Data Migration 101: Answers to the Common Questions

As business owners usually put huge efforts and generous investments into a new platform, they treat data migration as a simple task. In reality, data migration is a complex project where a lack of planning and a random migration tool can lead to business downtime.

In this data migration guide, we collected all frequently asked questions about our service to ensure you experience a successful migration. The list covers topics on:

• migration process
• customization
• payment process

Migration Process: 16 Tips for a Smooth Setting up

Preparation makes anything perfect, and this quote relates to data migration as well. So, when you start planning the data transfer, do the following:

• assess the data you want to migrate;
• set up a realistic budget and time;
• plan the old system retirement;
• choose a migration tool (*which is most important).

But a migration tool isn’t just about supported platforms and security. It’s more about functionality and customer support. Here’s what you need to know about our tool and migration experts.

1. What should I do to migrate to another platform?

First things first, you need to do some preparations and planning. That involves:

• Step 1. Choose the target solution.

We support a growing list of the supported platforms from which you can select your next software. Or check out our blog for detailed reviews and comparisons.

• Step 2. Estimate the cost for your data migration.

Go to our pricing page and fill in the source and target platforms, and the number of records in your current solution. This way, you can manage your budget.

• Step 3. Audit the existing data.

This way, you can: a) speed up your data migration; b) reduce the price of the data transfer; c) eliminate the invalid and duplicated data.

• Step 4. Inform your team about the future data migration.

Give them time to learn how to use the new solution. Schedule a Demo migration before importing all the data.

• Step 5. Figure out what access credentials you need to run a data migration.

You can check out our knowledge base or go to the official website of each vendor.

2. Can I migrate 20 records as a test run?

If you want to move a specific set of 20 records as a Demo, request a Custom Demo. Collect the IDs of the required records you want to export and provide them to our support reps. Then they will set up a Custom Demo with that data.

3. Can I transfer historical data from the source system?

That depends on the type of record you want to import. In any case, you can request a custom Full Data Migration to get all your historical data. If there are any limitations, our support reps will notify you.

4. How to run a Demo Migration?

A Demo migration is a process when the Migration Wizard moves a small batch of data to your target solution. It also lets you estimate the price of your Full data migration and pick the support option. The Demo migration is free of charge and you can re-set or edit it as many times as you need.

To set up a Demo migration, use one of the following ways:

• Go to app.relokia.com and log in.
• Go to our home page. Choose the source and target solutions and press Try Data Migration.
• Open Supported Platforms and select your target system. Then choose a source solution and click Start Free Demo.

5. Where or whom to ask questions about Demo/Full Migration?

You got two options: a) open up the live chat and ask; b) raise a ticket. If you decide to submit a ticket, make sure to ask specific questions or describe your issue clearly. This way, you will receive a helpful and accurate answer.

6. How to calculate the number of records on the source platform?

Set up a free Demo Migration to get the number of records on your current platform. Once it finishes, the Demo Migration Preview opens. There you can view the number of available records for each type, the support offerings, and the total cost of data migration.

7. How many records have migrated so far?

Go to your Full Data Migration. There you can see the table with three columns: available records, retrieved records, and migrated records. This way, you find how much data has migrated so far at a specific moment.

8. What’s the status of my Full Data Migration?

It’s hard to tell how much it would take to migrate all your data. It might be from a couple of hours to a few days depending on data volume and requested customization.

In general, the time of data migration depends on the following aspects:

• The data volume you are importing
• The number and size of attachments
• Your target software
• API specifications
• API limits of the source and target platforms

To know the status of your data migration, you can always ask our support agents. However, we suggest you remain patient: the more time you spend on data migration, the fewer chances you got to experience downtime.

9. Why is Demo/Full Migration suspended?

You can name it in different ways but it doesn’t change the meaning: your data transfer has stopped. Many errors might lead to data migration failure and each case is unique. For instance, your data migration might stop because of:

• Peculiarities of your source and target platforms
• The target solution doesn’t allow duplicated data
• You try to transfer invalid data
• Your API token has expired and you change it during the data transfer

If your Demo or Full Data Migration fails, do the following:

1. Wait up for our support team to contact you.
2. Don’t apply any changes to the source or target platform or the data migration itself without the help of our experts.

As soon as they check your Demo/Full Migration, you get to see the reports with migrated, failed, and skipped records. Look through the reports for the last two types; you can see the reason why records failed.

Then our migration experts will let you know how to fix your Demo/Full data migration and why it happened.

*Contact our support team for more details on the skipped records.

10. How do I start the Full Data Migration after payment?

As soon as you paid for the Full Data Migration, return to Demo Migration Preview. Then press on Start Full Data Migration. Or choose a specific date and time and schedule it.

11. What is a Delta Migration?

Delta Migration is a process when our tool migrates new and updated records that you got or created during the Full data migration. You don’t get any duplicated data as our tool deletes its copy from the target system to move only the updated information.

