Most Significant Data Migration Challenges, Strategies, and Practices

Today, business functions and processes are highly dependent on timely, accurate, and in-depth insights. Organizations look at data as a goldmine of information to enable informed decision-making. A trend observed over a period indicates the inclination of larger companies as well as SMEs towards fully integrated systems such as ERP, which has raised the bar even higher for data management and integrity. With the deployment of ERP software, a robust data migration strategy is crucial for the project’s successful implementation. In today’s business environment, clean, organized, and high-quality data has become a synonym for smooth and profitable business operations.

What are the most common data migration challenges and how to overcome them?

Before we discuss how to win against data migration challenges, we must first have to look at what they are and how they create problems for your business. Data migration is the process of transferring data from one location, storage type, or format to another with the purpose of implementation, upgrade, or consolidation. This process involves the extraction of data from the source system and then transforming and loading it into the target system. This approach is known as ETL and is full of complexities and challenges; the following are among the most common:

Lack of Engagement from Key Executives

Data migration isn’t frequently performed, which results in wrong anticipations and assumptions from companies about the challenges that lie ahead. One of the most serious problems faced by companies is the lack of participation and involvement from the management, leading to inefficiency in data migration projects. Data Migration strategies often emphasize collaborative efforts from all employees across the organization to ensure desired results are obtained.

Incomplete Roadmap

Data Migration Process comprises of multiple steps that must be planned strategically on priority. Teams working on data migration must know all the stages involved, from start to finish. An insufficient or non-existent roadmap usually leads to failure. A word with experts in the field, along with optimum use of state-of-the-art technology, on the other hand, can save your project, time, and efforts.

Compromised Data Quality

Data quality issues gathered over a period such as different data structures for the same entities, incomplete or missing entries, lack of legacy systems, and more are multiplied every time data is stored to be used in an organization. Compromised data quality, repeated entries, and dissimilar structures and formats cause troubles during data transfer.

Underestimating the Expenses

Impractical estimations of scale and costs of the data migration projects lead to overruns in terms of both time and money, if it doesn’t result in failure. The scope and budget required for the implementation of the data migration strategy must be calculated beforehand. As discussed earlier, even the slightest impracticalities in the roadmap can affect costs, time, and the need for involvement from management.

What are the Effective Data Migration Strategies & Best Practices to Combat these Challenges?

To ensure the prerequisite for a successful and fully integrated data migration process, the following key strategies must be in place and effective.

A Complete Roadmap

Data Migration is not usually considered as an integral part of the project but as a supplementary task. That’s why it receives insufficient attention and importance from companies. Management underrates data migration, considering it as administrative housekeeping. A well-thought and wisely designed roadmap must be in place with inputs from all decision-makers and stakeholders, demonstrating data migration as an essential component of the project. Data migration roadmap must cover step-by-step implementation while addressing issues pertaining to data quality, scope, timeline, and requirement of resources.

Giving Data Utmost Importance

Enterprise data is one of the most valuable assets for any organization, and it should be treated with that notion in mind. Organizations can use data as a ‘tool’ for carrying out various business processes and functions. If data is given the value it deserves, it will not be difficult to engage business managers and core teams at crucial stages of data migration, leading to the success of the project. The involvement of management and executives that are committed to performing data migration ensures none of the sub-processes of data migration succumb to obstacles.

Allocation of Resources

Intelligently allocated resources and timelines play a critical role in the success or failure of data migration projects. Time is consumed not only on the transfer and load of data but also in data extraction and refining, which should be approximated accurately. Clarity over what resources will be engaged in data migration and at what scale helps in determining the size of the budget and final agreement from the management.

For example, consider that data is being migrated from on-premise to cloud platforms. In this situation, a thorough analysis of the source and target systems, in association with business users who are directly involved in data migration, will result in a smooth and fully optimized data migration.

Addressing Data Integrity Issues

Data integrity is subject to its maintenance and upkeep in a business roadmap and optimum budget allocation. Data migration strategies must support this fact. Historic data can cost a huge amount of time and resources, though the transfer of entire historic data is not always necessary. Let’s discuss an instance pertaining to accounting data, which usually comes with legal compliance with the time and length mandated by law. Also, there are obsolete data entries that can be eliminated without any second thought. These types of issues must be addressed prior to data migration to ensure data is valid, optimally refined, tested, and verified for transfer.

Final words:

Data migration is an intrinsic component of any successful ERP implementation. Therefore, it must be given the attention and priority it demands. Data migration is a complex, challenging, yet the mandatory process for businesses that have constantly changing dynamics. Though data migration is infrequent, many business aspects and bottom-line benefits are reliant on strategies drawn for its successful implementation. This clarifies the criticality of strategic consulting and selection of the right Data Migration services company to ensure data remains consumable and isn’t lost during migration.