Infinite monkey theorem – Is there a better way to migrate data?

16th September 2022

Infinite monkey theorem

A monkey hitting keys at random for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type any given text. Anything better than this can be seen as an improvement!

Data migration is a means to an end. It is painstaking, time consuming but a necessary evil that is required to reap the benefits of the end goal, migration to a brilliant new platform.

Breaking up with the ex

Before you can even start the process, you require a copy of your existing data. You need to let your existing software house know that you are moving to a sparkly new platform. You then require the data in a useable format (Bordereaux, XML, CSV, SQL). The end goal is a managed process that is painless for all parties involved, professionalism is required.

At SureScheme we have found that the best approach is to automate the import at agreed increments. Validation is performed at each stage to ensure that your data has survived the migration; we need to make sure that the imported data is useful.

This allows you to use your legacy system whilst the new system is being configured.

Why do it?

Historic data can become cumbersome, particularly if the data model has not kept pace with system changes. A huge benefit of migration is that your existing data will be validated on the way in, so any inaccuracies will be corrected. The migration will be invisible to your existing user base, although over time they may start to notice the performance benefits of your new system.

Ok, but isn’t it risky?

The perception of migration is that it is a business risk. There is some truth to this, but with correct mapping and modular testing this is becoming close to seamless. If the system you are migrating to has a well designed data model then the hard work will have already been done. Careful mapping will ensure an efficient migration. It is beneficial to retain the data set as it was ‘at migration’ so performance any discrepancies can be investigated and proven or disproven.

Brass Tax

Historically speaking data migration was a costly business, and often a reason to stick with archaic and crumbling systems. This no longer needs to be the case. With sensible management and access to data in a useable format then it is something that can be achieved without pain and in an economical way – in most cases at SureScheme we have been able to do it for free.