Why is it important not to underestimate a data migration?

You will find that when it comes to data migration, uncorrected mistakes can prove costly. The ever-present threats of data corruption, downtime, compliance issues or data loss are hard to ignore. 

Moving data from one system to another requires your business to take into account a number of different factors. The main purpose of any form of data migration is to make sure that nothing goes wrong. Essentially, what this means is that you will need to make sure that the security, the accuracy and the integrity of information is maintained. 

Usually, system transformation and data migration are planned to try and improve the overall quality of data as well as processes and to drive confidence in using the data across the business to gain better insights. 

In order to do this, it requires careful planning and care as even the tiniest mistake could create many headaches in the long term. Therefore, it is important that you clearly understand the steps and approach that are required to process this effectively and efficiently. 

So, what are the core parts of a data migration? 

Let’s go straight into the core parts of any data migration: 

• Governing data: This is often bypassed but bringing together data governance with the migration is vital. It requires your business to establish the roles and responsibilities of data owners during and after any data migration. 
• Evaluating & Planning: An in-depth assessment of the current data landscape and stakeholders is so important. As you will find that both legacy systems and processes can lead to data siloes and hidden data sources. 
• Cleansing the data: This needs you to have a sensible approach to establish what needs to be cleansed and how this will be achieved. Therefore, you will need to conduct a detailed analysis and prioritisation in order to make sure that the data is both clean as well as useful. 
• Profiling the data: As part of this, you will need to profile all data and data sources to find out risks, priorities, ongoing use as well as the requirements of data owners. 
• Mapping the data: The source-to-target mapping can be extremely boring but is absolutely necessary. Choosing to work with the right partner can help you to streamline this process. 
• Testing: You will need to carry out regular testing during the planning, design, execution and maintenance stages in order to ensure the success of a data migration. 

Despite the fact that data migration should be relatively straightforward, it’s vital that you get answers to some critical questions before you get started. Building the perfect customer view and going through the below questions can help: 

• Why are we doing this? - It is usually done because you are looking to meet a specific objective. 
• What information do we need to gather? - To get the best value out of this, it is vital to concentrate your efforts on the core aspects of your customers, members & stakeholders. 
• What data do we have and where is it stored? - In the vast majority of cases, you could have vast quantities of data but it’s all over the business across disparate silos and systems. 
• What do you need and how do you bridge the gap? - Collating data and insights may seem simple but do you have all the information that you need. Have you considered how you are going to collect this data? Can your new and improved processes and systems help? 

Next Steps? 

Once you have a clear strategy for your data, some businesses choose to be fully on top during a data migration with specific objectives outlined. Some may choose to simply move their existing data straight to a new system, often repeating past mistakes. 

Despite how scary a thought that data migration can be, if you choose to do this with a trusted partner such as Advantage and have the full buy in from key stakeholders, it can offer a huge chance to transform systems, data as well as change an organisation’s culture.  

If you are a business that is looking to undergo a data migration but need some help, then please reach out to our team of professionals who will be able to discuss your specific requirements. 

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