Ok,  so you do have > 8 databases and would like to integrate some of them.

Here are some areas that are likely to be problematic when merging multiple databases into one.

• Data
• Lookups
• Any integration with other databases or RDBMS

Here are some steps  to get started merging databases of an application together to take advantage of XWorks server

• Step 1:  Review your design

There is likely to be a reason that you created the different databases (configuration db, employee db etc etc.) Verify if the reasons hold good today.

Ask and answer this question:  If I were to design my product for the XWorks server and XPages, what would be the changes I would make?

• Step 2: Review your current implementation.

Check if –

a)  Your look-ups are centralized  where you can change once and reuse everywhere.

b)  There are references to either the name or replica ids of other databases stored inside documents – this would involve re-factoring.

c)  You have any database specific logic?

• Step 3: Create a road-map for integration

You can plan out how you would bring the databases together and what would be your user interface, coding and data changes based on your answers to Step 1 and Step 2.

If you do not plan to migrate your existing customers to XWorks (and the resultant architecture), you may not require any data transfer plan and agents. However, if you do plan to migrate them, then a clearly documented data transfer plan is a must.