salpeci report series erp in 2014 and beyond€¦ · obtain sign-off for all the individuals and...

Seven WayS To Help DaTa MigraTion During iMpleMenTaTion

SpeCial reporT SerieS

ERP IN 2014 AND BEYOND

INTRODUCTION 3

DevelOp a DaTa MIgRaTION plaN 4

peRfORM a ThOROUgh gap aNalysIs 6

COMMIT ResOURCes TO DaTa CleaNsINg 8

CapTURe DaTa ReqUIReMeNTs 10

pRODUCe DeTaIleD DOCUMeNTaTION fOR DaTa CONveRsIONs 12

peRfORM ITeRaTIve CONveRsIONs aND TesT TheM RepeaTeDly 14

DevelOp a MasTeR DaTa MaNageMeNT sTRaTegy 16

yOUR BesT-pRaCTICe CheCk lIsT 18

CONClUsION 20

aBOUT COlUMBUs 22Columbus Rapidvalue 22Columbus Care 23Columbus Data Migration studio 23

CONTeNTs

Data migration is one of the hardest parts

of an eRp implementation project It tends

to present a high level of complexity and

can be challenging to accomplish with

the desirable accuracy and reliability

however, data migration is also one of the key turning

points where you ready your eRp system to become an

enabler of your growth and goals by bringing into it the

wealth of data from your business history Committing

the appropriate strategic thinking and resources to data

migration will help ensure your long-term eRp success

Because data migration is an important strategic

concern, you need to ensure that you have the buy-in

from all business stakeholders all participants on your

project team must understand their roles along with the

sources and types of data they are responsible for They

also need to be aware of the potential risk to business

operations and organizational viability if data is flawed

or damaged every data migration project is different and

every legacy system presents a specific source format

with certain fields and tables Of course, many tools and

templates can help you with the importing and exporting

of data, but they only go so far

There are no standard scripts available, and the bulk of

the work needs to take place outside of your new eRp

environment To ensure that you get the right data

into the new solution, in the right format, you need to

set realistic time estimates for analysis, development,

and testing Based on our experience in thousands of

challenging — but successful — eRp implementation and

data migration projects, we have documented seven

practical steps that will help keep your data migration

on track and deliver the results you want This is not a

definitive list, but it will help you reduce the complexity

challenge with some insight into the key areas you need

to focus on Remember what is at stake: Without the right,

intact data in the right format, your new eRp solution

will not be able to generate the business benefits you

want to achieve with it With the right data and a sound

strategy to manage it, the eRp system can perform well

in 2014 and for years to come

Introduction

SPECIAL REPORT SERIES


3

Develop a DataMigration plan

Many experts agree that data

migration should be seen as a

separate project or sub-project

to the main eRp implementation

This helps set the right mindset

within the organization to appreciate the importance of

this process The practical starting point is to establish

a data migration project team and ensure that you

have the right people involved, with support and buy-in

from the board The participants of the project team

do not need to be the same people who already take

responsibility for the entire eRp implementation But, as

a group, they need to understand the strategic thinking

behind your eRp deployment and the goals for the new

business management solution They also have to be

fully familiar with your legacy systems and the kind of

information that resides in them

Just like the eRp implementation, data migrations will

involve your colleagues as well as third parties from

consultants and contractors It often helps to build a

matrix or spreadsheet to document the names, contact

detail, roles, and accountabilities of these contributors

you will also want to enlist the participation of the ! find additional information here:

