Archon Data Store for Informatica ILM Users: A Migration Playbook

If you’re an Informatica ILM user, chances are your archive is solid but static. Data lives in there. But is it working for you? Is it searchable, structured, and accessible? Or is it locked away, aging quietly with rising support costs?

That’s where the Archon Suite helps: Archon Analyzer, Archon ETL, and Archon Data Store. These tools are built to help you modernize your data archival strategy and confidently decommission ILM without breaking continuity. Here’s your step-by-step guide, built for clarity, speed, and compliance.

To know more about Archon Data Store read here.

Step 1: Assess Your ILM Footprint with Archon Analyzer

Before you can modernize, you need to understand what you’re holding. Archon Analyzer helps you:

• Identify all ILM-managed sources and targets, including staging environments, archive volumes, and application dependencies
• Profile the data within ILM, identifying outdated, orphaned, or redundant objects
• Categorize datasets by type (structured, semi-structured, unstructured) and by risk or regulatory status
• Document retention schedules, legal hold logic, and indexing rules currently used within ILM

This initial assessment is where many migrations either take off or stall. With Archon Analyzer, your inventory is not only complete, but also intelligent.

Step 2: Design a Target Aligned Migration Plan

Data migration from ILM to Archon is not a ‘lift and shift’ approach. It requires alignment between legal, IT, and business priorities.

• Use insights from Archon Analyzer to:
• Define which archives are still accessed or needed for audits
• Set retirement thresholds for obsolete records
• Document compliance needs across all jurisdictions (HIPAA, GDPR, SOX)
• Create a phased rollout timeline aligned with regulatory review or quarter-end cycles

This becomes your playbook for execution.

Step 3: Build and Map the Schema Foundation

Archon ETL works best when the source-to-target mapping is clean.

• Extract metadata mappings from ILM (tables, fields, descriptions, constraints)
• Normalize naming conventions and fix legacy schema misalignments
• Document field-level mappings to Archon’s ingestion layer
• Validate that all legal hold indicators, purge dates, and retention flags are accounted for

The more precise this step is, the fewer surprises there will be during reconciliation.

Also Read: Informatica vs Dell Boomi vs Archon Suite: Which Integration Tool Aligns with Your Data Goals?

Step 4: Extract and Transform with Archon ETL

Now comes the heavy lift, but with automation on your side.

• Use Archon ETL to ingest ILM archive files in secure batches
• Apply data cleansing rules (deduplication, date normalization, empty field elimination)
• Preserve metadata integrity, including source system traceability and timestamps.
• Configure rollback checkpoints for each batch.

Archon ETL runs with detailed logs, so every transformation is verifiable and audit-ready.

Step 5: Load into Archon Data Store with Governance Built In

This is where legacy becomes leverage.

• Import cleansed and tagged data into Archon Data Store using its bulk loader.
• Assign legal holds and retention schedules by data class or regulatory need.
• Index archived content for role-based, real-time search
• Implement data access controls by department, role, or case basis

Archon Data Store isn’t just a destination. It’s an operational layer for archived content.

Step 6: Validate, Reconcile, and Certify

The most overlooked step in ILM migrations is verification. Not here.

• Run record count validations between ILM exports and Archon loads
• Use checksum comparisons for content integrity verification
• Perform field-level sampling for accuracy on high-risk datasets (PII, PHI, financials)
• Generate load logs and audit trails to support legal certification or audit responses

Archon makes it simple to prove what was moved and why it’s trusted.

Step 7: Redirect Integrations and User Access

A migration is only complete when people and systems stop depending on the old.

• Redirect any application dependencies or extract tools to point at Archon instead of ILM.
• Train reporting teams and compliance officers on Archon’s interface
• Update standard operating procedures and query scripts

This is the bridge from historical to operational.

Step 8: Retire ILM Infrastructure and Licenses

You can now cleanly decommission Informatica ILM:

• Back up all configuration files, job logs, and audit tables for the archive
• Remove ILM connectors and disable scheduled jobs
• Release ILM licenses and reclaim system resources
• Notify stakeholders and update documentation to reflect the change

With Archon running, you no longer need expensive support contracts or static tooling.

Step 9: Monitor, Govern, and Optimize with Archon Suite

Your migration is complete, but your archive is just getting started.

• Use Archon Analyzer to review retention violations or archive gaps
• Schedule regular metadata reviews and schema refreshes
• Set alerts for access anomalies, expired holds, or regulatory windows
• Use Archon Data Store’s built-in analytics to track access trends and performance

This is where static archives evolve into governed information assets.

Why Modernize ILM with Archon Suite?

Legacy ILM solutions were built for storage. Archon was built for access, control, and compliance.

With the Archon Suite:

• Archon Analyzer gives full visibility across complex data landscapes
• Archon ETL delivers safe, standards-aligned movement with automation
• Archon Data Store makes archived data easy to find, secure to manage, and simple to report on

The result: faster audits, cleaner records, less overhead, and an archive that earns its keep.

Want to fast-track your ILM exit?

Ask for our Archon Starter Kit: sample ETL flows, migration timelines, validation frameworks, and policy mapping guides. Proven, practical, and ready when you are.