Over the years the LiftShift team has learned that the success of a file migration starts with asking the right questions. The right questions can uncover hidden challenges and mitigate project risk.
Consider reviewing the following questions with your migration team as you plan the next move between systems:
- What file types does your current system (legacy system) have?
- What file types will the new system (dayforward system) support?
- How will the files look in the dayforward system?
- How will files be retrieved in the dayforward system?
- Are any of the legacy system's files stored in a proprietary format?
- Are any of the legacy system's files password protected or encrypted?
- Are any of the legacy system's files stored as BLOBs and will the migration team extract these?
- Are any of the legacy system's files stored as PDFs and do they need to be text searchable?
- Are any of the legacy system's file stored in XML, HTML, JSON, or another proprietary format and can the migration team convert these to a useable format?
- Are all of the legacy files correctly typed? For example, is a .pdf actually a PDF file?
- Does the legacy system store files by page, and will these pages need to be combined into one file?
- Does the legacy system allow users to delete individual pages in a document, and should deleted pages be migrated?
- Does the legacy system allow users to delete files, and should deleted files be migrated?
- Are you aware of any corrupt files or pages in the legacy system?
- Does the legacy system store version history of the files and is the version history being migrated?
- Does the legacy system store file paths in the database, and are the file paths encrypted?
- Is additional metadata stored in the legacy database, or does metadata need to extracted from the files? For example, do you retrieve files by looking up a name, report number, description, or another value?
- Is the folder structure of your files relevant to metadata? (i.e. do you store files by department?)
- How are file permissions determined and stored in your current system (database, Auth0, Okta, active directory, etc.), and what will they look like moving forward?
- Has your organization performed a migration from a previous system into your legacy system in the past?
- How will the data be reconciled and what are the risks with this approach?
These questions will not cover the entire scope of your migration, but they will help uncover unique challenges, open further conversations, and can help mitigate unplanned risks.
Are you planning your upcoming file migration or stuck untangling a failed migration? Reach out directly to brendon@liftshift.io or schedule a free consult to learn how LiftShift can help.