DETAILED ACTION
This communication is responsive to the Preliminary Amendment filed 6/13/2025. Amendments to the Specification have been reviewed and entered.
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. A certified copy of foreign priority application has been received on 6/13/2025.
Claim Objections
4. Claims 1-20 are objected to because of the following informalities: the definition for the term “SAP” should be provided in the claims. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
6. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
7. The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
8. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ratnapuri (US 2021/0174280), in view of Buehne et al. (US 2024/0045842) hereinafter Buehne.
In claim 1, Ratnapuri discloses “A method of migrating a database from an SAP system to a target cloud environment comprising:
receiving, by a computing system, a request to generate a migration plan for migrating data from an SAP system to a target cloud environment ([0041] divide the processes of assessment, evaluation and migration into a series of steps or phases, and each phase may indicate the overall progression in terms of the assessment and planning process through various application or interface displays. FIG. 1, the process may include an assessment step 102, a discovery step 104, a cloud architecture creation step 106, a planning and strategy step 108, a review, reflection and reconsideration step 110, an execution and migration step 112 and an operation and optimization step 114);
accessing, by the computing system. the data hosted by the SAP system ([0084] Such routines, which may be present in the MPA application suite of the present invention, typically assist in finding information on substantially all commonly used networks. Such tools may include, but are not limited to: RISC Networks, ServiceNow, Nessus, Device42, VMware, AWS Application Discovery Service, Excel, and others know in the art. This information may also include known application types (custom and COTS applications of all types—including database engines and utilities like Oracle Database, Informatica, Web Sphere, Microsoft IIS, Jenkins, SAP, Microsoft SQL Server, etc); servers and operating systems (mainframes, physical servers, virtual servers, operating systems, and clusters like z/OS, Windows Server, AIX, Redhat, Unix, iOS, Linux, etc.); and infrastructure (networking, storage, and other infrastructure assets like Cisco, EMC, IBM, F5, HP, etc));
generating, by the computing system, the migration plan for migrating the data from the SAP system to the target cloud environment ([0044] At assessment stage 102 or 202, there is an initial assessment of the scope of work, and planning of the activities needed to be completed in order to provide the right level of consultancy to advise on migration services. In some embodiments, this may be considered a “readiness” assessment. This stage may establish the scope and schedule of assessing the cloud requirements of the source business computing platform, and further, identification of services and applications that need to be considered for, or excluded from, cloud migration. In some embodiments of the invention, prior to this stage, key users may be identified within the enterprise for initial decision making and plan approval. Time of the users as well as staff who will provide input regarding enterprise objectives and applications may also be assessed and secured. With this information, the scope of work is identified. For example, a planning workshop or seminar may be held with application stakeholders. In some cases, such a work workshop may cover:
[0045] An overview of offerings/platforms for the cloud;
[0046] Explanation of the methodology for cloud migration;
[0047] Validating the inventory of application artifacts with management and end users;
[0048] Arrive at the list of applications to be considered for migration); and
causing, by the computing system, the data to be migrated from the SAP system to the target cloud environment in accordance with the migration plan ([0119] the source computing system is now considered ready for execution/migration. Generally, this means movement of the applications from the local source network into the target cloud environment in accordance with the migration plan. In most instances, the underlying source network remains intact and is decommissioned according to the transition order set forth in the migration plan)”.
Ratnapuri does not appear to explicitly disclose however, Buehne discloses “the migration plan comprising an online phase and an offline phase, wherein, in the online phase, stable data and a first portion of active data that has not changed within a threshold period of time is migrated to the target cloud environment, and, wherein, in the offline phase, a second portion of the active data that has changed within the threshold period of time is migrated to the target cloud environment ([0111] a single optimized reorganization of data may be facilitated for a migration instance that obviates the need for multiple reorganizations (e.g., 2, 3, 10, 100, or more reorganizations). Such migrations, for example, may be based on data export and import. Migration based on data export and import may correspond to offline migration, which requires a database system to be down while migration is performed. The Oracle to Oracle (“O2O”) method is one example. However, some export and import migrations may be online migrations that, while being more complex, may require almost no downtime. The Oracle to Oracle Online (“Triple O”) database migration is one example. Further, export/import migration methods may include full database export/import and schema-level export/import, where schemas may include collections of database objects logically mapped together, e.g., based on owner and/or one or more other attributes [0112] different methods may allow for changes during a migration of source systems 404 to target systems 408. For example, a schema-level migration may allow for intra-migration changes such as including/excluding database users, renaming of database users, renaming of tablespaces, and/or the like. Different such methods may allow for different sets of features such as the possibility to perform consolidation steps, which might be required as part of the migration project. Possible scenarios may include database consolidations and moving database users into separate pluggable databases (PDBs))”.
Hence, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Ratnapuri and Buehne, the suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to provide systems that allow parallel migration of multiple and many database systems simultaneously to address complexities, increase efficiencies, decrease errors, increase speeds, and otherwise improve migration ([0022]).
