Businesses planning a cloud data migration must test the migration tool and service of the migration vendor they plan to partner with. It is through proper cloud data migration testing that it becomes possible to gauge the capabilities and security of the tool.
Companies can also use the cloud data migration testing phase to have their technical or migration-specific queries addressed by the migration vendor.
Here are the five action items to ensure a proper migration test:
1. Prepare a Small Number of User Accounts To Test Migrate
One of the fundamentals of cloud data migration testing that businesses must get right is to prepare a small number of real user accounts to test migrate them to the destination cloud. For example, suppose your company is planning to migrate Dropbox to OneDrive. In that case, you can either use some existing Dropbox user accounts or create a couple of new accounts to test migrate them to OneDrive.
Using real user accounts and not just some dummy accounts helps you or your IT team get assurance of the capability of the migration tool. Also, clarifying how user accounts are migrated helps shape the entire migration planning process.
2. Migrate Features To Simulate a Real Migration Scenario
Apart from choosing a specific set of user accounts and data to test migrate, you must also consider migrating features such as sharing permissions, embedded links, timestamps, external shares, versions, in-line comments, and shared links.
Choosing these types of complex features during the cloud data migration testing phase helps you understand how the migration tool replicates the source cloud structure in the destination cloud. You must also test migrate source cloud-specific features critical for end-user collaboration.
For example, when migrating from Box to Google Drive, it is essential to test migrate Box Notes. This helps you get clarity on how the migration tool transfers them and converts them to formats that Google Drive supports.
3. Test Auto-mapping as Well as CSV Mapping
A business data migration plan cannot be definitive; it needs to be dynamic and flexible enough to adapt to unforeseen changes. Therefore, as part of prepping for the actual migration, businesses must test auto-mapping as well as CSV mapping.
While auto-mapping can work excellently for migrations between two similar clouds (e.g., Google Drive to OneDrive migration), it may not work accurately for migrations between two clouds that are totally different from each other.
4. Explore the Replication of the Depth of Folders
Accurate replication of the depth of folders matters a lot for businesses that prioritize user account hierarchy and access level. Replicating the folder structure of the source cloud in the destination cloud helps ensure that the user hierarchy and content access level do not get disrupted.
Checking the replication of the folder structure during the cloud data migration testing phase also helps you understand the accuracy of root and inner permissions transfer. An overview of the migration tool’s folder structure and permissions retention capabilities helps you gain confidence in strategizing the migration’s scope of work.
5. Request a Delta Migration Demo as Well
Many businesses do not request delta migration demos during the cloud data migration testing phase. However, this is a loophole that must be avoided. As part of exploring the full capabilities of the migration tool, you must also check out the tool’s data migration capabilities.
Delta migration plays a mission-critical role in shaping the success of large-sized migrations. This is because large enterprise data migration projects take a long time to complete, and end-users make many incremental changes in the source cloud during that time.
