Archive Your Business Intelligence & Data Warehouse Systems
Decommission legacy BI and DWH platforms with AvenDATA — your analytical data stays secure, audit-compliant and fully searchable.
The Challenge with Historical Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse Systems
Many companies face the task of decommissioning outdated Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Warehouse (DWH) systems such as SAP BW, IBM Cognos, Oracle BI, MicroStrategy or SQL-based DWH solutions. This may be driven by system changes, cloud migrations or the replacement of entire analytics platforms. Simply shutting these systems down is usually not possible: legal requirements demand the long-term retention and continuous accessibility of business-critical reporting and analytical data.
Typical challenges in dealing with legacy BI and DWH systems include:
- High operating costs: outdated systems generate ongoing expenses for licences, infrastructure and maintenance.
- Outdated technology: old servers, database versions and BI tools create security risks and incompatibilities.
- Resource demands: IT departments must continue to provide maintenance, monitoring and support.
- Lack of integration: legacy BI systems are often no longer compatible with modern platforms or cloud environments.
- Legal requirements: analytical data is also subject to retention obligations and must remain audit-compliant and available for review.
The AvenDATA Solution
With our web-based archiving solution, you can securely decommission your historical Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse systems without data loss and without compliance risks — audit-compliant, high-performing and fully searchable at any time.
Your analytical and reporting data remains fully accessible without the ongoing operation of the original BI or DWH platform.
Proven Archiving Solution
with Over 20 Years of Experience in Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse Systems
The archiving of historical BI and DWH systems has been continuously advanced by AvenDATA over many years and proven in practice across thousands of projects worldwide. Our structured approach has demonstrated its value in a wide range of scenarios, from preparation for tax audits to legally compliant responses to regulatory and audit enquiries.
At the centre is our software solution ViewBox, a powerful research platform for archived data from decommissioned analytics and reporting systems such as SAP BW, IBM Cognos, Oracle BI or Microsoft-based data warehouses.
ViewBox enables fast, audit-compliant access — both for external auditors and for internal departments such as controlling, compliance or internal audit.
More than 50% of DAX companies rely on our solution, a clear signal of its stability, flexibility and practical value. Trusted worldwide, from Europe to North America to Asia, ViewBox is in productive use internationally.
Your BI and DWH Data — Securely Archived and Accessible Long Term
in ViewBox
Even after your Business Intelligence or Data Warehouse platform has been decommissioned — for example SAP BW, IBM Cognos, Oracle BI or Microsoft SQL Server — your data remains fully preserved. We transfer the relevant data models and reporting tables, including their contents, archive them in an audit-compliant way and, if required, apply a digital signature to provide legally compliant proof.
Our services at a glance:
- Archiving of all relevant analytics and reporting tables, with original structure and contents
- Audit-compliant storage with optional digital signature
- Optional: creation of reports and analyses based on archived BI data
Even before the project begins, we work with you to define which data models, cubes or fact tables should be transferred and whether specific evaluations are required — for instance, for audits, internal analyses or legal requirements.
In ViewBox, these archived structures remain available for years, ready for targeted research, documentation or reuse. Individual reports can be generated from them at any time if needed.
Whether for tax audits, internal enquiries or legal requirements, ViewBox ensures that your BI and DWH data remains structured, traceable and securely accessible, completely independent of the original system.
Fast Project Execution and Strong Economic Benefits with Measurable ROI —
Even for Large BI and DWH Systems
The decommissioning of historical Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse systems usually takes only three to six months, depending on data models, reports, interfaces and data volume. Thanks to our standardised and proven approach, we archive even complex BI architectures efficiently, securely and in full compliance.
We have already successfully completed archiving projects involving more than 15 terabytes of data, including the full migration of analytical data models, optional digital signatures and individual report generation based on the archived information.
Our clients benefit from significant savings shortly after project completion — for example in licence costs for BI platforms, database servers and third-party systems, as well as in maintenance, hardware infrastructure and internal resources.
In most cases, the return on investment (ROI) is achieved in less than one year, driven by the complete decommissioning of legacy BI and DWH systems and the lasting simplification of the IT landscape.
