Integration Case Study: Database Merge

Businesses grow in a lot of ways. One way is through mergers or acquisitions. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to melding two companies into one. For example, what do you do if both companies are using ConnectWise? We can help there. NexNow has a mature set of tools that we use to merge one ConnectWise database into another. Here is an overview of the steps in that process.

Case Study: Merging ConnectWise Databases

We have completed a number of these types of projects over the years. Each project is as unique and varied as the partners themselves, but they all have a similar structure and plan.

Step1: Preparing the Server Landscape

Do you know how big your ConnectWise database is? Even a several gigabyte database can take a while to push over a VPN wire from one end of the country to the other. So the first step is helping the partner get the databases in the same location. This has a lot of benefits. It helps a partner figure out what their users will need to do to get to the new merged instance. Are there firewall or access issues, for example?

Then we work to install our tools on the partner’s server and get the access wired up.

Step 2: Setup Mappings

ConnectWise is super flexible and has a lot of settings. These settings are commonly stored in setup tables. Once we get all the tools connected, we go through an exercise to harmonize the setups of the incoming database with those of the target database. This stage can take awhile, but is important in making sure the incoming data fits into the policies and setup of the new merged world.

Step 3: Testing Runs

Since every partner uses ConnectWise in a different way, and every merge involves two databases, a merge is rarely as simple as copying all of Column A into Column B. So we go through an iterative process of test merges into the training instance. This way a partner can see what the merged data will look like and make sure it works the way they want.

During this process we can continue to adjust the setup mappings as well as to prepare for the cutover.

Step 4: Go Live

Owing to the fact that our engineers are in Berlin, Germany, we can complete the live merge in the early morning hours, US time. On the go-live day, you can wake up to a newly merged database. Because it was merged in the middle of the night, it has far less impact on your business. There are a just few remaining things to cutover and redirect.

Overall Timeline:

A project typically takes 4-6 weeks from the moment the tools get connected.

Have databases that need to be merged?

Here is a more complete list of the kinds of data we can merge.
Contact us to start the conversation.