A key benefit of implementing an Application Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) project is to reduce the amount of structured data in the data center.  Application ILM is a combination of a strategy and process that assesses information based on its business value and aligns the technology it resides on.  This process assures that the data center does not over allocate IT resources if the business doesn’t need it.  And likewise, if the business can provide detailed requirements for what it needs for its data, the IT department has a better idea of its technology forecasting needs.  Application ILM is a capacity planner’s friend.

The first task in assessing database data for ILM is measuring the how much storage is consumed by the databases targeted for ILM.  Collect from the database administrators (DBAs) and the storage team what each believes they are consuming in storage.  The DBAs should provide a list of active databases they are using, used and allocated storage and growth rates for each.  The storage team should provide a list of databases they see from the storage allocated and storage allocation growth rates.  Many times there are databases and allocated storage out there that the DBAs weren’t even aware of.

The comprehensive list of databases should also include all production copies such as test and development copies, any copies used for standby, disaster recovery or backup.  Make sure to account for copies of data in a data warehouse or reporting system.  Additionally, from an IT perspective, make sure to identify the type of storage the copy is residing on.  For example, production copies are usually on Tier one infrastructure while backups may be on Tier two disk or tape.  Each Tier of infrastructure should have its own acquisition cost per gigabyte.  Once you have the quantity allocated and price by tier, you should be able to come up with a model for cost of ownership.

Once the current and projected storage allocation for the database data has been determined, now you can begin the task of classifying data based on its business value.  In the next blog, we will take the list of tables in the primary database copy and classify information in it based on business processes and data objects, legal and operational usage, and IT infrastructure.

Julie Lockner, President & Founder, CentricInfo