There are several reasons why companies choose to transfer their data, including cost savings, increased scalability and flexibility, increased security, improved teamwork, system updates, etc. Regardless of the motivations, data migration involves much more than just moving data between sources. It is a complicated process that demands knowledge, aptitude, and obviously the appropriate instruments. The migration process will be harder and more complicated the more data there is to move. 

1. Data Migration Testing  

Moving data from one place to another, one format to another, or one application to another is known as data migration. Typically, this happens when a new system or location for the data is introduced. When historical systems are replaced or enhanced by new applications that will use the same dataset, application migration or consolidation is typically the business driver. 

 In order to improve or revolutionize their business, firms frequently begin the migrations by switching from on-premises infrastructure and applications to cloud-based storage and apps. As a result, thorough testing is a top responsibility to verify that data migration is successful. The specifics of quality engineering in the data migration process will be covered in this paper. 

2. How should data migration testing be planned? 

In terms of planning, data migration entails three basic steps: Data extraction, data transformation, and data loading the migration itself is divided into following stages: 

•  Preparation for migration: Check the data being moved for stability. 
• Project start-up: Determine and brief key decision-makers 
• Analyse the landscape: Establish a solid data quality rules management process and brief the business on the project’s goals, including the shutdown of legacy systems; solution design Determine the data to be relocated as well as the quality of that data before and after the relocation. 
• Create and test: Create the migration logic and evaluate it using a mirror of the production environment. 
• Validate and execute: Demonstrate that the migration met all requirements and that the data transferred is useful for business. 
• Close down and keep an eye on: Old systems should be deactivated and discarded. 

 While it might seem like a lot of work, not every migration will require all these stages. Every circumstance is different, and every business approaches the job in a unique way. 

3. Phases of Migration

The three phases of the testing strategy for the Migration test that will be performed at the TestDel are Pre-Migration Testing, Migration Testing, and Post Migration Testing. 

3.1 Pre-Migration Testing 

In basic applications, this test phase is disregarded or not taken into account. However, Pre-Migration tasks must be carried out when migrating complicated programs. The following actions are carried out during this phase:  

• Clearly define the data’s scope by stating what information must be included, what information must be removed, what information requires transformations or conversions, etc. 
• Conduct data mapping between the traditional application and the new application. For each type of data in the legacy application, correlate it to its equivalent type in the new application.  
• Become familiar with the data architecture of the new application, including field names, types, minimal and maximum values, length, required fields, field-level validations, etc. 
• Examine the connections between the interfaces in the new application. The interface’s data flow should be tightly controlled and safeguarded. 
• Create test scenarios, test cases, and employ ones that account for new circumstances in the new applications. 
• Run a number of test cases with a number of users and record the results and logs. To confirm that legacy data and functionality are unaffected by migration, the same needs to be validated after it has taken place. 
• To demonstrate that no data has been lost, a precise amount of the data and records must be made. This count must then be checked following the migration. 

3.2 Migration Testing 

The ideal scenario is for the migration process to start with the data backed up on tape, allowing for the eventual restoration of the legacy system. There must be no ambiguity in any of the scripts or steps’ documentation. 

One of the test cases that needs to be performed is to record the actual amount of time it took for migration from the point at which it began to the successful restoration of the system. As a result, the “Time taken to migrate the system” needs to be recorded in the final test report that will be delivered as part of the results of the migration test, as this information will be helpful when the production launch is taking place. The estimated downtime in the live system is calculated using the downtime that was recorded in the test environment. The migration process will be carried out on the legacy system.  

In order to complete the Migration operations during this testing, all of the environment’s components are typically pulled down and disconnected from the network. Therefore, it is important to remember the “Downtime” needed for the Migration test. It should match the Migration time in every way.  

• the application’s actual migration. 
• alterations are made to firewalls, ports, hosts, hardware, and software configurations in accordance with the new system to which the legacy is being transferred. 
• data breaches, and security audits are carried out. 
• All of the application’s components are tested for connectivity.

