Data Sheet
Cisco Tidal Enterprise Adapter for Informatica
Introduction to Enterprise Scheduling and Adapters
IT operations that focus on the automation of business processes involve integrating a wide range of
custom and enterprise applications and the infrastructure on which they run, often with complex
interdependencies. In such environments, IT typically uses job scheduling solutions to control batch and
on demand data processing, which are vital to the success of a range of business operations from sales
to manufacturing to financial management.
For the past decade, Cisco® Tidal Enterprise Scheduler has been defining standards for job scheduling
usability, scalability, and breadth of coverage. The role of the many adapters available for Enterprise
Scheduler is to make connectivity, control, and visibility of diverse technologies accessible directly
through the Enterprise Scheduler user interface. The breadth of coverage these adapters provide
simplifies end-to-end scheduling of processes across the enterprise.
Product Overview
Managing Complex Extract, Transform , Load (ETL) Processes in the Enterprise
Data integration softw are from Infor matica plays a crucial role for businesses. It links and reports on enterprise
resource planning ( ERP), supply chain management (SCM) , accounting/financial, human resource ( HR), and
customer relationship management ( CRM) information. Accessing and integrating large amounts of data from
sources both inside and outside the firew all, and even from w ithin the cloud, is complex and requires that many
elements w ork together to deliver accurate and timely infor mation that sup port the right strategic and tactical business
decisions.
In many cases, complex data pathw ays and their associated moving parts break, dependencies cannot be met,
netw orks fail, systems go offline and, w ithout visibility into each connection and process step, reports w ill be incorrect,
®
late, or both. Enterprise Scheduler and Cisco Tidal Enterprise Adapter for Informatica w ork together to deliver
mission-critical data to the right place at the r ight time for all Informatica pathw ays.
Cisco Tidal Enterprise Adapter for Inform atica
Enterprise Adapter for Informatica allow s users to schedule Infor matica jobs through Enterprise Scheduler, enabling
them to leverage its capabilities to automate, simplify, and improve job scheduling and ETL performance. With
Enterprise Adapter for Informatica, IT operations can add complex scheduling functions to their Infor matica data
pathw ays and consolidate multiple job routines into one centralized enterpr ise solution. The adapter can define,
launch, and monitor data w orkflows w ithin an Infor matica Pow erCenter environment. It allows Informatica
administrators to integrate all data pathw ay executions into an automated, repeatable, and schedulable solution that
delivers a high degree of visibility and control over steps in the ETL process.
How Enterprise Adapter for Inform atica Works
Enterprise Adapter for Informatica creates an interface betw een Enterprise Scheduler and Infor matica Pow erCenter,
which gives IT operations staff a robust scheduling solution that incorporates cross -platform, cross-application
dependency support, real-time interaction, and centralized control of Infor matica data integration, ETL, and data
warehouse processes.
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Data Sheet
Enterprise Adapter for Informatica integrates w ith the Pow erCenter server using vendor-approved application
program interfaces (APIs). Through these interfaces, the adapter communicates w ith Infor matica Pow erCenter to
define, run, and monitor w orkflows.
Users can schedule, monitor, and manage Pow erCenter w orkflow s from the Enterpr ise Scheduler browser-based
console, w hich provides rich scheduling features that include granular calendaring, events management, and access
to enterpr ise-w ide dependencies. Each Enterprise Adapter for Infor matica job definition encapsulates w orkflow s
loaded from the Pow erCenter repository and per mits parameter value overrides. Then, based on defined scheduling
criteria, the adapter submits a w orkflow to the Pow erCenter Integration Service. Job execution is authenticated
against Enterprise Scheduler runtime user definitions and Pow erCenter namespaces, roles, and users. After a
workflow instance has been submitted, the adapter monitors all job steps and interactions until completion.
Features and Benefits
Enterprise Adapter for Informatica extends the reach of Enterprise Scheduler, enabling IT staff to schedule
Infor matica jobs through the Enterprise Scheduler interface. It simplifies job scheduling and respects the integrity and
security of the Informatica env ironment.
This adapter delivers standardized and centralized script-less scheduling for both s imple and complex processes and
thorough tracking and alerting capabilities. These capabilities w ork in conjunction to increase efficiency, reduce
errors, and support enterprise objectives, allow ing IT staff to focus on innovation and strategic initiatives. Specific
capabilities include:
Control and Visibility – Enterprise Scheduler prov ides robust flexibility in developing ETL processing steps, giv ing
users the ability to develop complex w orkflow s that merge any ETL process and enterprise application into a
cohesive, centrally managed business process.
