460K VSAM Records in 25 Seconds: Rethinking VSAM → PostgreSQL at Enterprise Scale
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges of migrating data from VSAM to PostgreSQL and the complexities involved in enterprise modernization efforts.
What really slows down IBM Z modernization? It’s not the application code. It’s the data. In this episode of Skyward Data, Dusty Froyum (Co-Founder, VirtualZ) and Marc Sokol (Executive Chairman, former SVP at CA Technologies) break down what’s actually happening inside enterprise VSAM → PostgreSQL migrations — and why data execution is often the hardest part to get right. They walk through real-world results, including: 460,000 VSAM records moved to PostgreSQL in 25 seconds 60.9 million records delivered in 18 minutes (~56K/sec sustained) But the conversation goes beyond performance. You’ll hear how modernization efforts often start as “simple migrations” — only to become complex when data dependencies, stale datasets, and heavy ETL or CDC architectures enter the picture. Marc shares firsthand experience from decades in the mainframe world, including why so many migration programs slow down at the data layer — and what changes when execution becomes predictable. Dusty outlines how a no-code, direct-access approach can simplify architecture, reduce operational complexity, and help teams meet tight migration windows without over-engineering the solution. Why data — not code —…
People in this episode
Host: Dusty Froyum
Guest: Marc Sokol
Topics covered
- data migration
- VSAM
- PostgreSQL
- modernization
- ETL
- CDC
- enterprise scale
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: VirtualZ, CA Technologies, IBM Z
Products: PostgreSQL
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