www.columbusglobal.com

4

aCTIONs

Make sure the organization

understands the importance of data

migration

Involve all key

contributors and document their accountabilities

plan data migration

collaboratively in a practical

workshop

IT specialists or consultants who perform the data

cleansing we discuss below Because data cleansing is

a very complex sub-project, you should document and

obtain sign-off for all the individuals and responsibilities

involved

Once you have your team in place, you facilitate a data

migration workshop to plan your data migrations in a

collaborative manner a data migration workshop is a

meeting to set out the approach to be taken during the

data migration project It should take place as early in the

eRp implementation project as possible, preferably at the

same time as the scoping activities a good time might be

following any early solution familiarization for key users,

because many of the required skills and architectural

considerations will be fresh in attendees’ minds

The workshop should include all areas that matter

for data migration, including the scope, data sources,

roles and responsibilities, timescales, data repository,

cleansing, gap analysis, data requirements capture,

loading, testing, and future master data management

The output from the meeting is a data strategy

document to be signed off by the project board This

document should detail the approach and plan for your

data migrations along with roles and responsibilities It

will serve as a shared reference throughout the project



5

Data migration involves much

meticulous work that takes time

and needs careful planning There

are no quick answers or accelerators

proven, reliable tools, templates, and

the knowledge of experienced consultants will

help the process run smoothly, but it still needs

your company and team to make a substantial

commitment of time and resources a thorough

gap analysis, performed very early in the

data migration process, is a critical juncture

where many companies fall short because they

underestimate its importance or the amount of

work needed to complete it The purpose of a gap

analysis is to ensure that your migration will capture

all data that is essential for the new eRp system, as

well as all customer data

perform a Thorough gap analysis

! find additional information here:


