The Efficient Way To Manage Data Migration

Planning is the most important piece of a migration. Every migration needs a certain amount of strategic digital transformation of the information moving from the source repository to the destination. Considerations should include search capabilities, security, mapping metadata, folder structure, and many other components that will help users to find pertinent information. It is imperative that you invest the time to understand the problems you’re having and what is needed to move ahead.

Why Do Migrations Fail?

There are several explanations for this, most of which occur around lack of planning. While most organizations share the same desire to find data efficiently, they frequently vary on how they land there. There are numerous sources for your use when it comes to data organization, but without a strong 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 performing enterprise migrations and delivering consultation services since the mid ‘90s. We’ve executed migrations for clients utilizing OpenText, Microsoft, IBM, Paperclip, and more.

Our expert team understands the particular obstacles that can occur in both current and conventional ECM tools and we’ve refined our approach over the years as technology has evolved. Take advantage of our proficiency to implement a prosperous migration and digital transformation.

What Should You Consider When Planning A Data Migration?

Take An Inventory

Take the the time to assess what you own, how it’s classified, how much and what types of data you possess, and any elements you require like versions, annotations, and workflows.
Clean & Organize

Data migrations resemble moving to a new house- identify what you want to bring along with you and what you no longer need. Perhaps you have data that is not needed. While analyzing your information, take a moment to pinpoint places for improvement especially as it pertains to your operational procedures and metadata.
Test The Migration Process

Next, you should test your migration and identify a standard to see how long the migration will be. Also, perform a data swap test to make sure your migration pipeline is free of snags.
Check In Regularly

If you find that your migration will take longer than expected during the benchmarking process, be sure to set up regular checkpoints during that window and make sure no issues arise. If they do, you can fine-tune your timeline.
Validate Your End Result

To make sure that your end result in the destination system is equivalent to what you began with in the source system, have a validation protocol in place. If you’ve performed data cleanup during the migration, your validation should be able to account for that.
Account For New Content

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

Many programs now offer Artificial Intelligence features that can automate the information organization portion of your migration. Should you determine to use this element, you can utilize existing metadata, and improve it with the help of your AI features.