When switching to a brand new ecommerce platform or to a different system, akin to a advertising automation instrument, retailers typically overlook one key part: the info. Most suppliers will declare that the info migration is simple. However, in my expertise, that isn’t at all times the case.

I’ve managed many knowledge migrations, small and enormous. On this article, I’ll present a data-migration guidelines that’s secure, environment friendly, and correct. Definitely lack of knowledge is the first threat. Nevertheless, there are different knowledge considerations to concentrate to.

Preparation

Again up the info. Earlier than beginning the migration, again up your knowledge. Make it possible for the backup will be accessed at any level sooner or later. Date stamp your system periodically with the intention to simply reference your knowledge ought to something go improper. That is good observe even if you’re not migrating.

Assemble a workforce. Earlier than migrating, assign roles to your workforce. Who handles what knowledge? Which fields do they entry? Defining the workforce roles and knowledge utilization of every can make clear duties and selections.

Develop an information migration plan. As soon as your knowledge is safely copied, doc your knowledge migration plan. Begin by figuring out the info you might be migrating and the place it resides. Map out all of your hierarchies and dependencies. You might determine to deliver solely partial knowledge.

Audit the info. No matter what you might be migrating, audit the info beforehand. This can be a good time to wash it. Search for the next objects.

  • Duplications. Take away duplicates.
  • Knowledge completeness. Incomplete knowledge will be unusable.
  • Outdated information. An outdated document may very well be a bounced electronic mail handle or a earlier identify.
  • Junk (check) information. Builders typically check the system with hypothetical information. Take away them earlier than migrating.

Determine fields and tables. Determine what fields and tables you might be migrating. Throughout an information audit, it’s common to study that, say, 300 fields exist within the database, however solely 20 or 30 are in use. A fast check is to examine the proportion of a particular discipline that incorporates knowledge.

No matter what you might be migrating, audit the info beforehand.

One other approach to slim down the info is to talk with workforce members to determine the info’s use circumstances. For instance, customer support personnel might not care in regards to the complete lifetime worth of a buyer, however the gross sales employees may. Assigning key fields for every workforce member may also help decide the use. Keep in mind that some fields may very well be linked to a number of knowledge tables. Thus, assemble an information map of all information, fields, and tables which might be affected.

(Knowledge terminology will be complicated. Data are comprised of fields, every of which incorporates one merchandise of data. A set of information constitutes a desk. For instance, a buyer desk may include information that embody three fields: a reputation discipline, an handle discipline, and a cellphone quantity discipline.)

After you’ve backed up the info, created a migration plan, carried out an audit, and recognized fields and information, you must know which information emigrate and which to maintain solely in your backup file. Take into account making a discipline that designates if a document is migrating, or not. Every enterprise is completely different. Which information add worth to the brand new platform and which merely litter it?

You are actually prepared for knowledge migration.

Migration

Put together an information map. When migrating your knowledge, create a map of your outdated knowledge to its new location. Take note of fields and their formatting. Date fields, for instance, might not migrate appropriately if the outdated platform used YYYY-MM-DD and the brand new system is DD/MM/YYYY.

Test for dependencies. If there are knowledge dependencies, ensure that the lookup has been established earlier than loading the info.

Confirm. Earlier than going dwell on the brand new platform, confirm that the migration was profitable. Double-check your knowledge.

  • Make sure that all information flagged for migration have been migrated.
  • Verify that the full variety of information on the brand new platform is right. Seek for a number of information to verify they exist within the new system.
  • Make sure that all fields within the new platform are within the correct format. To take action this, obtain a pattern of 20 information with all fields and evaluate to the unique knowledge.
  • Lastly, ensure that all dependencies are nonetheless there.

Publish Migration

Practice customers. Now that you’ve got efficiently migrated, prepare all customers on correct knowledge utilization. Keep in mind the 4 Cs for wholesome knowledge: full, present, right, and constant.