Background
Hughes Network Systems, LLC is a Fortune 500 company and a recognized leader in networking technologies and services. Named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Managed Network Services, Hughes enables essential connectivity for communities, businesses, and governments worldwide.
Hughes's ECOM platform is a business-critical application spanning 4.6 million lines of code in Java and NodeJS. Backed by Oracle databases, the system drives significant e-commerce operations and serves as a cornerstone of Hughes's digital infrastructure. Modernizing this platform to Google Cloud's AlloyDB was essential for long-term scalability and cost efficiency — but the complexity of the migration posed severe challenges.
The challenge
Prior attempts at manual code conversion had already been made before Newt Global was engaged — yet the project remained stuck. Runtime failures caused by dynamic SQL and fundamental Oracle–PostgreSQL compatibility differences continued to block progress. The project needed a structured, systematic approach to overcome these barriers within a tight delivery window.
Key obstacles
- Dynamic SQL in the application code resisted standard conversion tooling available in the market
- Deep Oracle-specific constructs (procedural logic, data types, and SQL dialects) incompatible with PostgreSQL/AlloyDB
- 4.6 million lines of Java and NodeJS code requiring systematic remediation at scale
- 40+ team members spread across 5 time zones, demanding rigorous program management
- No proven end-to-end toolchain existed for a migration of this scope and complexity
The solution
Newt Global was brought in during the last week of June 2024. The team immediately introduced the Cloud Migration Cockpit — a structured, transparent framework that provided a clear migration path with defined phases for database, data, and application conversion. This gave all 40+ team members across time zones a shared operational picture from day one.
DMAP-powered SQL conversion
Newt used DMAP to identify and convert unresolved dynamic SQLs within the application code — the core blocker that had stalled previous efforts. DMAP automated the conversion of remaining schema objects, eliminating manual guesswork.
DB schema & data migration validation
Database schema and data migration were validated end-to-end using DMAP's built-in validation framework, ensuring parity between Oracle and AlloyDB throughout the process.
Comprehensive cutover plan
The cutover strategy covered initial data load, Change Data Capture (CDC) for continuous sync, and Reverse CDC (rollback) capability — ensuring a safe, recoverable production transition with no data loss risk.
Controlled program management
Focused governance on Go Live and Day 2 operations ensured a smooth transition. The team worked through weekends alongside Hughes's engineers to hit every milestone — adapting numerous interfaces and shell scripts for AlloyDB compatibility.
The result
The Hughes ECOM application and its associated Oracle databases were seamlessly migrated to AlloyDB within 12 weeks — a timeline that many considered impossible given the scale and complexity of the system. The project was tested rigorously across four environments before production cutover, with all interfaces and shell scripts adapted for full AlloyDB compatibility.
The success of this first step — internally named TelecomVera — gave Hughes immense confidence in their ability to modernize further workloads on Google Cloud. The project set a new internal benchmark for enterprise Oracle migrations at scale.