It is advised that the testers confirm the aforementioned in the system’s backend or through white box testing. After the migration activity is finished, all the servers are powered on and basic tests are run to verify the migration was successful. These tests make sure that all the end-to-end systems are correctly connected, all the components are speaking to one another, the DB is up and running, and the front end and back end are successfully communicating. Earlier identification and documentation of these tests are required in the Migration Test Specification document. The software might be compatible with several distinct systems. In this situation, Migration must be independently validated on each of these platforms.  

A particular migration script may occasionally be checked using “White box testing” in a separate testing environment. As a result, migration testing will combine white box and black box testing. The team can move on to the activity of post-Migration testing after this migration-related verification is completed and pertinent tests have been passed. 

3.3 Post-Migration testing 

Post-Migration testing begins once the application has been successfully migrated. The testing environment in this case is used to conduct end-to-end system testing. Testers run selected test cases, test scenarios, and use cases on both legacy and fresh data. Additionally, there are specific elements in the transferred environments that need to be validated, which are stated below:  

• Verify that all of the legacy application’s data has been transferred to the new one within the allotted amount of downtime. Examine the number of records for each table and view in the database between the legacy and new applications to make sure this is the case. 
• Verify that all schema updates (fields and tables added or removed in accordance with the new system) have been made. 
• Unless otherwise stated, data transferred from the legacy application to the new one should keep its value and formatting. Compare data values between historical and new application databases to validate this. 
• Assess the new application using the moved data. Include as many potential causes as feasible in this. Use the automated testing tool to ensure complete coverage for the data migration verification. 
• Examine the database’s security. 
• Verify the accuracy of all potential sample records’ data. 
• Verify and confirm that the old system’s previously supported functionality continues to perform as intended in the new system. 
• Verify the application’s data flow, which affects most of the components. 
• It is important to thoroughly test the interface between the components because this is where data should not be altered, lost, or corrupted. To confirm this, integration test scenarios can be utilized. 
• Verify the redundant nature of legacy data. During migration, no legacy data should be replicated. 
• Check for instances of data mismatch, such as when the data type or storing format has changed. 
• The new application should include all of the field-level checks from the legacy application. 
• Any data addition should not have an impact on the legacy application. 
• The new application should be able to update the data in the legacy application. The legacy application should not reflect updates made in the new application. 
• The new application should be able to delete data from the legacy application. Data should not be destroyed from the old application after being erased from the new application. 
• Make that the modifications made to the legacy system are compatible with the new capabilities made available by the new system.
• Check that users of the legacy system can continue to utilize both the old and new features, especially when there have been revisions. the test cases and test results that were saved during the pre-migration testing. 
• Establish new users on the network and run tests to verify that both old and new application functionality supports the new users and functions properly. 
• conduct tests on functioning using a variety of data samples (users of different ages, geographies, etc.). 
• Perform security testing to ensure that the software upgrade has not created any new security vulnerabilities, especially in the areas where system changes have been performed during migration. 
• Another component that needs to be checked is usability, which asks how easy it is for users to use the system compared to the legacy system if the GUI layout or front-end system has changed or any functionality has. 

 Given the size of the post-Migration testing, it is best to separate the critical tests that must be performed immediately to confirm that the Migration is successful and to complete the remainder tests later. 

 In order to speed up the availability of the results and cut down on testing time, it is also advisable to automate end-to-end functional test cases and other potential test cases. 

 Here are some pointers for testers on how to write test cases for post-migration execution: 

•  It is not necessary to write test cases for a completely new application when an application is migrated. Test cases created for the historical application should still apply to the new application. Therefore, wherever necessary, transform older test cases to new application cases while still leveraging the old test cases whenever practical. 
• Test cases linked to a functionality should be adjusted if it is added or removed from the new application. 
• New test cases should be created for any new features that have been included in the new application. 
• Test cases for linked legacy applications should be identified as invalid and separated from the new application’s test cases whenever a feature is dropped from the new application. 
• The deployment of test cases should always be constant and dependable. Test cases should include critical data verification so that it is not overlooked during execution.

