How a Brazilian SI Compressed an 18-Week SQL Server to Redshift Discovery Into 8 Days
A Brazilian system integrator restarted a stalled SQL Server 2015 to AWS Redshift modernization with an 8 business day reverse engineering and assessment sprint. The output: a complete Modernization Canvas covering hundreds of objects, complexity scoring, dependency mapping, and a phased migration roadmap. A 6 to 18 week traditional discovery was replaced with a fixed-scope engagement and the SI preserved its client relationship.
Quick facts
| Industry | Financial Services |
|---|---|
| Engagement type | Partner-led delivery for a Brazilian system integrator |
| Source platform | SQL Server 2015 |
| Target platform | AWS Redshift |
| Engagement scope | Reverse engineering + Modernization Canvas |
| Timeline | 8 business days |
| Estate analyzed | Hundreds of stored procedures, views, ETL scripts |
| Comparable manual effort | 6 to 18 weeks, 5+ specialists |
| Accelerators used | Reverse Engineer, Metadata Intelligence |
Challenge
A Brazilian system integrator was engaged by a financial services institution to modernize a legacy SQL Server 2015 data warehouse to AWS Redshift. The program stalled before migration work could begin.
The data warehouse had accumulated years of stored procedures, views, ETL scripts, and undocumented data models built by engineers who had since left. Without an inventory and dependency map, the SI's modernization team could not define a roadmap, produce credible effort estimates, identify required skills, or anticipate technical bottlenecks like unsupported T-SQL constructs.
The traditional path was a 6 to 18 week reverse engineering exercise involving five or more specialized analysts and architects. The SI did not have the internal expertise or the time, and was at risk of losing the client engagement.
Approach
3XDE deployed the Reverse Engineer and Metadata Intelligence accelerators against the live SQL Server 2015 environment under read-only access. The Modernization Canvas was generated from source-connected discovery rather than from interviews or partial documentation.
Five capabilities ran in parallel.
- Source-connected estate inventory across tables, stored procedures, views, functions, indexes, and triggers
- AI-powered semantic analysis to extract embedded business logic, transformation rules, and dependency chains
- Object-level complexity scoring against T-SQL to Redshift compatibility, flagging unsupported constructs and refactoring needs
- Automated lineage and dependency mapping from source tables through transformation layers to reporting objects
- Fact-based migration roadmap, effort estimates, and skills matrix generated bottom-up from object complexity
Every recommendation was reviewed by a senior architect before delivery. The accelerator handled the volume. The architect owned the judgment.
Implementation
Day 1 to 2
Established secure read-only access to the SQL Server 2015 environment. Automated extraction of every database object with full metadata capture. Estate inventory locked.
Day 3 to 6
AI-powered parsing of every SQL object to extract embedded business logic, transformation rules, and dependencies. Complexity scoring on every stored procedure, view, and script against Redshift compatibility. Automated data model reconstruction generating ER diagrams and schema documentation from the live database. Gap analysis between SQL Server 2015 and AWS Redshift features. Refactoring opportunities identified for Redshift performance tuning including distribution key strategies and sort key optimization.
Day 7 to 8
Modernization Canvas delivered. Full source system landscape, object inventory, complexity analysis, phased migration roadmap with wave sequencing, fact-based effort estimates per wave, detailed skills matrix, risk register, and refactoring recommendations. Knowledge transfer session with the SI's modernization team.
Results
- Complete Modernization Canvas delivered in 8 business days against the 6 to 18 week traditional estimate
- Hundreds of SQL objects deconstructed, documented, and complexity-scored
- T-SQL to Redshift gap analysis with flagged incompatibilities and recommended workarounds
- Phased migration roadmap with wave sequencing based on real dependency chains
- Bottom-up effort estimates and skills matrix ready for staffing
- Traditional discovery effort of 5+ specialists for 6 to 18 weeks replaced with a fixed-scope 8-day engagement
- 5 to 17 weeks of program schedule preserved
- SI preserved the client relationship and executed the migration against the Canvas
What this means for you
This pattern applies to any stalled migration where the source system is undocumented and the discovery phase is blocking program approval. The fixed-scope, fixed-price, fixed-timeline structure sits inside Director-level signing authority. The Modernization Canvas becomes the artifact your team or your incumbent SI executes against. Senior architect review is included. No additional discovery work is required to begin execution.