Boosting Your Business With Data Migration Testing & Services
It is a concept of transferring an application or data from one vendor to another without having to worry about the hassles of setup implementation processes or compatibility and interoperability issues.
Furthermore, the process of verifying if every step involved in the migration procedure has been executed successfully or not and without any data losses or outages is called Data Migration Testing.
Features:
- Data migration allows the prevention of applications being locked in for a single vendor.
- The process of migration of any application or data involves various steps depending upon the data complexity.
- The entire migration procedure could be a failure if performed carelessly and the consequences could be serious outages and data losses.
Types of Migration Services
On a broader level, Migration services are classified into six categories. These are:
1. Database Migration Services
Database migration is the process of transferring or migrating a database from one DBMS system to another. A very simple and basic example of this could be the migration of the database from the current version of DBMS to the latest version.
2. Cloud Migration Services
Cloud migration is the process of transferring an application from an existing cloud environment to another or from an on-premises business location to a cloud location.
3. Storage Migration Services
Storage migration services involve the process of moving data from one physical location to another. For example: moving data from papers to a digital system, from hard disk drives to a cloud system, etc.
4. Application Migration Services
Application migration comes into the picture when an organization deals with changes in an application or changes in the vendor of the application. Hence, the computing environment for an application changes drastically.
5. Business Process Migration
Business Process migration services typically deal with the transferring of business applications or business-related data from one environment to another. This could be any data related to customer or product information, operational information, etc.
6. Data Center Migration
A data center is a house for an organization’s complete data equipment such as servers, and network routers, and the process of migrating the data center infrastructure from one business location to another is called Data Center Migration.
What is Data Migration Testing?
Data Migration Testing is the process of comparing and analyzing the data differences (if any) between the target destination (new location/environment where data is being migrated to) and the original data source. This Migration testing in Software testing process is conducted on two levels, Data-level validation, and application-level validation.
1. Data-Level Validation Testing
Data-level validation testing is conducted to verify if there are any discrepancies present in the target data source in comparison with the original data source. However, this is the mandatory step involved in Database Migration Testing procedures. This validation testing is typically performed in three steps.
- Verification of the record count in the target data source.
- Checking the accuracy of a sample dataset.
- Verification of database setup for the users and data samples.
2. Application-Level Validation Testing
Application-level validation testing involves the software testers testing and validating the application or software being migrated from an old system to a new system with a new database setup. This process includes many steps to be followed to ensure the successful completion of the migration process. These are as follows:
- Logging into the new system and verifying data using sample datasets.
- Blocking the users from using the legacy system.
- Verifying the users’ credentials and access as per the new system validations.
- Quick reinstatement of the users’ access to the legacy system in case the migration procedure fails.
- Verifying the termination access of the legacy system during the migration process.
Popular Data Migration Strategies
The parent classification for the ways to migrate data is two in number. These are:
1. Big-Bang Migration
This strategy requires the entire migration process to be completed in a defined timeline. During the declared time frame, the legacy application experiences downtime till the migration is completed. Since the pressure is intense, thus the migration process might get compromised on certain required steps, The Big Bang migration strategy involves a high-risk measure.
2. Trickle Migration
In the Trickle migration technique, the legacy application and the migration process are run in parallel. This technique allows the migration process to be conducted in phases. In comparison with the Big Bang strategy, this technique is complex in design but if done rightfully then the risks are reduced to a highly efficient degree.
Bonus Tips for an Effective Data Migration
- The data auditing process should be performed at the start of any data migration project. This complete go-through of the data ensures time efficiency as any data issues found later during the migration process can otherwise go unnoticeable.
- Data cleanup is another important area to be considered before starting with the data migration process. Any data discrepancies or redundancies can be addressed beforehand which reduces the risk of failure of the migration process.
- Moreover, the above point helps in ensuring the data quality that is to be migrated so that the transferred data is correctly sized and contains no duplicates or discrepancies.
- A backup of the original data source must be taken to safeguard any data loss that might occur during the migration process.
- The legacy system should be terminated or removed only after the successful completion of the migration process. In other cases, a rollback should be performed in no time to ensure high customer satisfaction experiences.
- A dedicated team for the migration process and testing should be appointed to keep a check on the planning, transferring, and validation steps involved in the migration process.
Conclusion
If your organization is looking for an upgrade of business applications or data, then such migration services are in high demand. Also, these ensure the competitive status of one’s organization in the market. Combined and rightfully performing the migration procedures along with Data migration testing, your applications, and data integrity could reach the next levels of efficiency and accuracy.
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