I have substantial experience in working on projects which have a direct impact on the day-to-day business value of my current employer, for whom I am employed as a Salesforce Developer. Recently, I have been focusing on migrating data from an existing system to Salesforce.
In many cases, it’s essential to move on from old data.
It enables you to collate all of your consumer data in one place, providing you with a more comprehensive understanding. Furthermore, it could potentially facilitate the exchange of information between departments (e.g. machine learning for marketing or product development). However, this is not a simple task to accomplish.
I am currently providing assistance to the client in migrating data from their existing system to Salesforce. It has been a challenging task to gain an understanding of the existing system and identify how to implement its logic into the new Salesforce infrastructure. I have gained a lot of knowledge during this process, however, I believe that the following three are the most essential to ensure a successful legacy data conversion project.
Talk to the appropriate people about the right things.
First, make sure you have a solid grasp of the project’s parameters. Just what are we hoping to accomplish here?
It is important to recognize the complexity of the task before you. To gain a better understanding of the amount of work required, it is recommended to consult with experienced personnel familiar with the legacy platform.
Secondly, and more demanding, is ensuring that you understand the historical information: Are you able to explain the data’s structure and why certain patterns appear?
In order to successfully migrate the existing data to the new Salesforce platform, it is essential to have a full understanding of the data being migrated. Careful examination of each field with analysts and business personnel who are knowledgeable about the field should be conducted.
If you don’t want to be caught off guard by anything unexpected during the migration, consider asking the following recommended questions:
- What kind of quality does the data have?
- Can you describe the data dependencies?
- Can existing accounts be transferred to the new system?
- What percentage of your data is old and what percentage is new?
- Is there any information that is identical to other files?
- How consistent is the data throughout collections (differences in contracts, price, terms, number forms, capitalization, etc.)?
It is essential that both technical experts and commercial leaders in the field are involved, as they possess a comprehensive understanding of the information and its potential applications.
The most prevalent cause of data migration issues is postponing the involvement of subject matter experts until later in the process.
Locate the most suitable integration approach and set of tools
Data migration to Salesforce presents certain challenges due to the resource use constraints, latency concerns, and custom code that restrict its bulk loading. As a result, it is not feasible to upload all the data in one go. To address this, it is recommended to carry out the migration in stages.
To ensure that the migration process is successful, it is essential to use the right equipment. This is due to several factors. To avoid having to manually migrate multiple waves, it is advisable to automate some of the key steps. This will allow for a reliable application of the procedure for each wave.
By leveraging external technologies, data can be imported and exported from Salesforce efficiently and without needing to write complex code or rely on data engineering. This will help to save time and reduce effort.
Data integration and verification of the standards of interoperability are essential elements of database management. By utilizing data integration tools, any mistakes or inconsistencies within data files can be identified and rectified before they become an issue.
Since Mulesoft was bought up by Salesforce in 2022, I’ve been utilizing it for this project because of how well it integrates with Salesforce.
The success of any tool depends on the competence of its user. To guarantee that the right protocols and notifications are implemented, an expert on the existing platform should be included in the integration process. Once their effectiveness has been confirmed, you can move on to automating and increasing the scale of the process.
Always put safety first.
If the data you’re moving includes sensitive information about customers or workers, or is being moved in general, security must be your first focus.
Given that cloud-based solutions are essentially built on code, it is necessary to update the security protocols and processes that were established in the legacy on-premises system.
A data security strategy and road map including the following factors is required:
Compliance with applicable regulations
When transferring data to another country or state, it is essential to be aware of any regional guidelines and to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.Management of identities and access permissions
If the data in your organisation has varying levels of sensitivity, your security strategy must take this into consideration. An effective identity management system will guarantee that only authorised personnel have access to the data and will only grant them permission to view the data they are entitled to.Encryption
Both at-rest encryption and in-transit encryption are required before moving data to the cloud.Administration in the Cloud
If you want to take use of the cloud’s agility, integration, and continuity for your governance processes, you’ll need to reorganise them.Controlled from one location
The security team should be able to evaluate the project’s security efficiently by utilising a unified selection of security technologies located both on-premises and in the cloud.Backups
In case something goes wrong during the migration process, you should always restore from a backup.
Mulesoft provides a platform that automates the Salesforce conversion process, offering the significant benefit of addressing many of the associated security concerns.
Some Closing Remarks
Migrating data can be a complex task with potential risks. However, with the correct scope definition, approach, tools and security measures in place, the chances of success are significantly increased. It is therefore recommended to consult the relevant experts before commencing the project.
Are you prepared to move your information from your current system to Salesforce?
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