What makes a Data Migration successful is dependent on a lot of moving parts, and all of these need to fall into place to get to the end goal of a successful and complete data migration. Being able to see these moving parts every step of the way is vital to getting the outcome you need. This visibility will allow for issues to be identified and fixed quickly, regular reporting to check the project is on track, and for stakeholders to be kept informed. And with every data migration having its own set of unique requirements, there is no one size fits all approach.
So how is this visibility achieved? By building custom reports that provide access to information and insights for decision making along the way, facilitating smooth project progression no matter the business or industry.
Custom Reports vs off the shelf
Given the complexity of data migration projects, generic off-the-shelf reporting solutions often fall short as they don’t have the ability to capture intricacies and nuances specific to each project.
Building a custom report specific to your project allows for visibility tailored to your business needs, project objectives and audience. Once built, you pick the dimensions and metrics you need to see and decide the format you’d like it displayed in. Then it’s simply a case of taking action based off the data you see.
Benefits of Custom Reports
Being able to see what’s happening in real-time can make your project. The benefits are multiple.
Catch issues or discrepancies fast
By crafting reports that align with the unique data structures and needs of the migration project, stakeholders gain real-time insights into potential bottlenecks, data integrity issues, and discrepancies. This proactive approach gives the project team the knowledge to address issues promptly and minimise disruption so that the project can progresses.
Get and keep stakeholders on board
Imagine being able to give stakeholders a clear and concise overview of where the project is at on a regular basis. Through customised dashboards, charts and metrics, stakeholders can see how the project is performing against key milestones, identify areas of concern, and make informed decisions. Sharing reports helps foster transparency and enhances collaboration, providing stakeholders with the confidence to support the project.
Tailor reports to the most important project needs
The right reporting approach must be tailored to suit the specific needs of the project. Custom reports can be designed to address various aspects of a migration, including data quality assessment, migration status tracking, and post-migration validation.
Reports tailored to specific industry needs
Many industries have their own distinct data landscape, regulatory, compliance and migration requirements. Custom report building can ensure these are adhered to throughout the project. Examples include:
Healthcare: In healthcare data migrations, custom reports can aid in tracking patient records, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, and identifying discrepancies in medical histories.
Finance: Financial institutions rely on custom reports to ensure the accurate transfer of sensitive financial data, monitor transactional integrity, and comply with stringent regulatory frameworks.
Retail: Retailers leverage custom reports to streamline inventory management, track customer data migration, and optimise supply chain operations.
When and where to start
Custom reports should be developed early in the data migration planning phase to ensure alignment with project objectives and requirements. A detailed brief for the report build is essential and should include:
Project objectives: Clearly outline the goals and objectives of the data migration project.
Data requirements: Specify the types of data to be migrated, including any specific formats or structures.
Key metrics: Linked to the project objectives, identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to be tracked through the custom reports.
Audience preferences: Consider what the various stakeholders will need to see, how they review the data and how they’ll use the information. This will influence the report format, frequency, and accessibility.
Integration Needs: Assess any integration requirements with existing systems or tools for seamless report generation and sharing.
Visibility and transparency are necessities in successful data migration projects, offering tailored insights, delivering quick issue identification, and enhancing stakeholder management. At Data Sauce we can work with you to build the right reports for your data migration, enabling your project to stay on time, within budget and to achieve the set objectives. If you feel like you’re entering your data migration project and you can see black spots ahead get in touch, we’d love to help.