6

analyze source data

against data schemas

in the new eRp solution

Involve data cleansing teams

to help ensure all data is captured as

needed

Realistically plan for the

resources and tools you need in

data migration

aCTIONs

To verify this, it is necessary to analyze and compare

the source data against the new eRp data schemas

an efficient way to do so is by extracting key tables

within the scope of the migration out of the eRp system

into Microsoft excel for field-by-field comparison with

the source data any major gaps you find here should

be communicated to the cleansing teams, who need to

make sure that data is captured properly

fields with customer information are fundamental to

the functioning of the business If there is no acceptable,

simple workaround when any such customer data fields

are missing from the new eRp system, once again your

data cleansing and project teams need to become

involved They will then need to investigate which

modifications are necessary to ensure complete data

capture



7

Commit Resources to Data Cleansing

The fi rst step in your data migration

should be ensuring that the data you

want to bring into the new eRp solution

are of sound quality and uncompromised

Basic cleansing of data sources should

take place as promptly as possible after your data

migration workshop following an analysis of the

source data, certain obvious issues and gaps will

become apparent immediately The cleansing

teams should address these as soon as they can

some of the data quality issues you are likely to run

into are fairly predictable for example, the structure

of the tables may be diff erent Concepts at work in one

system may not be present in another The data itself

may be of poor quality, with lots of outdated, incorrect,

or redundant information given changes in the business

and the way it takes advantage of technology, the way

the organization will use the new eRp system might not

even be compatible with the data in legacy systems



8

Create a process

to maintain consistently

excellent data quality

ensure buy-in and commitment

from technical and business stakeholders

aCTIONs

plan for data cleansing early in

the process

The decisions and practical steps needed to perform

successful data cleansing that effectively supports

the eRp deployment require the agreement and, very

possibly, a significant effort from your cleansing teams Of

course, many of the people involved will need to perform

their regular jobs in addition to this assignment The

company and everybody working on the eRp deployment

should understand that good data husbandry pays off

and needs to become a part of the regular IT process

Data of any real worth to a business usually does not exist

in isolation as soon as it is clean, there is the immediate

risk of it becoming compromised again Therefore, you

will need to find a way to monitor continuously that the

data you wish to bring into the new eRp environment is

within your quality criteria Doing so will require regular

reviews of the data against the operational rules that

apply to your deployment project



9

Capture Data Requirements

You need to document data requirements

table by table and field by field The

result of this step should be a document

which combines the new eRp

database schema with any

new tables or fields which are being added to

the solution We recommend that you place all

documentation generated in capturing data

requirements under change control in the same

central repository where you maintain all essential

documents related to the eRp deployment

foundation data should also be included in the scope at

this stage foundation data documentation should be

subject to change control as well Ideally, any additional

values required in any lookup table should be

communicated by means of a formal change

request following this practice will help

ensure that all data environments remain

in sync and the change request will receive

the proper attention



10

establish a change process

to keep foundation data in line with business needs

Document data requirements

in a centralized reference resource

aCTIONs



11

Once you have defined the schema of the

target eRp database and modifications

become available according to a

release plan, technologists can

document how data conversion

will take place The output of this step is a

specification document which details the

mapping and transformation of data from the

source to the target format The target format

should be one which the standard eRp import

routines can recognize for that reason, it should be

based on previously taken extracts This avoids the

need for custom loading scripts

produce Detailed Documentation for Data Conversions



12

Consider generic

source formats to simplify

conversionsperform

additional data cleansing as it becomes

necessary

Maintain complete

documentation of data conversion mapping and steps

aCTIONs

It is necessary to define the source format for each table

In eRp deployments that involve multiple companies

or multiple legacy systems, you may need to define a

generic source format which each source system must

follow This step will also provide you with a repeatable

conversion process for each company

Detailed data conversion documentation may surface

additional cleansing and completion requirements that

you need to pass on to your very busy data cleansing

team The immediately subsequent task for them, of

course, will be to plan the appropriate actions to address

these requirements



13

Each source of data in your operation

may well require a different method of

conversion some data sources may

be a good fit for automatic conversion

with readily available software tools,

and others may need to be manually converted

by team members who follow the

specification documents There is no

one recommended, optimal method

of developing a conversion script

Technologists may want to use a

combination of tools to complete

conversions, including sql server

Integration services, third-party

code-building products, custom code in X++

or other languages, and excel macros

perform Iterative Conversions and Test Them Repeatedly



14

evaluate the actual

benefits and costs of fully converting

legacy data

Test conversions repeatedly,

and then again

set proper expectations for

conversion results and timelines

Closely define conversion actions and

responsibilities in your plan

aCTIONs

your conversion execution plan should define who is

responsible for the conversion of each data table and,

most important, the sequence in which conversions

should take place In the conversion plan, you want to

clarify and define the target environment as well as

the company or companies affected by the planned

conversions

your planning should also document for the project team

what data conversions are scheduled for which times It

may not be possible to release a full data set in the first

instance of a conversion, and a phased release may be

necessary you want to set the right expectations to

make sure your stakeholders understand that the loading

process using excel imports can be time-consuming

Other methods which avoid these delays require more

specialized developer skills your eRp implementation

partner should be able to assist with resources and

expertise

We cannot emphasize enough how critical the testing of

your conversions is Once a converted data set exists in a

company, it should first be sense-checked before being

released for testing by the project team

you need to allocate enough time in the project plan

for conducting tests of key processes to ensure that

the conversion is valid In an activity of this complexity,

re-work is inevitable and not at all an indicator of failure

But you need to allow time for it as well We recommend

that you plan for at least two releases of data

Many organizations are anxious to transfer their

transactional history data so that they have a

complete record in the new eRp system however,

the benefit of doing so is never as great as the

time and cost it requires Therefore, when it comes

to converting your legacy or historical data, you

should carefully weigh its benefits and costs We

recommend that you migrate legacy data into a

separate, referenced sql database or cube for

cross analysis with the new system Once legacy

data is reliably archived, you can think about the

best business intelligence tools to access and make

sense of the information as an alternative, you could

simply leave the data in the old database for user

reference



15

Much like the initial

implementation is just

one critical step in the

long lifecycle of the eRp

solution, data migrations are one

phase in the life of your organization’s wealth of data

your data projects should not end with the solution’s

go-live date strategic, consistent data management

is vital throughout the life of the eRp solution to help

your company obtain the business benefits it seeks

to achieve with eRp standardized workflows, process

maps, templates, and mandatory fields all help to ensure

that users enter the right kind of data at the right time

and do not develop bad habits, such as taking short cuts

Throughout the life of your eRp solution,

you need to have the assurance that a

team or person in the organization takes

responsibility for monitoring and analyzing the

cleanliness and integrity of your data so that your eRp

solution can always enable the best possible business

results

If your organization does not yet have a master data

management strategy, the implementation of an eRp

solution would be an opportune time to articulate it and

put it into practice as opposed to transactional data,

master data pertain to the people, things, places, and

concepts that are essential to your business

Develop a Master Data Management strategy



16

Develop a strategy

for managing information

throughout the eRp lifecycle

Consider the value of master data

management for your organization

Involve your technology partner in

helping you plan information

management

aCTIONs

Closely connected to your business processes and

strategic objectives, master data management primarily

includes the processes and technologies you use to

create and maintain accurate and consistent master

data Within your master data management discipline,

you define data formats, sources, use models, and users;

devise a data governance program; monitor and maintain

data quality and integrity; manage data hierarchies; keep

data stewards informed and accountable; and other

important tasks Many consultancies and technology

providers offer valid, proven tools and approaches

to assist your master data management your eRp

implementation partner will be the best resource to get

you started



17

□ Make sure the organization understands the importance of data migration

□ Involve all key contributors and document their accountabilities

□ plan data migration collaboratively in a practical workshop

□ Realistically plan for the resources and tools you need in data migration

□ analyze source data against data schemas in the new eRp solution

□ Involve data cleansing teams to help ensure all data is captured as needed

□ plan for data cleansing early in the process

□ ensure buy-in and commitment from technical and business stakeholders

□ Create a process to maintain consistently excellent data quality

□ Document data requirements in a centralized reference resource

□ establish a change process to keep foundation data in line with business needs

□ Maintain complete documentation of data conversion mapping and steps

□ Consider generic source formats to simplify conversions

□ perform additional data cleansing as it becomes necessary

your Best-practice Check list:



