Tool to create data for Asset Management Data Warehouse plus SQL Server 2008 migration planning

Asset Management is of the the areas where data warehousing can play it's role. You have not visited any infrastructure management blog, and this is for a sure a business intelligence blog :)

Before a couple months, I came across a requirement where using some tool, exhaustive data was to be collected and the same was required to be massaged in a format that can be boarded to data warehouse. Then it can to my ears that the tool is called MATH tool, but when I googled it, I came to know that the tool is called MAP.

This tool can create exhaustive data in and above IT environments of an organization, spanning many Windows platforms and now it also includes support for SQL Server 2008 migration. Also the variety of data that this tool can generate that too across the network, once taken into any data warehouse and analyzed, should definitely lead to cost savings. Though from a higher level this tool would look like any asset management utility, I see a different angle to it

For the convenience of the readers, I have mentioned the details about the MAP tool. These details are published by Microsoft and the orginial document can be accessed from here. Download MAP tool and evaluate it for a sample PC to analyze the kind of data that it can generate.

The Microsoft® Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP) is a powerful inventory, assessment, and reporting tool that can securely run in small or large IT environments without requiring the installation of agent software on any computers or devices. The data and analysis provided by this Solution Accelerator can significantly simplify the planning process for migrating to SQL Server 2008 along with other platforms which includes : Windows Vista®, Microsoft Office 2007, Windows Server® 2008, Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Virtual Server 2005 R2, and Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 (formerly SoftGrid), Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Online Services, Forefront/NAP. Reports for these assessment scenarios are localized in French, German, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP) generates reports containing both summary and detailed assessment results for each migration scenario. The results are provided in both Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word documents. Reports are generated for the following scenarios:

• Identification of currently installed Windows Client operating systems, their hardware, and recommendations for migration to Windows Vista. This tool also reports if desktops have anti-virus and anti-malware programs installed or if the Windows Firewall is turned on.
• Identification of currently installed Windows Server operating systems, their hardware, and recommendations for migration to Windows Server 2008.
• Identification of currently installed Microsoft Office software and recommendations for migration to Microsoft Office 2007.
• Detailed assessment and reporting of server utilization gathered using the Performance Metrics Wizard.
• Recommendations for server consolidation and virtual machine placement using Hyper-V or Virtual Server 2005 R2.
• Assessment of client machines, servers, and the technology environment for the implementation of Microsoft Application Virtualization (formerly SoftGrid).
• Reporting of SNMP-enabled devices found in the environment during inventory.
• Security Assessment: Create a report on existing client computers to identify machines where Security Center, antispyware, antivirus or firewall products are not found or are not running correctly.
• Microsoft SQL Server Assessment: Create a report on existing client and server computers to identify machines where Microsoft SQL Server instances are found.
• Virtual Machine Inventory: Create reports that identify virtual machines in your computer environment.
• Power Savings Assessment: Create a proposal to identify server and client machines running in your environment and understand the power management capabilities available.
• Optimized Desktop Scenario Selection Tool: This tool defines common-usage scenarios to help organizations choose the client computing scenarios that best meet the unique needs of their businesses. Use the Windows Optimized Desktop Scenario Selection Tool to identify one or more Optimized Desktop scenarios that suit your organization’s needs.