The Efficient Way To Manage Data Migration

Outlining a plan is the most critical 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 must include mapping metadata, folder structure, search capabilities, and many other aspects that will help users to find relevant data. It’s imperative that you take the time to understand the problems you’re having and what is needed to get resolution.

Why Do Migrations Fail?

There are several causes for this, most of which center around lack of planning. While most organizations share the same desire to procure data efficiently, they frequently differ on how they get there. There are many locations that you can leverage when referring to data cataloging, but without a strong plan in place, these resources can fail to work as expected. Be sure you’ve thought it through carefully before migrating.

Wave has been expertly handling enterprise migrations and delivering consultation services since the mid ‘90s. We’ve expertly handled migrations for clients utilizing OpenText, Microsoft, IBM, Paperclip, and more.

Our expert team understands the particular challenges that can arise in both current and conventional ECM applications and we’ve refined our approach over the years as technology has evolved. Leverage our expertise to implement a successful 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 own, how it’s cataloged, the quantity and what kinds of content you possess, and any features you require for example versions, directions, and processes.
Clean & Organize

Data migrations resemble moving to a new house- determine what you want to take with you and what you can get rid of. Perhaps you have data that is no longer relevant. While reviewing your data, take a moment to determine opportunities for progress particularly as it applies to your organizational processes and metadata.
Test The Migration Process

Next, you should test your migration and identify a standard to see how drawn-out the migration will be. Also, execute a data exchange test to ensure your migration pipeline is free of snags.
Check In Regularly

If you see that your migration will take longer than expected during the benchmarking process, be sure to create routine progress checks during that cycle and ensure no issues arise. If they do, you can fine-tune your timeline.
Validate Your End Result

To make sure that your final product in the destination system matches what you began with in the source system, have a acceptance protocol in place. If you’ve completed data cleanup during the migration, your acceptance should be able to show that.
Account For New Content

Sometimes you aren’t able to make the complete system non-editable during a migration, and new content is added. You’ll want to ensure to account for any new metadata and any new data that’s added.
Leverage AI Where Possible

Many repositories now offer Artificial Intelligence tools that can automate the data organization part of your migration. Should you choose to use this tool, you can leverage existing metadata, and improve it with the help of your AI tools.