For many years, Data Manager has been a critical application for Blue Yonder Category Management users. It’s been the behind-the-scenes workhorse powering essential automations like product swaps, batch updates, and custom imports. Whether your business has relied on Data Manager for basic data handling or built out sophisticated custom workflows, it’s likely become deeply embedded in your everyday processes.
As we shared in our post from last fall, the future of Data Manager as an application is limited. According to recent updates from Blue Yonder, Data Manager is officially being phased out. Here’s what you need to know:
Why Is Data Manager Going Away?
There are several factors driving the retirement of Data Manager:
- Aging Technology: Data Manager is built on legacy technologies, such as VBScript, that are no longer supported by Microsoft. As these technologies become obsolete, continuing to maintain and update Data Manager is no longer viable.
- Blue Yonder’s Product Roadmap: Blue Yonder is focusing its development efforts on more modern, web-based tools like Open Access and has confirmed that Data Manager will not be included in cloud version 2024.4 or on-premise version 2025.2. Future releases won’t include the application, and support will gradually be phased out.
- Rising Complexity: Maintaining custom automations in Data Manager has become more difficult over time. Frequent version changes, increasing security standards, and evolving data structures make long-term sustainability of custom solutions within the application impractical.
What Happens if You’re Still Using Data Manager?
The exact date Data Manager will stop working varies based on your environment, but the direction is clear: it’s time to plan for life without it. Here’s what to expect:
- For Blue Yonder Cloud Users:
Data Manager is already obsolete in version 2024.4. Open Access is now the default for handling certain tasks, but it may not provide a direct replacement for your existing custom automations.
- For On-Premise Users:
Data Manager will not ship with version 2025.2. While it’s technically possible to maintain older versions, this is only a temporary solution. Running outdated components introduces security and compatibility risks, and Microsoft’s ongoing deprecation of core technologies will eventually make this impossible.
In either case, businesses still using Data Manager must assess their existing automations and develop a transition plan. At some point, the application will no longer function in supported environments, so waiting is not an option.
Why Is Planning Your Migration Critical?
Data Manager is more than just a tool; for many businesses, it’s the foundation of their category management automations. Losing it without a plan could mean:
- Disrupted workflows
- Lost productivity
- Increased manual work
- Higher risk of errors
But migration isn’t just about avoiding disruption—it’s also an opportunity to improve. Assessing your current automation needs, reviewing what works (and what doesn’t), and modernizing your processes can unlock greater efficiency and flexibility moving forward.
What Are the Options After Data Manager?
As Data Manager is retired, there are two primary paths forward within the Blue Yonder ecosystem:
1. Rebuilding in Open Access
Blue Yonder offers Open Access as a web-based alternative to Data Manager for certain tasks. However, transitioning to Open Access may require rebuilding many of your existing customizations from scratch. While Open Access provides a familiar interface and basic functionality, it may not support all the advanced automations or unique workflows that your business depends on.
2. Migrating to MissionControl
For those seeking a more powerful, future-ready alternative, MissionControl provides a complete automation solution that goes beyond what Data Manager offered. Built to support both flat-file and CKB environments, MissionControl enables:
- Configurable, user-driven workflows
- Automation of repetitive tasks
- Real-time reporting and dashboards
- Seamless updates with new features each month
- Minimal reliance on IT for implementation and support
Many organizations find that the custom automations they originally built in Data Manager are now standard features in MissionControl. For unique processes, custom plug-ins can be added without the heavy lifting of traditional development projects.
MissionControl is not a direct replacement of Data Manager, but a convenient way of migrating custom functions that have been developed on top of Data Manager into an out of the box solution that works alongside your CKB implementation. Adopters of new BY Cat Man version suites, still require Open Access as their UI for managing database objects. MissionControl partners with Open Access, mitigating the need to build net new customizations in Open Access. Think of MissionControl as your hub for custom utilities that make your business processes operate smoothly.
What Should You Do Next?
Whether you’re using Data Manager for everyday tasks or complex, business-critical automations, the first step is understanding your current state. Ask yourself:
- What automations are we running today?
- Which ones are essential to our workflows?
- What’s missing from our current processes that we’d like to improve?
- How ready are we for upcoming Blue Yonder version changes?
Let’s Build Your Roadmap
At Cantactix, we’ve helped leading retailers and suppliers navigate the end of Data Manager, saving thousands of hours through automation improvements and custom solutions.
We can help you evaluate your current processes, identify what’s working, and design a sustainable, future-proof plan to keep your business running smoothly as Data Manager sunsets.
👉 Contact us today to schedule an automation assessment. We’ll help you figure out exactly where you stand—and where to go from here.