Dur ing execution, real-time task status details are v isible from the job activity console of Enterpr ise Scheduler.
Additionally, the adapter per mits Infor matica users to cancel, abort, recover, or rerun w orkflows from the scheduler, a
feature that provides added control over the Infor matica environment.
When a job is complete, the adapter returns its final output, w hich can then be used to control dow nstream jobs, as
well as details associated w ith the job run. Because Informatica jobs are defined like any other Enterprise Scheduler
job, users can take full advantage of job, file, and variable dependencies, calendars, events, monitoring, and error
notifications. In addition, they can benefit from detailed runtime error detection, alerts, and automated remediation.
Seam less Support for Ad Hoc and Scheduled Inform atica Jobs – Business unit managers frequently make ad
hoc ETL job requests that must be run on demand. Gradually, these jobs begin to be reused and fall into predictable
patterns. For efficiency, they should be organized into calendars or schedules . Enterprise Scheduler, in conjunction
w ith Informatica Pow erCenter, allow s ad hoc jobs to be easily transferred to standard production r uns, eliminating
manual intervention in the ETL job scheduling process. Wor king together, these tw o solutions also enable IT
operations staff to incorporate Infor matica data management processes into established IT policies and to seamlessly
update run book operations.
Features Summary
Benefits Summary
Def ines, launches, and monitors any Inf ormatica service request
Lev erages existing technology and increases the return on investment
in Informatica
Connects Informatica to other platf orms, other applications, and
other Informatica instances with unlimited dependencies
Reduces costs by consolidating Inf ormatica workf lows under one
corporate-wide scheduling console with one set of internal procedures
Eliminates the need f or scripting to integrate Inf ormatica workf lows
Reduces maintenance requirements and accelerates ROI
Prov ides advanced error control and f ailure notification
Expedites problem resolution, improves trouble ticket clearance rates,
and enables IT to adhere to service lev el agreements (SLAs)
Collects and consolidates log file data and captures Informatica
process exit codes from jobs tasks and workflows
Makes workflows more efficient by adding a rich source of data for
process trending and bottleneck remediation
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Data Sheet
Captures FTP files from outside the firewall, e.g., data from
software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications or external partners
Integrates business partners and service providers into extended
workf lows
Creates standard Informatica data collection and ETL process
templates
Customizes and reuses Informatica-stored jobs to save time and
reduce costs
Ultimately, using Enterprise Adapter for Infor matica, in conjunction w ith Enterprise Scheduler, makes it possible to
leverage existing technology and investment in Informatica and enables companies to increase efficiency and focus
their resources on supporting strategic business initiatives.
Key Requirements
Although specific planning and sizing is straightforw ard, actual requirements can vary by enterprise, depending on
the environment and type of coverage needed. Specific requirements information is easily obtainable after an initial
conversation w ith a product expert. Enterprise Scheduler and its adapters can be installed and deployed by users or
by engaging Cisco Services. To guide and inform the new and existing Enterprise Scheduler user community, there is
an extensive library of support materials available through Cisco Know ledge Services.
About Cisco Tidal Enterprise Scheduler
Cisco Tidal Enterprise Scheduler drives efficiency by centraliz ing and providing a single view of cross-enterprise job
scheduling events. This pow erful, yet easy-to-use solution enables organizations to assemble complex batch job and
business process schedules that span the enterprise. With its ability to closely monitor scheduled jobs, automatically
detect problems, and define actions to aid in recovery, business process performance can be greatly enhanced.
With the broad adapter and agent coverage prov ided by Enterprise Scheduler, IT operations teams can effectively
schedule processes that touch a w ide range of databases, systems, and applications. They can also easily
incorporate and manage new applications as they come online, w hich helps improve the operation of mission -critical
business processes as the enterprise expands and evolves.
Companies in a variety of industries rely on Enterpr ise Scheduler to keep their daily operations running s moothly.
Cisco’s enterpr ise job scheduling softw are combined w ith a w ide range of Cisco Intelligent Automation solutions can
deliver even greater levels of automation and optimization to the data center than conventional scheduling and
performance management solutions.
For More Information
For more information about this or any other Cisco product or service, please visit
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11092/index.html
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