ERP Data Migration – Tips for a Smooth Project

Trying to migrate data is a bit like trying to navigate the twisty roads of New Zealand's South Island – you know you’re going to end up somewhere great, but often you’re not too sure where you are, or whether you’ve taken the right turn or not.

And when you add in the complexities of ERP systems and the myriad business processes they support, the need to ensure 100% accuracy of migrated data, the usual requirements to deliver the outcome without any disruption to business operations, you’ve probably got your work cut out for you.

With these challenges and goals in mind, here are a few ideas and tips that we’ve put together, based on our experience in ERP data migration projects.

1. Get expert guidance - Partnering with an experienced professional can help you avoid the pitfalls of data migration. Consider working with a provider that offers no-code, automated tools to streamline the process and minimize the risk of errors.
 
2. Plan ahead - To ensure a smooth migration, it's important to have a clear roadmap in place. Ensure the data migration activities map onto the transition of business groups to the new ERP system, and make sure you have the appropriate sponsorship in place, ready to clear the inevitable roadblocks out of the way.
 
3. Understand your data - Before you start your migration, you need to understand what you're working with. This means looking at the data and the data architecture in your source system, looking for errors and inconsistencies. The data migration team will need to decide what data is to be imported into the ERP system and what can be archived. In this phase of the implementation, you’ll also need to map the data to the structure of the ERP database. To make this process more efficient, consider using a no-code approach that can automate many of the tasks and help you avoid errors.
 
4. Choose the right tools - Reliable data migration tools are essential to the success of the process. Automated tools can handle data cleansing, mapping, and integration tasks for you, freeing up your time to focus on other important aspects of the migration. Remember, the last thing you need is to be waiting for people to produce hand-written code – it will consume valuable time that you can be sure you won’t have available.

As always, with complex and business-critical projects, there are a range of other considerations, like choosing the right project methodology and commercial framework with partners and vendors. Whilst this is not an exhaustive list by any means, we hope that this provides some useful pointers or reminders on how to set your ERP data migration project up for success.