Also, note that if you alter the updated data anyhow on the target platform, these changes will get deleted. The available data will only contain the updates made on the source solution before a Delta Migration.

12. How do I access the migration reports?

Return to your Migration Wizard account. Then open your last data migration where you see a table of reports for all migrated records. You can download each report and check the results.

13. Do you delete data from the source platform?

No, Migration Wizard doesn’t delete or change any data on your source platform because the service itself can’t modify the data. We just read the source database, make a copy and import it to your target platform.

14. How can I delete my Migration Wizard account?

To delete your account, contact our support team. Then they will deactivate your account.

15. Why does a data migration have the status Archived?

According to our SLA and Terms of Service, our tool keeps your data for five days. After that period, your migration is Archived and your data is deleted from our system.

You can request to delete it earlier – send a request to our support agents.

16. Can I use your service if I already got data in the target system?

By default, the Migration Wizard doesn’t affect any pre-existing records in your target platform. it only transfers new data. However, if you got any requirements for pre-existing records, you can describe them by submitting a ticket.

6 Tips to Succeed with the Custom Data Migration

What to do if automated data migration isn’t enough? Request a Custom Data Migration.

It’s a perfect opportunity for those who want to tailor their data migration to the specific requirements like:

• migrating only the specific data
• avoiding data duplication
• matching pre-existing data in your target platform
• and other aspects possible with our tech team

1. What’s the difference between Automated and Custom Migration?

Our service gives you two options: automated or custom migration. Automated migration lets you transfer basic records using Migration Wizard. You can migrate the data by yourself by going through a couple of steps. The migration tool counts the total number of records available for the Full Data Migration and counts the price automatedly.

In case you got specific migration needs, you can choose a Custom Data Migration. The price depends on the number of records and your requirements. Contact our agents for more details.

2. What customization option can you offer?

First, you set up a Free Demo Migration to find out whether Migration Wizard covers your requirements automatedly. If you need extra customization, drop a line to our migration experts on a live chat or by submitting a ticket to discuss:

• your requirements or specific business needs
• whether and how we can implement them

3. Can you migrate data from a specific time period?

Yes, it’s possible. The tech team can filter your records according to a chosen time and date and transfer only this data.

4. Can you add a custom mapping to data migration?

If you require a custom mapping for specific records, reach out to our experts. They will help you map the required objects or suggest other suitable options.

5. Can you migrate a specific type of record?

Yes, our team can do that, as well. We can filter your data and migrate only the specific type of record.

6. Can you migrate all record types in a custom way?

That depends on the source and target platforms. Some records may only be available for automated data migration; while others can be transferred in a custom way. Contact our migration experts for further details on your migration pair.

8 Billing and Payment Questions

You’ve checked the Demo results and want to start your Full Data Migration? First things first proceed to payment; you can’t start off the Full Data Migration without this step.

At Demo Migration Preview, you can figure out the price for the data migration that might include

• the selected records migration
• the support plan

1. How can I pay for my data migration?

As soon as you’ve checked the Demo results, press Proceed to payment. There you need to fill out a billing form and choose a billing method. You can pay via PayPal, 2checkout, credit card, and PayProGlobal.

2. Is there a free option for a small volume of data?

Our service offers no totally free option. All automated migrations start at $1 and the price rises depending on the number of migrated records.

If you run a non-profit organization, you can request a discount.

3. How much does the Full Data Migration cost?

The price of your data migration is based on the several factors like:

• The source solution you’re migrating from
• The target solution you’re migrating to
• The number of migrated records
• The chosen support plan

Go to Pricing to estimate the cost of data migration; choose the source and target platforms, and add the number of records available for migration.

4. What to do if the preferable payment method isn’t supported or working?

Our service supports such payments via 2checkout, Wire Transfer, PayPal, PayProGlobal, and credit/debit cards. Check out these options before you proceed to payment.

If the payment isn’t working, double-check if you’ve provided the valid information or if your credit card hasn’t expired.

5. Can I get an invoice?

Submit a ticket with your request. Or send us the request to our email from the email you’ve used for registration at the Migration Wizard.

6. What is the general data migration price?

The automated data migration starts from $1. Our service changes you for the number of migrated records, a chosen support option, and requested customizations.

When you reach the Demo Migration Preview, you can press a Price breakdown button. There you can check the detailed explanation of your Full Data Migration cost.

7. Does your service offer any discount?

Our service provides discounts for academic institutions, government, and other non-profit organizations. To get one, send your request to our email address for a customized price.

8. I have just paid for the Full Data Migration. How will I know it’s finished?

As soon as the Full Data Migration is completed, our support agent will send you a notification email.

Got more questions related to data migration, customization, or pricing? Submit a ticket or contact us via email.