Introduction
Cornell University, an Ivy League research institution and New York’s federal land-grant university, manages large and diverse data sets across academic, administrative and engagement functions. When IBM Cognos Data Manager was discontinued, Cornell sought a reliable, automated way to modernize data integration, migrate to Oracle, and support high-demand student, financial and constituent reporting. WhereScape RED provided the automation needed to accelerate this transformation.
Pre-WhereScape Challenges
- Unsupported ETL platform: With Cognos Data Manager discontinued, the team needed a new tool for transforming and formatting data into dimensional models.
- Closed metadata models: Many replacement tools used restricted metadata structures, making lineage, documentation and analytics extraction difficult.
- Cost-prohibitive licensing: CPU-based licenses across large Oracle servers would have significantly increased operating costs.
- Growing data demands: Daily refreshes for 20,000 potential users required reliable, high-performance nightly processing.
- Hybrid environments: Managing on-prem Oracle 11.2 and AWS Oracle 12 RDS simultaneously added operational complexity.
Why WhereScape?
Cornell chose WhereScape RED for its open metadata framework, intuitive interface and automated PL/SQL generation. Developer-based licensing aligned perfectly with Cornell’s infrastructure, avoiding costly CPU-based models. A successful proof of concept demonstrated that RED could convert core data mart processes quickly, transparently and at scale: making it the strongest and most cost-effective solution evaluated.
“The metadata tables that WhereScape RED utilizes are truly open and easily accessible. The software is very intuitive.”
– Jeff Christen, Data Warehousing Manager, Cornell University
The Solution
Automated Data Integration
WhereScape RED automated the generation of PL/SQL, documentation and metadata updates across both on-premises and AWS Oracle environments, reducing manual workload and accelerating development cycles.
Open Metadata Framework
RED’s accessible metadata layer allowed Cornell to view logic, lineage and transformation steps easily, supporting auditability and future analytics needs.
Developer-Based Licensing
Purchasing a four-developer RED license enabled the team to support multiple data warehouses while avoiding the steep costs associated with 48-core CPU licensing.
Hybrid Oracle Support
WhereScape RED worked seamlessly across Oracle 11.2 on-prem and Oracle 12 RDS environments, supporting Cornell’s migration plans without architectural disruption.
Results
🚀 Faster Processing
- Nightly refreshes now complete before business hours.
- Improved speed of data mart refreshes across large subject areas.
- Reduced operational overhead during evening processing windows.
🚀 Stronger Documentation
- Automatically generated process documentation for all warehouse components.
- Clear insight into logic, lineage and transformations.
- Easier onboarding for developers and analysts.
🚀 Cost Efficiency
- Avoided expensive per-CPU licensing on 24-core servers.
- Stable, predictable costs as environments and data volumes expand.
- No incremental fees for configuration changes or growth.
🚀 Accelerated Migration
- Proof-of-concept conversion of core financial loads completed rapidly.
- Smooth transition away from legacy Cognos tooling.
- Modernized ETL capabilities without extensive re-engineering.
“We have been very pleased with the automated data integration that WhereScape RED provides.”
– Jeff Christen, Data Warehousing Manager, Cornell University
Hybrid Architecture at Scale
Cornell’s data warehouse spans three major domains: student information accessed by a potential audience of 20,000 users; a constituent database driving donor and alumni outreach; and a financial data mart supporting institutional operations. These subject areas operate across both Oracle 11.2 on-premises systems and AWS Oracle 12 RDS, requiring tools that function consistently in mixed environments. WhereScape RED’s automated code generation and metadata control made this hybrid approach far easier to maintain.
Supporting Future Migration and Growth
As Cornell continues migrating fully to AWS and upgrading Oracle versions, WhereScape RED provides a stable foundation that adapts to shifting infrastructure. Automated PL/SQL generation, open metadata structures and consistent development practices will support future cloud adoption, modernization and scalability without the risk of vendor lock-in or escalating costs.
Empowering a Compact Development Team
With only four data warehouse developers supporting large, enterprise-scale subject areas, automation is essential. WhereScape RED enables developers to focus on modeling and design instead of manual scripting, lowering maintenance overhead and enabling quicker delivery of new content to the university community.
