The 8 Steps to

Successful Enterprise
Data Migration
 ETL / Excel is Not Enough to Successfully
Deliver an Enterprise Data Migration
When choosing to invest in a digital transformation, you need a solution and methodology for the data
migration that sets you up for success. Enterprises are continuously looking to optimize their investments,
upgrade their systems, increase their cloud footing, or improve their data quality, and data migration
effectiveness factors into the success of every one of them.

What’s commonly seen as a time-consuming, costly endeavor, data migration can be turned into a
valuable opportunity. Too often, data migrations become a drain on resources as a result of relying on an
oversimplified “lift and shift” approach. This is because Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) tools only account
for three out of the eight steps necessary for an effective data migration and are simply not complete
enough to deliver on-time, on-budget.

Data Migration Objectives

Enterprises typically install three objectives when initiating a data migration:

1. Optimize spend on software and services to reduce total spend

2. Create a minimized risk profile so the project is delivered on time and on budget

3. Deliver value during and post-migration with what we learn about the systems, rules, and
knowledge that’s captured as part of that migration effort

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 The Risks of Relying on an ETL / Excel Approach
In building an approach to digital transformation, one key topic always arises – how to move the data? There’s been plenty of approaches over the years, and for as
long as migrating data has been around, Excel has sat at the heart of it. However, there’s always been a problem – an Excel/ DIY approach using solely ETL technology
does not work if the source landscape or data construction isn’t standardized.

At Syniti, we’ve seen many costly consequences of ETL/Excel-based projects over the years, and the reason many enterprises got into trouble is that they failed to
understand the risks. To overview, here’s some common pitfalls aggregated by Syniti’s data experts:

Expansive Project Teams, working in harmful silos Lack of Project Visibility for IT Leadership and Executives
With an ETL-based approach to an enterprise-scale migration project, the data team, With so much individual work in a migration project, it’s a big challenge for program leaders

business people, and developers work independently while project managers work furiously to compile real-time status updates for themselves or for executive leadership. Without

in the background to hold things together. Excel is typically used to gather mapping easy-to-access dashboards, fuelled by real-time, activity-based insights into project

requirements, collect missing data, and document transformation requirements that will be status and timeline, project leaders can struggle to pivot projects based on the reality of

implemented in ETL tooling. With the potential for thousands of Excel spreadsheets being the situation, which leads to increased risk. Executives too, are more likely to be more

worked on and mailed around, version control can become a huge issue, as can testing distrustful and concerned by the whole program’s direction which can lead to a lack of

and quality control. For most companies, the answer to this controlled chaos is to throw resources or worse.

expensive human resources at the problem to try to wrestle it to completion, but this does Bottom Line: Greater risk of not delivering on-time and on-expectation, and of the boss
not come without radically increased costs. getting frustrated.

