Data Migration
Data migration is the process of selecting, preparing, extracting, transforming, and permanently transferring data from one computer storage system to another. It is a common IT activity but can be complex due to varied data sources and requirements, including files, databases, environments, and data centers. Every migration project requires detailed planning and execution to ensure success across each phase.
- Unorganized assortments of files stored across many different devices.
- Applications, operating systems, and environments.
- Relational databases like SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB.
- Unstructured databases such as MongoDB, Azure Cosmos DB, DocumentDB, Cassandra, Couchbase.
- Data lakes, blobs, and entire datacenters.
Planning
The planning phase assesses data, applications, and systems to be migrated based on business, project, and technical requirements. Hardware and bandwidth are evaluated; feasible migration and back-out scenarios are developed, along with automation scripts and test plans. Data cleansing and transformation needs are determined to improve data quality and eliminate obsolete information. Architecture, licenses, and change management procedures are established.
- Evaluation of data source and target systems
- Solution design
- Planning budgets
- Building and testing migration tools/scripts
- Data backup strategy