Navigating the Wild Growth in Data Migration

November 8, 2023
 by 
Michael Wirth

Customization is a common practice in many organizations, as businesses strive to tailor their IT systems to meet specific needs and requirements. However, customization can also pose a significant challenge during data migration.

Just like a jungle, customized software can be difficult to navigate and maintain. The lack of proper documentation and the reliance on specific individuals or teams to understand and modify the customizations can make it feel like a tangled, overgrown mess. So, when dealing with customized software in data migration, some careful planning, documentation, and expertise is necessary in order to tame this sprawling jungle and turn it into a well-ordered garden of data.

 

What’s tricky about customized software

The lack of understanding and documentation for customized applications makes it difficult to ensure that all data is migrated accurately and completely. In addition, customized systems and applications can also be more prone to errors and issues during the migration process. This is because customizations are often made to meet specific needs and may not be compatible with new systems or applications. As a result, they may need to be re-engineered or modified to ensure a successful migration.

Furthermore, customization can also increase the complexity and duration of a migration project. The time and resources required to understand, assess, and modify customizations can make the migration process more difficult and time-consuming. This, in turn, can result in increased costs and project delays. Besides it might also increase the risk of data loss or corruption during the migration process.

Another point is that the software is normally customized by either in-house experts or external specialists. When a migration project is lying ahead some years later, those who did the customization might not be available anymore. So, it might happen that valuable knowledge about the customization is lost – and this, in turn, might make data migration even more complicated and error-prone.

In conclusion, customization can pose significant challenges during data migration. To minimize the impact of customization on a migration project, one first step for organizations would be to prioritize documenting customizations and ensuring that they are compatible with new systems and applications. This can reduce the risk of errors, data loss, and project delays during the migration process.

 

How to find your way through the jungle

The conemis software provides some practical help to reduce the wild growth in your data landscape, which enables the migration delivery team to get the data landscape into an orderly, clear structure. It scans existing systems, making it easier to decide which data to take with you and which can be left behind.

In the new system, it offers the chance for a fresh start: In the target system, the old, complex data structure can be transformed into a simpler one. Thereby it is ensured that the data structure fits into the new environment or data structure model of the target system.

So, conemis software offers a number of advantageous functionalities for an automated data migration. They can help minimize or completely avoid potential problems arising from the context of customization.

And how exactly does conemis do that? Learn more about it here.