The Efficient Way To Manage Data Migration

Planning is the most important part 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 help users to find appropriate data. It is critical that you invest the time to understand the problems you are having and what is necessary to move forward.

Why Do Migrations Fail?

There are many explanations for this, most of which revolve around lack of planning. While many businesses share the same requirement to procure data readily, they frequently contrast on how they land there. There are many repositories for your use when it comes to data organization, but without a solid plan in place, these programs can fail to function properly. Be sure you’ve crossed your t’s and dotted your i’s before migrating.

Wave has been executing enterprise migrations and providing consultation services since the ’90s. We’ve performed migrations for clients utilizing OpenText, Microsoft, IBM, Paperclip, and more.

Our expert team appreciates the unique hurdles that can arise in both modern and conventional ECM tools and we’ve distilled our methods over the years as technology has expanded. Leverage our expertise to execute a successful migration and digital transformation.

What Should You Consider When Planning A Data Migration?

Take An Inventory

Take the necessary time to understand what you have, how it’s classified, the quantity and what kinds of content you possess, and any facets you need such as versions, directions, and processes.
Clean & Organize

Data migrations are much like moving to a new residence- identify what you want to bring along with you and what you no longer need. Maybe you have data that is not needed. While combing through your information, take a moment to identify places for improvement specifically as it relates to your institutional methods and metadata.
Test The Migration Process

Next, you should test your migration and identify a criteria to see how drawn-out the migration will be. Also, implement a data swap evaluation to be sure your migration pipeline is snag-free.
Check In Regularly

If you see that your migration will take longer than expected during the criteria evaluating process, be sure to set up regular progress checks during that cycle and make sure no errors occur. If they do, you can fine-tune your schedule.
Validate Your End Result

To be sure that what you end up with in the destination program matches what you with in the source platform, have a acceptance measure in place. If you’ve performed data cleansing during the migration, your verification should be able to account for that.
Account For New Content

Sometimes it’s not possible to make the complete system non-editable during a migration, and new content is included. You’ll want to make sure to account for any new metadata and any new information that’s included.
Leverage AI Where Possible

Many sources now offer Artificial Intelligence tools that can automate the content organization portion of your migration. Should you choose to use this tool, you can utilize existing metadata, and augment it with the assistance of your AI features.