Claim 2, Ratnapuri teaches
The method of claim 1, wherein generating, by the computing system, the migration plan comprises: recording key values of changed, inserted, or deleted data records in the data ([0092] Such a secure cloud environment can support substantially all or most compliance and business needs of the customer based on the data collected from the previous phases. Such an application may include one or more of the following features to get and running quickly and safely, including: Multiple zone deployment support for higher availability and reliability; Preconfigured Account Vending Machine template—provides substantially turnkey roles for operations and administration that streamline account creation and role definition for ecommerce or Internet storefront presence; Security management and monitoring tools to identify security threats and aid response; Regulatory compliance via service control policies, so your organization can be certain it's meeting the most common government compliance rules (e.g. FISMA, HIPAA and SOX); IAM directory integration to leverage any existing Identity and Access Management (IAM) infrastructure; Log aggregation and alerting to facilitate reporting, security, and to aid technical trouble-shooting and support regulatory compliance; Snapshot-based backups to make recovery or rollback quick and easy. Such systems may be integrated into or with cloud-based disaster recovery services to minimize data loss and recovery time; Centralized billing that supports activity-based costing (ABC) and usage-based or time-period billing to better manage and optimize operating costs; and an Automated Image Factory that manages the creation, hardening, approval and automated distribution of patched and updated machine images).
Claim 3, Ratnapuri teaches
The method of claim 2, wherein causing. by the computing system, the data to be migrated comprises: reprocessing the changed, inserted, or deleted data records during the offline phase ([0092] Such a secure cloud environment can support substantially all or most compliance and business needs of the customer based on the data collected from the previous phases. Such an application may include one or more of the following features to get and running quickly and safely, including: Multiple zone deployment support for higher availability and reliability; Preconfigured Account Vending Machine template—provides substantially turnkey roles for operations and administration that streamline account creation and role definition for ecommerce or Internet storefront presence; Security management and monitoring tools to identify security threats and aid response; Regulatory compliance via service control policies, so your organization can be certain it's meeting the most common government compliance rules (e.g. FISMA, HIPAA and SOX); IAM directory integration to leverage any existing Identity and Access Management (IAM) infrastructure; Log aggregation and alerting to facilitate reporting, security, and to aid technical trouble-shooting and support regulatory compliance; Snapshot-based backups to make recovery or rollback quick and easy. Such systems may be integrated into or with cloud-based disaster recovery services to minimize data loss and recovery time; Centralized billing that supports activity-based costing (ABC) and usage-based or time-period billing to better manage and optimize operating costs; and an Automated Image Factory that manages the creation, hardening, approval and automated distribution of patched and updated machine images).
Claim 4, Ratnapuri teaches
The method of claim 1, wherein generating, by the computing system, the migration plan comprises: determining a portion of the data that has a lower processing impact during migration than a further portion of the data ([0093] Such solutions are typically compatible with known application environments such as Java, Ruby or .Net applications, and are configured to provide a reliable cloud infrastructure for example, Amazon Web Services (AWS). Other features may include: Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) based—can be deployed reliably many times; confidence that each SkyInfra cloud environments is nearly or mostly identical; Auto-scaling capable, allowing applications to handle more users or traffic while optimizing cost and performance; Include preconfigured server templates and for example, Amazon Machine Images (AMI's), which form the building blocks for environment consistency, fast cloud infrastructure buildout and low-cost maintenance; Integration with Relational Database Services (RDS), which may provide SQL Server, Postgres, Oracle and Amazon Aurora or other database services in the cloud; Supporting Network Infrastructure is also may be provided with routing, load-balancing, firewall/intrusion-prevention and the other AWS virtual infrastructure needed connect securely; A Versioned Artifact Repository that stores AWS machine images (AMI's) to support auditing and enable rolling back and restoration; Via federated logging and monitoring through certain open source code applications such as the ELK stack associated with the Amazon cloud computing environment, clients can monitor cloud operations for technical problems and/or security threats; Once configured for you, SkyInfra can be rapidly auto-deployed to your AWS cloud landing zone or Enquizit cloud SkyBase in as little as an hour; SkySuite compatibility, so SkyInfra works seamlessly with SkyBase, SkyPipeline, SkyApp and SkyMap, other Enquizit cloud turnkey products and services).
