What is a big-bang data migration?

One of the final phases in any data migration is when the prepared data is ready to be loaded into your new system, or target destination. There are two main approaches to this, the first of which is known as a Big-bang migration and the second being a phased migration.

A big-bang migration can be defined as a data migration approach where The migration of all the data is extracted from the source system(s) and loaded into the target systems in a small-time window, such as over a weekend. Following the data move, all processes are then switched to the new system.

What are the benefits of a big-bang migration?

Adopting a big-bang migration is highly-pressured but it does have some benefits over a phased data migration. For the business users there is clarity. A single point in time, after which they know that they should be using the new system.

Big-bang migrations also have much shorter downtimes, as the systems will only need to be unavailable whilst the data is migrating. To lesson the impact on an organisation, big-bang migrations tend to be conducted when the fewest users will be affected.

This method of migrating the data in one go also leads to reduced costs. Legacy systems will not need to run in parallel for long which will reduce the support and licence costs for those systems.

What are the challenges involved in a big-bang migration?

Whilst there are many benefits to adopting this approach, there are a few challenges associated with big-bang migrations. These challenges are:

• My lead to poor customer service
• Time sensitive
• Disruptive to employees

Addressing the challenges of a big-bang migration?

Preventing poor customer service – Focus on preparing customer-facing users for the changes, so that they are prepared and understand the new systems before going live. Plan your testing channels as early as possible and involve those users with real test-cases. Also, have a back-up plan for any failures.

Time sensitivity – Big-bang migrations place huge pressure to get the migration completed by a particular date which may cause teams to rush the process leaving the door open for mistakes and cause system outages.

Planning in sufficient time for proper testing will help ensure that the new system is ready and with accurate reconciliation reports you can be certain that all the data has been accounted for, giving you the green light to switch off the legacy systems.

Having a rollback plan will also help offset major costs associated with prolonged downtime, allowing systems to be restored whilst other challenges in the wider system changeover are addressed.

Employee disruption – People don’t always welcome change resulting in a reluctance for users to use the new systems, often saying that the old system was better. Involving and educating your users is an essential step in any data migration, and with big-bang migrations, having a firm date to work to focuses everyone on doing what is needed to ensure that it works properly.

The PhixFlow approach to data migrations.

PhixFlow can help ensure your data migration success in two main ways: our professional services consultancy and the PhixFlow solution. We have years of expertise in the field of data migration, where we have honed our skills through innovation and a wide variety of migration projects, across multiple industries and countries.

Our purpose-built Low-Code data migration platform helps support your data project, alleviating stress and overcoming challenges. The simplicity in which the PhixFlow Low-Code platform can be configured is one of its greatest strengths. PhixFlow enables you to fetch data from any source, profile that data and automate cleansing, corrections, and transformations, with confidence.

These abilities increase consistency and confidence in the data migration through:

• Automated audit trail
• Clear and precise understanding of the current state of the data
• Interactive reporting and visualisations
• Data quality and governance are embedded in all processes
• Decisions and estimates are based on accurate and current information
• Staff effectiveness is optimised
• The need for re-work is minimised or eliminated
• Projects are delivered on time and to budget

How to choose your data migration approach

Choosing how to perform a data migration may not always be easy. There are risks and benefits to both Phased and Big-bang migration. PhixFlow can help your company succeed at either migration type, ensuring you get the most out of your project.

Ultimately, the decision on which approach to take should be based on the potential risk to the business, which is the most cost effective and minimises the load on the team that still need to maintain the day to day operation of the business. How will your customers be affected and are there any financial implications? Whether using a Big-bang approach or a phased approach, the solution should always be designed to take all the data from the source system and put it in the target system regardless of the timeframe.