Bottom Line: Greater risks of a failed go-live and increased project costs

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 You Go-live But The Data is Still Poor
Getting data “lifted and shifted” from the source to the target system isn’t the definitive
success factor for a data migration. While a technical migration is the fastest way to move
from one system to another, if the data isn’t configured, harmonized, and mapped properly
to the target system’s demands then the new system simply won’t be as functional as
desired. Not “rightsizing” the data also means you are paying more for storage and the
infrastructure required to maintain it. This lack of data quality and rightsizing focus in
the ETL/Excel approach can cost a business valuable time and resources, limiting the
effectiveness of the target system when it switches on.
Bottom Line: Risk of elongated time-to-value, unhappy users/ customers, expensive IT
upkeep
Your Data is Vulnerable
The ETL/Excel approach has serious flaws in regard to its security of data. Mailing
spreadsheets around with personal, private and business data exposes a business to a
number of deliberate hacks and accidental human errors. Without a central repository,
securely protected by enterprise-grade firewall technology, it’s only a matter of time
before a vulnerability in the ETL/Excel process causes significant financial and reputational
consequences for the enterprise.
Bottom Line: Your data is vulnerable without a central data repository
03 DATA MIGRATION
Limited Code Automation Results in Inconsistent Results
With thousands of data mapping and data harmonization challenges to address, developers
and data stewards can quickly become overwhelmed. Relying on an ETL/Excel approach
means limited or no automated code creation and a lack of no-code development
capabilities. Additionally, ETL tools do not prevent the creation of poorly written ETL code.
This significantly increases the need for bespoke modifications and long rounds of testing,
increasing the chances of complications and delays.
Bottom Line: Increased need for custom code generation and more points of potential
failure
You Throw Away Your Hard Work
While ETL and Excel (combined with a lot of manpower) may get a project over the line,
it doesn’t naturally capture all the knowledge generated during the project and make it
available for re-use in future migrations and data projects. Organizations looking to conduct
another migration, data quality, master data management, or any other data initiative, will
need to start from square one to rebuild any rules from the migration again from scratch.
Bottom Line: Your next project is going to cost more and take longer than it needs to
ETL/ Excel may appear to be the simplest or the path of least
resistance on the surface, but as shown here, there are plenty of
risks with taking this unautomated, unaligned approach to enterprise
data migration.
The good news is that ETL and Excel is not the only way to tackle
data migration.
Next, we’ll discover Syniti’s 8 step methodology. We’ll learn what
each step is, why it’s valuable, and how it delivers a different, more
successful outcome than an ETL/excel approach.
 The 8 Steps

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 Why are Syniti’s 8 Steps important?

Comprehensive, best practive driven migration

process that is proven to:
Accelerate migrations Lower operating cexpenses

Increase efficiency Lower costs

Reduce unplanned downtime

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 Extract
Fast, Intelligent Data Extraction Deliver complete data
ecosystem visibility
Collect and import copies of your source and target data using point and click
automated extraction for staging in the Syniti Knowledge Platform. Use powerful
purpose-built scanners and automation to quickly access the data structure.

THE SYNITI DIFFERENCE 1 Day vs

2+ Weeks
Powerful Metadata Scanners

Your Data, Where You Want It

Any Source, Any Target

Reduce data definition
time through automation

06 DATA MIGRATION *IDC Study, Business Value of Syniti Knowledge Platform, 2022
 Assess
AI-Driven, Value-Based Data Assessment Right-sized, Well-planned
Data Migration Roadmap
Combine technical understanding of the data landscape with business knowledge
to build complete picture of the required project roadmap. Use Syniti’s data quality
assessments and matching engine to define a comprehensive plan and identify
value-generating quick wins.

THE SYNITI DIFFERENCE

Proven, Value-Based DQ Reports

AI/ML Capabilities
$3.45m
25+ Years of Data Expertise
Average Annual Benefits of
Syniti’s Migration Approach

07 DATA MIGRATION *IDC Study, Business Value of Syniti Knowledge Platform, 2022
 Design
Accelerated Data Design and Mapping Engage All Stakeholders
with Mapping Iteration
Define your scope and build your target design in the point and click, cloud-based
Management
platform. Accelerate your efforts with suggested mappings, and then collaborate
with business stakeholders using simple functionality to jumpstart your efforts.

THE SYNITI DIFFERENCE

Secure, Data Design Sandbox

Point and Click Functionality

46%*
Automated Code Generation and Content Accelerators
Faster Data Migration
Projects

08 DATA MIGRATION *IDC Study, Business Value of Syniti Knowledge Platform, 2022
 Enrich
Simple, Collaborative Data Enrichment Capture and Validate Data
in One Cloud Tool
Create simple web forms to empower users to enrich and improve data. Construct
new data, cleanse irrelevant/ bad data, and create fixes for potential transformation
blockers (i.e. no country codes).

THE SYNITI DIFFERENCE

Low/No Code Web Forms

Track Enrichment Tasks By User

Back up/ Restore Capability

Track Progress with User
Tasking and Workflow

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 Transform
Optimized, Progressive Data Identify Issues and Fix
Data Errors in Minutes,
Transformation not Days.
Run transformation rules created in ‘Design’ and begin the testing and rule
refinement process. Analyze the results and iterate through agile data sprints to
optimize data rule effectiveness.

