Migrations Done Right: Lessons from Decades of Data Migrations

Introduction: Why Migrations Deserve More Respect Over the past few decades, I’ve worked on countless data migrations — from small internal projects to large-scale infrastructure overhauls. I’ve also been called in to clean up after others' botched migrations more times than I can count. Too often, organizations treat migrations like a simple “copy and paste” operation. That mindset can be devastating — to data integrity, security, and even revenue. This blog kicks off a series where I’ll share hard-won lessons from the trenches of IT migrations. Today’s focus: why planning, testing, and clear ownership are non-negotiable for successful data moves. My Background: From Waterfall to the Wild West of Modern IT I started programming and scripting several decades ago, back when carefully planning your flow was considered standard practice. I studied the waterfall method in college, which emphasized upfront design before a single line of code was written. That mindset — plan first...