The Efficient Way To Manage Data Migration

Outlining a plan is the most important piece of a migration. Every migration requires a certain amount of strategic digital transformation of the information moving from the source repository to the destination. Considerations should include folder structure, metadata mapping, security, search capabilities, and many other elements that will allows users to find relevant data. It is imperative that you spend the time to learn about the problems you’re having and what is necessary to move ahead.

Why Do Migrations Fail?

There are many explanations for this, most of which center around lack of planning. While the majority of companies share the same need to access data readily, they frequently differ on how they arrive there. There are many repositories for your use when it comes to data sorting, but without a strong plan in place, these tools can fail to perform. Be sure you’ve done your due diligence before migrating.

Wave has been performing enterprise migrations and giving strategic planning services since the ’90s. We’ve executed migrations for customers utilizing OpenText, Microsoft, IBM, Paperclip, and more.

Our experienced team appreciates the particular challenges that can occur in both contemporary and legacy ECM applications and we’ve distilled our methods over the years as technology has evolved. Leverage our expertise to implement a prosperous migration and digital transformation.

What Should You Consider When Planning A Data Migration?

Take An Inventory

Take the appropriate amount of time to assess what you have, how it’s classified, the quantity and what groups of information you possess, and any features you need such as versions, annotations, and protocols.
Clean & Organize

Data migrations are similar to moving to a new home- decide what you want to take with you and what you no longer need. Perhaps you have data that is obsolete. While analyzing your data, take a minute to determine areas for improvement especially as it relates to your organizational procedures and metadata.
Test The Migration Process

Next, you should assess your migration and determine a benchmark to see how long the migration will be. Also, execute a data alternation evaluation to ensure your migration pipeline is snag-free.
Check In Regularly

If you find that your migration will take longer than expected during the standardizing process, be sure to create regular check-ins during that window and be sure no issues occur. If they do, you can fine-tune your project plan.
Validate Your End Result

To ensure that your final product in the destination platform is equivalent to what you started with in the source system, have a verification protocol in place. If you’ve performed data cleansing during the migration, your acceptance should be able to account for that.
Account For New Content

Sometimes you can’t make the complete system read-only during a migration, and new content is included. You’ll want to be sure to account for any new metadata and any new data that’s created.
Leverage AI Where Possible

Many programs now offer Artificial Intelligence features that can automate the information organization portion of your migration. Should you decide to use this tool, you can leverage existing metadata, and enhance it with the support of your AI tools.