10 Data Migration Mistakes You Should Totally Avoid

Posted by
Tetiana Belevska

Updated December 21, 2023

We’ve done hundreds of migrations over the past couple of years, and we know what issues many people tend to repeat. Hence, we decided that it is prime time to reveal the most common data migration mistakes most business owners perform and why you should avoid them. So, here are 10 data transfer mistakes you should avoid during your next migration plan.

Don’t Migrate All the Junk

As the name implies, many business owners tend to move stuff that is irrelevant, obsolete in terms of tech, or outright spam. Your best action would be to verify what items will work on the new platform and delete the things you don’t need. These simple actions will speed up the migration process and allow you to improve the general quality of data. What we mean by the quality of data is that nobody likes to scroll through tons of spam to find something they need or deem helpful.

Ensure the Target Is Ready

One of the most important things you can do before you start your migration process is to prepare your target. If it’s a help desk system, outside of just creating an account and setting up the profile, ensure you’ve turned off all the automations, completed the required fields (if necessary), and safeguarded your current data (if applicable, that is). Doing all this will give you peace of mind knowing that your old data won’t be mixed up and that new records aren’t affected by automation rules.

Performing a Migration Without a Plan

This step should have been higher on the list, but we digress. Yeah, migrating without a plan is a recipe for disaster. There are many variables to consider, precautions to establish, and so many potential errors to expect that migrating without a project seems like a suicide mission. So don’t rush if you need to use that new, shiny platform you invested in. Instead, create a step-by-step plan that will take into account all the essential aspects of migration and only then start the process.

Not Having a Clue How the Systems Works

Sometimes exploring the intricacies on your own is the best way to learn about the ins and out of a system. But not when it comes to migrations. While many tools seem identical on the surface, the insides are usually very different, which can lead to all sorts of outcomes. For example, you can stumble on things such as file incompatibility, and then there are cases when suddenly, your data gets corrupted cause of the compatibility above issues. So before you start any migration shenanigans, take the time and learn about the basics. Who knows, it might save you trouble.

Lack of Testing

Now here’s a vital one. Don’t leave all the eggs in one basket when doing a migration. Grab a bunch of records, make a copy of them, and then try to migrate them one by one. Better yet, ensure all files are different in terms of file extensions. That way, you can learn what data the platform supports and what files are a no-no. Also, check if the system has a sandbox mode that will let you test things safely. Some companies do the validation process independently (like us), so don’t hesitate to ask.

Guesstimating the Time and Effort

If we were to get a dollar every time we hear that data migration sounds like a breeze, there would be no reason for us to run our service. Data migration may sound easy, but in all honesty, it is not. It will surprise you how many tools have a “mind” of their own and how much data might weigh. It might seem like a bunch of documents, but when you look at the file size, you will be 100% shocked. So always add a couple of extra hours to the time graph you’ve imagined.

Neglecting to Get Professional Help

While we understand that not everyone is willing to pay extra for professional help, you must also know that these people risk losing their records. If you are doing a migration project for the first time, we recommend you stop and get a specialist. It is cheaper to have a professional at your side than re-acquiring all your lost data again. You will not only secure your information but also speed up the process.

Choosing the Wrong Time for Migration

The title says it all. There’s a reason why many companies opt to move their data when most people are resting from a hard-working week. The best time to advance your stuff is on weekends as that way, the volume of incoming data is lower, and the amount of potential user-generated errors are minimum. Remember that weekends aren’t perfect; issues can occur, but the chances they will pop up are minimal.

Not Documenting

While it might seem redundant, documenting the entire process will be helpful in the long run. Especially if you are outsourcing the whole process, having all the settings and file structure on paper will ease the adaptation process and allow you to work with the new tool sooner. Make sure that every migration step is agreed upon and that both parties know what they are allowed to do. If you don’t know where to document stuff, use Google Docs or notes.

Not Automating the Process

And the last mistake most companies make is that they don’t opt to automate things when they can. The data migration process is complex, and you are bound to forget something, not configure some aspects correctly, and generally break something. Why not let a machine do all the dirty work to avoid all these data migration mistakes? It will speed up things and will be much safer. If you don’t want to deal with the hassle we’ve listed above, drop us a message, and we’ll move your stuff in a flash.

Frequently Asked Questions