BI or DWH Platform —
System Analysis
The first step in archiving any Business Intelligence or Data Warehouse system is a detailed analysis of your existing platform. This forms the basis for a reliable assessment of project duration, scope and costs as part of the decommissioning of your historical BI or DWH system.
We review both technical and content-related aspects, including:
- Access options for the underlying database
- Structure, size and number of reporting tables, cubes and data models
- Relevance and intended use of the analytical and reporting data involved
- Special requirements such as views, ETL processes, triggers, procedures or interfaces
The results of this system analysis are summarised for you in a binding fixed-price proposal, including a defined project duration and clearly specified services. This gives you maximum planning and decision-making certainty, even before the project begins.
BI or DWH Platform —
Archiving Execution
Once the system analysis is complete, the actual archiving project begins — professionally planned, efficiently executed and with clearly defined phases.
In a joint kick-off meeting, we clarify all organisational and technical requirements with your team. From that point on, we take over the majority of tasks for you, including:
- Setting up access to the BI or DWH system
- Exporting and transferring the relevant reporting data, tables and data models
- Optional: creation of individual reports based on archived analytical data
- Complete documentation of all project steps to ensure audit compliance
Our experienced project managers guide you through the entire process and ensure smooth execution with minimal resource requirements on your side.
At the end of this phase, we carry out structured testing and acceptance to confirm that all data has been archived completely, accurately and traceably.
BI or DWH Platform —
Archiving Results
Once the project is complete, all relevant analytical objects, data models and reporting tables from your Business Intelligence or Data Warehouse system are fully transferred into our proprietary software solution, ViewBox.
ViewBox is a web-based research platform that provides fast, secure and audit-compliant access to archived data — for you as well as for authorised internal and external parties — even years after your BI or DWH system has been decommissioned.
A key advantage is that individual reports can be generated directly from the archived content when required, for instance for tax audits, legal enquiries or internal analyses, without any need to access the original platform.
After the successful implementation and acceptance of ViewBox, the legacy BI or DWH system can be completely shut down.
At the end of the project, you will receive comprehensive project and process documentation that transparently outlines every step, in particular with regard to:
- The type and structure of the data transfer
- The volume and content of the archived data models
- The testing and acceptance phases carried out
In addition, we document every step of the archiving process in an audit-compliant manner in our Jira ticketing system — from the initial data export to final acceptance and, if applicable, the later deletion of the source system.
This ensures that the entire process is fully traceable and can be audited at any time, whether by external auditors, supervisory authorities or internal audit teams.
Software and Research Platform ViewBox —
Making Archived BI and DWH Data Intelligently Usable
With ViewBox, AvenDATA provides a powerful reading and research platform designed specifically for accessing data from decommissioned Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse systems such as SAP BW, IBM Cognos, Oracle BI or SQL-based DWH solutions.
Through an intuitive web interface, ViewBox enables fast searching, structured analysis and targeted provision of archived information, entirely independent of the original BI or DWH platform.
ViewBox ensures that your data:
- Remains understandable and usable even years after decommissioning
- Is always accessible in an audit-compliant way
- Is structured and readily available for internal and external audit processes
A key feature — automated data deletion: based on defined retention periods, legacy data can be deleted in a rule-based and traceable manner once legal or internal requirements have expired.
Security included: the software and the underlying cloud infrastructure hold multiple certifications (such as ISO 27001) and undergo regular, comprehensive security and functionality testing.
Ready for the
next step?
In a one-hour expert session we review your historical database together, for example an MS SQL, MySQL or Oracle system that is due to be decommissioned. We will show you live how to shut down your database efficiently while keeping the information it contains usable for the long term, including the items below.
In this session, you will receive:
- Precise alignment on data models, table migration and the access concept
- A live demo of our ViewBox archiving solution
- An explanation of how structured queries and reports can be produced when needed
- A reliable estimate of effort, timeline and costs for the archiving project
Transparency from the start.
Our project proposals are based on clearly defined fixed prices, with no renegotiations. Quality, reliability and fair value for money are our priorities.
Book your free, no-obligation expert session now.
Quick Answers to Your Questions
Personal and without obligation — regarding Data Warehouse archiving.
Personal and without obligation — regarding Data Warehouse archiving.
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