The Migration Plan scopes the migration activities across a number of source data stores being migrated to one or more destination applications. Valiance’s approach provided here defines our approach at the system level.
Detailed Mapping
Detailed mapping precisely defines how the source data will be transformed to adhere to the destination system data requirements. This process is user-centric and requires that constituents performing the mapping be familiar with the source and destination applications at both the data and functional level. The process usually begins with training users on the destination application. Thereafter, the analysis should continue to derive the following:
- Source Systems Data/Content – The legacy source system’s data and content including:
- Data – Field name, format, field length, links or relationships and audit trails
- Content – File format, version history, renditions, and signature manifestations
- Source data/content queries that precisely define the source content
- Destination System Data/Content– The system’s requirements will include:
- Data -- Field name, format, field length, valid values, audit trails, reporting references, procedural dependencies, links or relationships, audit trails, mandatory/optional setting and default values
- Content – File format, version history, renditions, signature manifestations and default values
- Destination data/content queries that precisely define the source content
- Mappings – The arithmetic, logical or string manipulations required to migrate the source data or content to the destination system. This must include the definition of a unique key to tie the source and destination records together.
Tool Configuration
TRUcompare offers a unique patent pending approach to verify that data and content have been migrated successfully. TRUcompare will be leveraged with the “best migration tool” as previously selected. The tools will be configured There are a number of migration tools available to suite the particular needs of each customer and consolidation effort. The steps required to configure the tools include the following:
- Set Database Connections
- Select Source Data
- Select Target Data
- Define Primary Keys
- Define Mapping Rules
Many customers take advantage of TRUcompare’s capability to automatically generate the system-level migration specification – At this point in the process, the feature is available if required.
Manual Data Cleansing
Data cleansing may be required to alter documents or data to adhere to the requirements of the destination application. This process may be completed through automated means, where system-level rules can be defined and the cleansing activity completed as part of the migration process. For example, if Master Data Management techniques are to be used, system-level field values will need to be altered to adhere to the master data valid values (this is straightforward and can be managed through lookup tables).
Not all data cleansing can be addressed automatically. There are often cases where the data cleansing activity is a significant manual effort and often requires thorough understanding of the source data (it may not be so easy to outsource). Valiance recommends addressing the manual data cleansing activities as early in the process as is feasible.
Dry Runs
Valiance has focused significant effort to develop product that efficiently tests the source data against the requirements of the destination system. Data Discovery tests for those data-level issues that are anticipated such as ???. Data Discovery is executed as part of the migration scoping effort. TRUcompare provides additional post-migration testing at the field level to verify that all of the data meets the requirements of the destination system.
Note that our hard won experience demonstrates that all data-level error cannot be identified prior to performing the migration and subsequent migration testing.
This phase of the process which follows tool configuration, but is prior to the production execution, enables the testing of the tool configurations for TRUcompare and the migration tool. Additionally, dry runs enable Valiance to identify the post migration data issues in an informal manner prior to the production execution. These data level issues should be reviewed and resolved by the migration team inclusive of the appropriate user community.
Production Support
Newly deployed applications generate additional support activity. As some of the issues reported my cause suspicion related to the migrated data, Valiance recommends planning for modest levels of support after each of the applications have been put into production.
In additional to the support activity, Valiance recommends that our customers maintain the TRUcompare log from the production migration as it proves valuable for support to trace data elements back to their source applications.
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