18

□ Closely define conversion actions and responsibilities in your plan

□ set proper expectations for conversion results and timelines

□ Test conversions repeatedly, and then again

□ evaluate the actual benefits and costs of fully converting legacy data

□ Develop a strategy for managing information throughout the eRp lifecycle

□ Consider the value of master data management for your organization

□ Involve your technology partner in helping you plan information management



19

Conclusion

Successful data migration strategies

are as individual as the companies that

implement eRp systems In every case,

they require a significant commitment

of resources and careful planning If you

perform these critical steps diligently, take the time

for extensive testing and quality assurance, and keep

business stakeholders involved in critical decisions,

your eRp deployment enjoys a high probability of being

able to deliver the business results the company hopes

to achieve in 2014 and future years your trusted

technology partner will be your best go-to resource to

plan data migrations in line with your goals for the eRp

implementation The practical guidelines we share here

from our experience reinforce that data migration is a

critically important task, but they can also help you tame

its complexity and speed you on your way to generating

measurable benefits from your eRp solution

Contact us to find out more or receive assistance with

your eRp project

You may also find the other papers in our ERP in

2014 and Beyond series helpful:

| seven Ways to avoid eRp failure

| seven Ways to Optimize your existing eRp solution

| seven Reasons to Consider eRp Deployment in the Cloud

| seven Ways That Business process Management Can Improve your eRp Implementation



20



21

about Columbus Columbus RapidvalueColumbus is an industry-based consultancy and

award-winning technology developer focused on the

manufacturing, food processing, and retail industries We

are the preferred consultancy for ambitious companies

wanting to streamline business processes, improve

operational efficiencies, reduce costs, and improve

visibility into their businesses

Our approach to solving our clients’ issues can best

be described as proactive We challenge our clients’

traditional ways of thinking, help them see new

opportunities for improvements, and take responsibility

to drive change in their organizations We’ve delivered

these business benefits for over 25 years to many of the

leading companies worldwide

Columbus is a long-time developer of award-winning

industry software and has recently become well known

for developing Columbus Rapidvalue Rapidvalue

is a business process management tool that drives

increased client value for eRp solutions It delivers

a shorter implementation with more predictable

results by incorporating hundreds of best industry

practices accumulated through in over 6,000 Columbus

implementations This allows Columbus to focus on

streamlining the processes that make our clients unique

Companies all over the world are investing in Rapidvalue

and enjoy the benefits of shorter times to value, quicker

and less risky implementations, and the industry

leadership and knowledge acquired from the thousands

of Columbus deployments that preceded theirs



22

ColumbusCareColumbusCare is unique to Columbus —it is how we take care of our clients, 24/7 worldwide With ColumbusCare, you get a well-trained team dedicated to improve your system’s efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and risk resistance Whether you’re looking for enterprise-level support, upgrade options, or system enhancements, ColumbusCare provides flexible service levels to meet the needs of your business

Columbus Data Migration studioColumbus Data Migration studio enables streamlined and cost-effective migrations that minimize difficulties, time and costs, while ensuring the reliability and integrity of your data Data Migration studio can help you unleash the potential of your eRp solution and enable your organization to efficiently migrate large amounts of data quickly and easily



23

’Columbus’ is a part of the registered trademark ‘Columbus iT’

speCIal RepORT seRIes:eRp IN 2014 aND BeyOND

seven Ways To avoid eRp

Implementation failure

seven ReasonsTo Consider eRp

In The Cloud

seven Ways To help Data

Migration During Implementation

seven WaysTo Optimize

your existing eRp solution

seven Ways That Business process Management Can Improve your eRp Implementation

salpeci report series erp in 2014 and beyond€¦ · obtain sign-off for all the individuals and...

Documents