Today, a majority of modern businesses are driven by Big Data, and Big Data never sleeps! This means that there must be well-established, seamless processes when it comes to data integration and data migration - whether data is getting migrated from inputs to a data lake, from a data warehouse to a data mart, from one repository to another, or in or through the cloud. In the absence of a comprehensive and future-proof data migration plan, the budget can go overboard and businesses may find themselves struggling with overwhelming data processes.
What is Data Migration?
Data Migration can be defined as a multi-step process that starts with the analysis of old data and culminates in data uploading and reconciliation in new applications. It is important to remember here that data migration can become overwhelming and costly if hidden costs are not identified in the early stage and best practices are not followed.
An organisation may consider data migration under many circumstances, such as:
Server or storage consolidation;
Server or storage technology replacement or upgrade;
Relocation of the data center;
Server or storage equipment maintenance, such as workload balancing or other performance-related maintenance.
Why a Data Migration Strategy is Important?
The primary goal of a data migration initiative is to enhance competitiveness and performance. However, it is extremely important to get things done in the first place. This is simply because unsuccessful migrations can result in inaccurate data containing unknowns and redundancies. It can happen even when source data is fully adequate and usable.
One of the biggest advantages of a data migration strategy is that it prevents a subpar experience that can create more problems than it solves. Incomplete plans can lead to the failure of migration projects, missing deadlines, and exceeding budgets. Therefore, teams should give their complete attention to data migrations instead of treating them as subordinate to another project with a large scope.
Critical Factors Behind Data Migration
A strategic data migration plan should consider the following factors:
Knowing the data: Source data must undergo a comprehensive audit before data migration. In the absence of an audit, unexpected issues may surface.
Cleanup: Once issues with source data are identified, they must be effectively resolved. This process may require third-party resources and additional software tools because of the scale of work.
Maintenance and protection: After a point in time, data undergoes degradation, making it unreliable. Therefore, proactive and stringent steps and processes must be in place to maintain data quality at all times.
Governance: Tracking and reporting on the quality of data are critical as it helps in creating and maintaining a better and complete understanding of data integrity. The tools and processes used to produce this information should automate functions wherever possible and must be highly usable.
Getting Started With Data Migration
If your organisation or institution is planning to move to the cloud, consolidate data, or upgrade systems, data migration is on the horizon. It will be an important and big project. Kickstart your data migration process by calling our teams of certified experts at C.I.G Consultants now!
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