Claim 5, Ratnapuri teaches
The method of claim 1, wherein generating, by the computing system, the migration plan comprises: determining a portion of the data that has lower input/output requirements during migration than a further portion of the data ([0093] Such solutions are typically compatible with known application environments such as Java, Ruby or .Net applications, and are configured to provide a reliable cloud infrastructure for example, Amazon Web Services (AWS). Other features may include: Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) based—can be deployed reliably many times; confidence that each SkyInfra cloud environments is nearly or mostly identical; Auto-scaling capable, allowing applications to handle more users or traffic while optimizing cost and performance; Include preconfigured server templates and for example, Amazon Machine Images (AMI's), which form the building blocks for environment consistency, fast cloud infrastructure buildout and low-cost maintenance; Integration with Relational Database Services (RDS), which may provide SQL Server, Postgres, Oracle and Amazon Aurora or other database services in the cloud; Supporting Network Infrastructure is also may be provided with routing, load-balancing, firewall/intrusion-prevention and the other AWS virtual infrastructure needed connect securely; A Versioned Artifact Repository that stores AWS machine images (AMI's) to support auditing and enable rolling back and restoration; Via federated logging and monitoring through certain open source code applications such as the ELK stack associated with the Amazon cloud computing environment, clients can monitor cloud operations for technical problems and/or security threats; Once configured for you, SkyInfra can be rapidly auto-deployed to your AWS cloud landing zone or Enquizit cloud SkyBase in as little as an hour; SkySuite compatibility, so SkyInfra works seamlessly with SkyBase, SkyPipeline, SkyApp and SkyMap, other Enquizit cloud turnkey products and services).
Claim 6, Ratnapuri teaches
The method of claim 1, wherein generating, by the computing system, the migration plan comprises: analyzing patterns in the data to determine which portions of the data to migrate during the online phase ([0092] Such a secure cloud environment can support substantially all or most compliance and business needs of the customer based on the data collected from the previous phases. Such an application may include one or more of the following features to get and running quickly and safely, including: Multiple zone deployment support for higher availability and reliability; Preconfigured Account Vending Machine template—provides substantially turnkey roles for operations and administration that streamline account creation and role definition for ecommerce or Internet storefront presence; Security management and monitoring tools to identify security threats and aid response; Regulatory compliance via service control policies, so your organization can be certain it's meeting the most common government compliance rules (e.g. FISMA, HIPAA and SOX); IAM directory integration to leverage any existing Identity and Access Management (IAM) infrastructure; Log aggregation and alerting to facilitate reporting, security, and to aid technical trouble-shooting and support regulatory compliance; Snapshot-based backups to make recovery or rollback quick and easy. Such systems may be integrated into or with cloud-based disaster recovery services to minimize data loss and recovery time; Centralized billing that supports activity-based costing (ABC) and usage-based or time-period billing to better manage and optimize operating costs; and an Automated Image Factory that manages the creation, hardening, approval and automated distribution of patched and updated machine images [0093] Such solutions are typically compatible with known application environments such as Java, Ruby or .Net applications, and are configured to provide a reliable cloud infrastructure for example, Amazon Web Services (AWS). Other features may include: Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) based—can be deployed reliably many times; confidence that each SkyInfra cloud environments is nearly or mostly identical; Auto-scaling capable, allowing applications to handle more users or traffic while optimizing cost and performance; Include preconfigured server templates and for example, Amazon Machine Images (AMI's), which form the building blocks for environment consistency, fast cloud infrastructure buildout and low-cost maintenance; Integration with Relational Database Services (RDS), which may provide SQL Server, Postgres, Oracle and Amazon Aurora or other database services in the cloud; Supporting Network Infrastructure is also may be provided with routing, load-balancing, firewall/intrusion-prevention and the other AWS virtual infrastructure needed connect securely; A Versioned Artifact Repository that stores AWS machine images (AMI's) to support auditing and enable rolling back and restoration; Via federated logging and monitoring through certain open source code applications such as the ELK stack associated with the Amazon cloud computing environment, clients can monitor cloud operations for technical problems and/or security threats; Once configured for you, SkyInfra can be rapidly auto-deployed to your AWS cloud landing zone or Enquizit cloud SkyBase in as little as an hour; SkySuite compatibility, so SkyInfra works seamlessly with SkyBase, SkyPipeline, SkyApp and SkyMap, other Enquizit cloud turnkey products and services).
Claim 7, Ratnapuri teaches
The method of claim 1, wherein causing, by the computing system, the data to be migrated from the SAP system to the target cloud environment in accordance with the migration plan comprises: providing the migration plan to one of the SAP system or a client system for execution ([0119] the source computing system is now considered ready for execution/migration. Generally, this means movement of the applications from the local source network into the target cloud environment in accordance with the migration plan. In most instances, the underlying source network remains intact and is decommissioned according to the transition order set forth in the migration plan).
Claims 8-14 are essentially same as claims 1-7 except that they recite claimed invention as a non-transitory computer readable medium and are rejected for the same reasons as applied hereinabove.
Claims 15-20 are essentially same as claims 1-6 except that they recite claimed invention as a system and are rejected for the same reasons as applied hereinabove.
Conclusion
9. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is listed on 892 form.
Examiner’s Note: Examiner has cited particular figures, and paragraphs in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested for the applicant, in preparing the responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUAWEN A PENG whose telephone number is (571)270-5215. The examiner can normally be reached Mon thru Fri 9 am to 5 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sherief Badawi can be reached at 571-272-9782. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUAWEN A PENG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2169
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