that takes a few hours or less.

• Evaluate the purpose of all properties (most will not be needed in EPMware). EPMware provides many out of the box derived values and validations that render DRM properties useless. Many EPMware business rules also use intelligent API's to calculate values, which greatly simplify the implementation and future state maintenance.

• Create dimension mappings, if needed. EPMware allows a single change to be replicated across hierarchies. This is typically a no to low code configuration. This also eliminates many DRM properties that traditionally were used to determine which exports would receive which metadata. EPMware stores the mapping configuration as business rules, allowing data stewards to focus on governance instead of lengthy 

• Configure property behavior. Create derived properties or set defined values. Configurations are set using built in settings or using EPMware business rules for complex calculations. 

• Configure workflows or evaluate redundant workflows in DRG for consolidation in EPMware. Many DRG workflows are typically consolidated into one EPMware workflow using conditional stages. EPMware also can send metadata to lower (DEV, UAT) environments prior to production, ensuring automated audit controls.

• Configure downstream exports. Another no-code configuration. EPMware adapters are plug and play, sending metadata and ensuring the downstream application's successful subscription, with notifications to users / admins.

• Configure user security. Allow admins and users to have limited views with read / write / no access to all levels of a data model, including record level access. 

EPMware implementations typically range from 1-2 weeks to 10-12 weeks. Talk to your EPMware advisor to determine the best migration path for your organization.

Manage Master Data in Complex Environments with EPMware

Enterprise master data management can get complex quickly. Organizations need a solution that not only streamlines master data management processes but also enforces data governance practices to ensure enterprise-wide data integrity.

As Oracle DRM nears end of support, EPMware provides an all-in-one platform to centralize master data management and data governance with functionality you won’t find in Oracle EDM.

Download Medtronic’s success story to find out how converting from Oracle to EPMware enabled the organization’s finance team to more easily manage change requests from multiple business functions, such as corporate and financial planning and analysis.