Big Pharma Divestiture – Segregating and Deleting TrackWise Data

Overview

The client is a global healthcare company based in Europe. Following a corporate transformation, the company focused on three divisions: pharmaceuticals, eye care and generic medicines.

Objective

The client decided to spin off its over-the-counter (OTC) product line. As part of the sale, the parent company was required to provide the OTC TrackWise data to the new entity. The original TrackWise system comprised a volume of 1.4 million PRs. The system contained business information from every aspect of the pharmaceuticals division, but the acquirer was only entitled to the OTC data.

The de facto approach for divestitures requires the configuration of a new TrackWise instance and the migration and testing of the data. This approach works, but has many steps and is prone to error if not managed correctly.

Migration Challenges

A hard deadline loomed to separate the OTC data in a cost effective manner. The new company was about to lose access to the parent client network and all its vital data. Time was of the essence.

The client considered a traditional migration approach. However, the migration approach could not preserve a number of critical data elements, including audit trails. Other configurable or complex data elements would have been lost. Most importantly, the typical solution to the client’s divestiture would have taken too long and been too expensive.

Valiance Solution

Along with Valiance Insight Methodology and TRUmigrate, the Valiance / Sparta data segregation process was the only viable answer. Valiance software contains options for either deleting or preserving specific PRs, associated data, or child records in a family hierarchy, depending on the business situation. Optional deletion of reference records and preserving the family hierarchy is part of the process.

In collaboration with Sparta Research and Development, Valiance developed a two-step process: 1) clone the original TrackWise system, and 2) remove unwanted information such as specific PRs or child records. This approach is far more efficient (one-third the effort), far less costly, and omits the migration and the migration verification. This joint approach has been used by Sparta and Valiance on a number of engagements to date (please ask for references).

The single-repeatable process kept all relevant business data intact, along with the configuration of the TrackWise application without the need to migrate user data.

The Valiance software comes with an out-of-the-box qualification plan. The plan includes procedures and scripts required to prove that the segregation is successful. It provided evidence — for both the buyer and seller compliance teams — that all records are accounted for, with the family hierarchy intact. No orphaned records. No child left behind.

To ensure success at every stage, the Valiance team actively engaged the business users. Even before the segregation was done, the team could employ the simulation mode of Valiance’s software to preview the results. By obtaining the counts and final details of the data separation early, the business could review and approve them along the way. Additionally, the simulation mode allowed Valiance to predict exactly how long the deletion process would take.

Results

Valiance predicted that the run would be successfully completed in nine to ten days. The customer assumed this meant business days, and was pleasantly surprised when it came to pass in calendar days.

The data segregation was completed early, under budget, and for one-third the cost of the conventional migration approach.