Odyssey Logistics Case Study: Successful WebLogic, Database, and Oracle Forms Upgrades

Overview

Odyssey Logistics partnered with RENAPS to execute three critical IT modernization projects, ensuring continued operational stability and long-term application support. The projects—WebLogic Upgrade, Oracle Database Upgrade, and Oracle Forms Upgrade—were all completed on time and on budget, demonstrating RENAPS’ expertise in executing complex migrations seamlessly.

The upgraded system, known as TMS (Transportation Management System), is Odyssey's purpose-built platform for multimodal excellence. TMS provides end-to-end visibility into shipping processes, enabling smarter decisions, cost savings, and seamless integration with logistics service providers. As a mission-critical platform, ensuring its stability, performance, and modernization is essential to Odyssey Logistics' global operations.

These upgrades addressed key business objectives, including enhanced performance—Odyssey Logistics has repeatedly noted significant improvements in application speed. Additionally, the modernization effort enables greater transaction volumes and seamless integration with other modern technologies. Finally, by upgrading these systems, Odyssey Logistics is now well-positioned to migrate to open-source technologies leveraging ORMIT™-OpenJava and further modernize their technology stack while eliminating reliance on any vendor lock-in. This will also help Odyssey avoid getting caught in the Oracle Forms and WebLogic resource shortage in the market and future-proof their digital footprint for the next 20+ years.

Project 1: Oracle WebLogic (Fusion Middleware) Upgrade

Project 1: Oracle WebLogic (Fusion Middleware) Upgrade

Initial & Target Versions

• Initial: Standalone 11g WebLogic Server running on RHEL 5.11 VMware VMs.
• Target: Standalone Oracle WebLogic Server 12c (latest version) and Oracle Forms & Reports (12c), patched with latest CPU patch update, on upgraded RHEL version on VMware VMs.

Objectives

• Migrate and upgrade TMS application from Oracle WebLogic Server 11g to 12c.
• Ensure stability, performance optimization, and long-term support.

Scope

• Migrated and upgraded Production, Stage, QA, and Dev environments.

Timeline

• Duration: 10 weeks, including the Christmas break.
• Go-live weekend: Successfully completed within the planned maintenance window.

Challenges & Solutions

• Pro*C Compiler & DB Client Compatibility: Upgraded base DB client version to mitigate issues.
• Custom JAR Deployment: Implemented an unconventional but effective method to deploy application-specific JAR files.
• Oracle WebLogic Licensing Compliance: Ensured compliance with Oracle licensing policies across all environments.
• NLS_LANG Multi-Language Support: Applied custom configurations with Oracle WebLogic Auto-Restart procedure to support multi-language applications.

Results

• Seamless migration with all issues resolved within the go-live window.
• Standardized infrastructure on RHEL VMware VMs, improving supportability.
• High collaboration between Odyssey Logistics and RENAPS ensured smooth execution.

Project 2: Oracle Database Upgrade

Project 2: Oracle Database Upgrade

Initial & Target Versions

• Initial: 11g Single Instance Enterprise Edition databases on Oracle Restart with ASM, running on RHEL 5, 6, and 7 VMware VMs.
• Target: 19c (patched to latest version) Enterprise Edition databases on Oracle Restart with ASM, standardized on upgraded RHEL versions (VMware VMs).

Objectives

• Migrate and upgrade TMS and NetNative application databases from Oracle 11g to 19c (latest 19c version).
• Improve database performance, stability, and supportability.

Scope (Databases Migrated)

• Production Primary & Standby: 4 multi-terabyte databases
• QA: multi-terabyte databases
• Stage: multi-terabyte databases
• Dev: multi-terabyte databases
• Total: 10 databases

Timeline

• Duration: 10 weeks, including the Christmas break.
• Go-live weekend: Successfully completed within the planned maintenance window.

Challenges & Solutions

• Optimizer Differences Between 11g and 19c: Required post-migration tuning to align performance.
• Complex Schema Organization: Legacy WebLogic RCU schemas were mixed with business data, requiring careful migration planning.
• Stale & Missing Statistics: Updated statistics to prevent unexpected optimizer behavior.
• Unpatched 11g ASM Environment: Mitigated risks with a comprehensive migration plan.
• Oracle Licensing Constraints: Devised a manual archive log shipping and upgrade workaround due to unavailable 11.2.0.4 patch on RHEL 8.
• Lack of Initial Database Inventory: Identified dependent applications and business units late in the project, improving overall customer knowledge of their database landscape.

Results

• Successful migration and upgrade with no major disruptions.
• Performance improvements post-migration, with optimized query execution.
• Standardized environment on upgraded RHEL release on VMware VMs, ensuring better supportability.
• The project became an educational experience for Odyssey Logistics, offering them better visibility into their database ecosystem.

Project 3: Oracle Forms Upgrade

Project 3: Oracle Forms Upgrade

Initial & Target Versions

• Source: Oracle Forms 11g
• Target: Oracle Forms 12c (latest version available)

Objectives

• Upgrade the Oracle Forms Application using ORMIT™-Forms, ensuring compatibility and modernization.
• Reconfigure WebLogic and recompile Forms source code to the new version (12c).

Scope (Objects Migrated)

• 310 FMB files
• 29 PLL files
• 11 MMB files
• 67 RDF files (only 3 actively used)
• 1 OLB file

Timeline

• Completion Timeframe: 1.5 months.

Challenges & Solutions

• Oracle Forms Compatibility Issues: Identified the correct patch set and DB Client version to ensure successful compilation of Pro*C components.

Results

• Migration was completed on time and within budget.
• Close collaboration with Odyssey Logistics allowed for rapid resolution of issues.
• Functional tests were supported by the customer, ensuring application stability post-migration.