IBM FileNet P8, Version 5.2.1            

Data migration: Recommendations for analyzing migration results

A critical phase of data migration is to analyze the impact of the import on the destination system. Use the change impact analysis tool to help you with this analysis.

The complex dependencies between business data assets require consideration when you migrate this type of data. A more iterative migration process might be needed for the migration of business data, when compared to the migration of an application. This iterative process can result in multiple export and import actions within a single overall migration. Reports on potential import errors in the destination environment and the impact of the changes on the destination environment can be used to identify the dependencies and refine the migration process. These reports include the reports generated by the FileNet® Deployment Manager change impact analysis tool.

The information in the change impact analysis report can be examined to find issues and improve the migration process. These issues include the add-on features or configurations that are missing from the destination environment, required items that are missing from the converted deployment data set, or unexpected items that are present in the converted deployment data set. The issues must be corrected before the import can proceed. Corrective actions might include the following examples:
  • Installing and configuring third-party components for the application that generated the object instances to be migrated.
  • Following a recommended practice to export and import the data design components first, before migrating the instance data. Design components might include class definitions, property templates, or choice lists.
  • Exporting the assets from the source again, with a more focused set of include options. This action can ensure that the deployment data set contains only objects that are required.

During a data migration process, large amounts of data might be imported. The amount of data that is imported can significantly affect the time and resources that can be applied to the analysis phase of migration. For those cases, the analysis could be completed on a representative subset of the data. If you use this approach, ensure that a backup of the system is available before starting the import. The system backup enables you to address issues, reset the system, and try the import again if errors do occur.

If the import is a part of the migration of production data, follow the entire migration process, including setting up the analysis phase on a test environment before doing the actual migration for the production environment. Using a test environment provides an opportunity understand potential errors and develop procedures to correct them.



Last updated: October 2015
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