First step of Data Migration is to move the data out of the existing system
Data Migration simply means to move data from one Technical Management System to another. It involves several steps such as exporting, cleaning, moving, testing and importing data.
Moving data from an existing system is the first step and these challengea are described in detail in this paper: It’s your data.
If you are using a professional system this is not an issue as the data is structured in a proper and understandable data model.
Cleaning the data if required
When changing from one system to another, some companies take the opportunity to clean data. This process can vary from case to case. It can be as simple as removing data over a certain age, but it can also involve more complex scenarios as harmonizing item, component and maintenance data across a fleet.
Moving the data to a neutral staging area
This step is quite important as it gives the opportunity to change and correct data according to agreed rules and still being able to check consistency. This enables raising the quality of the data and improve value before moving data into the new solution.
Check data for consistency and business rules before Data Migration
When data is in the staging area it can be checked for consistency. It is possible to match the data with the business rules of the organization and enables the possibility to create macros.
You can make the process repeatable if rules are changed and different data cleansing rules are applied during the migration process.
Importing data
The last step is to import data into the new solution. Although this might sound simple, it requires very strict principles. In many cases data is shared between office and the individual vessels, so the sequence in which data is imported into the new system is important.
Data Migration, validation and test
Data migration is often a process that is repeated several times to check that all agreed rules and data cleansing is done in the agreed way. The process from bringing data from the old system to the new system with all the described steps must therefore be automated. Otherwise, there is a risk of errors and the process becomes cumbersome and time consuming.
The article covers:
- Ownership and Access to Data
- The Data Structure
- Data Migration Principles
- Manual Data Conversion
- Master Data Management
- Data Migration Recommendations
