Technical Approach
Summary
The SmartPay Data Warehouse (SPDW) modernization project provided unification of scattered systems spread across in the mainframe and on-prem servers, significant increase in operational efficiency, migrating to a FCS cloud based platform, and increase in business value by enhancing the user experience.
Top Success Factors and Strategies:
- Cloud Smart – Leveraged FCS Cloud to reduce the time for the Authority to Operate (ATO)
- Open Source Technologies – Reduced costs and risks associated with proprietary solutions
- Shared Services – Spread costs across multiple efforts and applications to realize economies of scale
- Focus on Data – Data efforts were started early and focused on essential data
- Smart Resourcing – Integrate GSA FTEs in the project work to reduce cost – User Acceptance Testing
- Integrate with O&M Activities – Integrate applicable work with existing O&M activities to reduce cost
- Team Resilience and Planning – Proactive recognition of gaps and issues to mitigate risks; Agile methodology allowed flexibility to the roadmap
- Team Attitude and Execution – The core team never lost sight of the overall goals for the Program and executed through headwinds
- Project Governance – Engagement by leadership and disciplined governance practice
Challenges
The legacy SmartPay Data Warehouse components consisted of SPDW portal (Unisys Clearpath mainframe platform), Sybase IQ Database (Stennis Data Center), Visualization tools - SAP Business Objects, were scattered across multiple platforms such as mainframe and on-prem servers. One other major challenge the SPDW application faced was possible decommissioning of SAP business objects and SAP Sybase IQ database. There was also a real need to move out of the legacy Unisys Clearpath mainframe environment which is a FAS IT initiative.
Solution
The modernization provides consolidation of the various legacy components and a cloud based solution that was developed using the latest tools to enable rapid development and deployment to meet business requirements.
The SmartPay Cloud Portal is a web application that allows GSA users and Federal Agency/ Organization Program Coordinator (A/OPC) AOPCs to access rich data visualizations on legacy SmartPay 2 aggregated charge card data and SmartPay 3 charge card data. The SmartPay Cloud system features a Data pipeline that pulls SmartPay 3 bank data files from the SPDW SFTP server, processes, and loads them into the Redshift database using Pentaho Data Integrator, visualizes the data using Tableau server with row level security, and embeds them into the spdatawarehouse.gsa.gov Angular/Spring Boot portal.
Benefits of Cloud Solution
The benefits of migrating the legacy SPDW portal and related components to a cloud based platform provided immense benefits like the use of modern GSA approved tools, inbuilt security providing faster ATO, better visualizations, ease of data management, highly improved user experience. Additionally other than the benefits already mentioned there are operational benefits, reduced risk due to enhanced security and flexibility that comes with the cloud platform.
The result of team synergies, use of agile methodologies, project management and overall team work enabled the successful deployment of the modernized SmartPay Data Warehouse into the cloud platform. The new look and feel using the latest UI/UX design standards and tools provided for a highly appreciated user experience. The modern SPDW website not only replaced the legacy platform, but also made use of the FCS data environment which provided the modern database Redshift and a highly popular and useful visualization tool, Tableau, which provided for the creation of interactive, visually appealing dashboards that provide the users with accurate data representation and provides quick analysis via trends and location based information. Migrating to the cloud also automatically provides flexibility to scale as user requirements increase.