THE SYNITI DIFFERENCE

Repeatable, Quick Process

Automated Code Generation

53%*
Full Visibility for Managers
More Efficient Data
Migration Teams

10 DATA MIGRATION *IDC Study, Business Value of Syniti Knowledge Platform, 2022
 Simulate
Reduce Risk with Proactive Simulation Optimize Data to Match
Business Processes
Simulate a data migration release in a secure test environment. Analyze rule
performance through pre-load reports to identify load challenges and introduce
immediate fixes before the actual cutover.

THE SYNITI DIFFERENCE

Sandbox Testing Environment

Automated Reports
98%*
Errors Eliminated Before Load
Reduction in Unplanned
Downtime

11 DATA MIGRATION *IDC Study, Business Value of Syniti Knowledge Platform, 2022
 Load
Swift, Efficient Data Loading Only Load Business-
Ready Data
Your data preparation work pays off as simple, click and go mechanism initiates the
transfer of your business-ready data to the target system. The SKP’s compatibility
with leading ETL platform helps makes loading frictionless.

THE SYNITI DIFFERENCE

Integrates with Leading Load Tools

Compatible with SAP Migration Cockpit

$914k*
25+ Years of Loading Experience
Average Reduction in
Operating Expenses for
SKP Users

12 DATA MIGRATION *IDC Study, Business Value of Syniti Knowledge Platform, 2022
 Reconcile
Business-Validated, Data Fully Auditable and
Traceable Results
Migration Review
Pull data back out of target system to compare actual load results vs. expected.
Analyze the migration metrics, errors, and defects for a spot check, and reconcile
any new issues with business users.

THE SYNITI DIFFERENCE

Pre-Defined Dashboards

Automated Issue Identification

38%*
Designed for Business Users
Reduced Data
Migration Costs

13 DATA MIGRATION *IDC Study, Business Value of Syniti Knowledge Platform, 2022
 Migration Acclerating Technologies
Project Orchestration
Create goals, timelines, and milestones for your
project. Build and manage your team of technical,
data, and business stakeholders, and track the
project through built-in, pre-defined reports and
metrics.
Content Accelerators
Jumpstart data migration projects with pre-
packaged mappings from many source-to-target
scenarios. Load accelerators and streamline
manual mapping to just the customized objects.
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AI-Driven Data Cleansing
Perform matching, de-duplication, and lookup
on billions of records in only five minutes using
the SKP’s built-in matching engine. Use Artificial
Intelligence, proprietary algorithms, and powerful
customization options to maximize matches across
complex datasets.
Knowledge Capture/Reuse
Use the cloud-based data catalog as a central
storage repository of all enterprise metadata, rules
and processes. Share and apply this knowledge
across the enterprise for acceleration and
standardization of all future data projects.
Workflow
Follow pre-defined project paths and workflows.
Assign and notify stakeholders of mapping and
enrichment tasks. Work in harmony with fellow
stakeholders and alert them of changes and next
steps.
Reporting
Use pre-built reports to track progress against load
goals and monitor target data readiness. Automate
the creation of executive-friendly reports to keep all
your stakeholders informed.
 See What Syniti
About Syniti can do for you
For more information or to book a
Syniti solves the world’s most complex data challenges by uniquely combining intelligent, AI-driven consultation with Syniti’s Data Migration
software and vast data expertise to yield certain and superior business outcomes. For over 25 experts, visit Syniti.com
years, Syniti has partnered with the Fortune 2000 to unlock valuable insights that ignite growth,
reduce risk and increase their competitive advantage. Syniti’s silo-free enterprise data management
platform supports data migration, data quality, data replication, master data management, analytics, More on Data Migration
data governance, and data strategy in a single, unified solution. Syniti is a portfolio company of
private equity firm Bridge Growth Partners LLC. Read more at www.Syniti.com. Contact Us

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 syniti.com | @syniti

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