The UI-related test cases should be adjusted to take into account any differences between the new application’s design and the previous application’s (UI). The tester can decide whether to develop new ones or update the existing ones in this situation based on how much change occurred.  

4. How Do an Individual Create a Test Strategy for Data Migration? 

To ensure that it receives the appropriate degree of attention and resources, precise testing should begin well before the real data is moved. Focus on the most contentious aspect of the migration, the reality that the old system will be shut down, to make sure the project receives the focus it needs. One must have a strong test strategy design!  

Creating the test strategy for migration entails a number of tasks to complete and some factors to take into account. In order to properly carry out the migration testing and reduce errors and hazards associated with migration, this is necessary.  

There are the following activities involved in this test: 

4.1 Establishment of specialized teams 

Create a testing team with people who have the necessary skills and experience, and then give them instructions on the system that is being migrated. 

4.2 Analysis of potential errors and business risk 

As a result, arrange “Business Risk Analysis” meetings with the appropriate stakeholders (Test Manager, Business Analyst, Architects, Product Owners, Business Owner, etc.), identify the risks, and discuss implementable mitigations. This will prevent current business from being hampered after migration. To identify these risks and confirm that the appropriate mitigations have been put in place, testing should include scenarios.  

Use the proper “Error Guessing Approaches” to conduct “Possible Error Analysis,” and then create tests around these mistakes to find them during testing. 

4.3 Identification and analysis of the migration scope 

Examine the migration test’s precise parameters to determine when and what must be tested. 

4.4 Select the Correct Migration Tool 

Determine the tools that will be used while defining the automated or manual testing strategy. For instance, a tool that automatically compares source and destination data 

4.5 Choose the proper test environment for migration 

Establish distinct settings for Pre and Post Migration environments to conduct any verification that is necessary as part of testing. To ensure that the test environment is configured appropriately, comprehend, and document the technical features of the Legacy and New systems of migration. 

4.6 Specifications for Migration Tests Review and document 

A review session with the stakeholders should follow the preparation of the Migration Test Specification document, which clearly outlines the test approach, areas of testing, testing methods (manual, automated), testing methodology (black box, white box testing technique), number of cycles of testing, schedule of testing, the approach of creating data and using live data (sensitive information needs to be masked), test environment specification, testers qualification, etc. 

4.7 Launch of the migrated system into production 

Analyze, record, and publicize the to-do list for the production migration well in advance. 

5. Migration Test Summary Report 

The test summary report should be created once all testing has been completed and should include a summary of all the tests and scenarios that were run during the different migration phases, along with the pass/fail status and test logs. 

 It is important to be specific about the time spent on the following activities:  

• Total migration time 
• application outages 
• Time required to migrate 10,000 records.

Any observations or suggestions can be added to the information mentioned above. 

6. Conclusion  

It is crucial to conduct a careful and in-depth study and analysis of the system before and after migration, especially in light of the complexity involved in conducting data migration testing and the fact that even a minor error in any aspect of verification during testing could result in the migration failing in production.  

With the aid of reliable tools and knowledgeable, qualified testers, plan and design an efficient migration strategy. Since it is well known that migration has a significant impact on the quality of the application, the entire team must put forth a fair amount of effort to thoroughly check the system in all areas, including functionality, performance, security, usability, availability, reliability, compatibility, etc., in order to guarantee the success of “Migration Testing.” 

 7. How TestDel can assist you? 

TestDel can assist you?to:  

• Continually find data errors in the delivery process. 
• Increase data validation coverage by a significant margin 
• Utilize analytics to enhance your important data. 
• Boost the speed and quality of your data 
• provide a significant return on investment 

At TestDel, our team of engineers performs exact data migration activities to seamlessly transition from the existing software to the new one. We take steps to protect data integrity and stop data loss.  

Please contact us if you would like more information about TestDel‘s Data Migration Testing solutions.