What is Data Migration?
Data migration is the process of moving data from one system to another, typically from a legacy application into a new ERP.
Definition
Data migration is the structured process of transferring data from existing or legacy systems into a new system, most often as part of an ERP implementation. It involves extracting data from source systems, cleansing and transforming it to fit the target structure, loading it into the new system, and validating that it arrived accurately and completely. Migration covers both master data such as customers, suppliers, and items, and transactional data such as open orders and balances. Poor data migration is one of the most common causes of ERP project delays and post-go-live problems.
How Data Migration Works in ERP
During an ERP rollout, project teams map fields from the old system to the new ERP's data model, clean duplicates and errors, and decide how much historical data to bring across. Data is usually loaded through import templates or APIs, then reconciled against source totals to confirm integrity. Teams often run trial loads into a sandbox before the production cutover to catch mapping and quality issues. A clean migration is essential because the ERP becomes the single source of truth once it goes live.
ERP Vendors with Strong Data Migration
SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud
Standardised cloud ERP with quarterly auto-upgrades and low TCO
Oracle NetSuite
The original cloud ERP — built for fast-growing companies
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Modular ERP + CRM tightly integrated with Microsoft 365
Infor CloudSuite
Industry-specific cloud ERP suites on AWS
Frequently Asked Questions
How much historical data should I migrate into a new ERP?
Most projects migrate all open transactions and master data plus a limited window of history, because importing many years of closed transactions adds cost and risk without much operational benefit; older history is often archived for reference instead.
When should data migration happen in an ERP project?
Migration is planned early and tested repeatedly in trial loads, with the final production load executed during the cutover window just before go-live so balances and open items are current.