Prepare Your Migration
Lock down scope, access, ownership, Custom requirements, and acceptance evidence before setup so later configuration and validation rest on explicit decisions.
Prepare Your Migration
Section titled “Prepare Your Migration”Many execution and validation problems begin as unresolved scope, access, ownership, or acceptance decisions. Preparation makes those decisions explicit before they are encoded into configuration, purchase scope, or Custom Service requirements.
Define the intended data and volume, dependencies, supported controls, non-standard requirements, responsible owners, and pass conditions early enough to challenge gaps before processing begins.
For projects with several owners, decision gates, or evidence streams, use the Migration Project Toolkit to turn these preparation decisions into accountable tasks, risks, validation records, and sign-off evidence.
What to prepare
Section titled “What to prepare”| Area | What you need to confirm |
|---|---|
| Purchase context | Intended or purchased migration path, Migration Service, Add-ons, Entity Points requirement or Plan, and Order status when an order already exists. |
| Data scope | Required data types and volumes supported for the intended Source-to-Target migration path. |
| Standard options | Requirements for target-data clearing, HTML removal from names, description images, identifier preservation, and SEO URLs where supported. |
| Selective requirements | Field-based conditions within a data type to implement through Data Filter when purchased and supported. |
| Field mapping | Supported source fields to redirect through Advanced Data Mapping when purchased. |
| Database mapping | Supported field/table/column destinations to evaluate through Advanced Database Mapping Platform Eligibility and the Schema Registry. |
| Value changes | Supported values to change through Data Transformation before mapping when purchased. |
| Custom Service | Unsupported data, Tailored or Custom Add-on needs, bespoke logic, relationships, or target behavior requiring scope review. |
| Access | Account, store, credential, hosting, export, and approval ownership. |
| Acceptance criteria | Samples, pass conditions, blockers, acceptable differences, and sign-off ownership. |
Preparation tasks
Section titled “Preparation tasks” Confirm Migration Readiness Expose readiness gaps before they become migration blockers by confirming service identity, access owners, target conditions, scope, validation responsibility, and security controls.
Define Migration Scope Set the migration boundary before purchase or configuration by translating business requirements into data types, volumes, dependencies, exclusions, Add-ons, and validation samples.
Prepare Source and Target Store Access Prevent connection delays by assigning the required admin, API, hosting, file, approval, and cleanup access for both source and target environments before setup.
Prepare Custom Service Requirements Turn non-standard requirements into quote-ready technical scope by separating supported configuration from bespoke logic, data structures, third-party dependencies, and custom platform behavior.
Define Acceptance Criteria Replace vague approval with testable criteria by defining representative samples, pass conditions, severity, evidence, accepted limitations, and sign-off authority before execution.
Migration Setup and Execution Walkthrough Follow separate Demo and Full Migration walkthroughs from store connection through configuration, execution, and result validation.
Review Demo Results Separate supported sample evidence from requirements that need paid validation or target implementation.
Migration Action Options Prepare later paid activity by deciding whether to reuse configuration, reconfigure, or produce a fresh result.
Recommended preparation order
Section titled “Recommended preparation order”| Order | Task | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Define or review the migration purchase context. | The intended or purchased migration path, Migration Service, Add-ons, Entity Points requirement or Plan, and relevant order state are known. |
| 2 | Define data and behavior requirements. | Required data types and standard configuration expectations are documented. |
| 3 | Identify filtering, transformation, field-mapping, and database-mapping requirements. | Data Filter, Data Transformation, Advanced Data Mapping, and Advanced Database Mapping needs are separated and applicability is checked. |
| 4 | Identify unsupported requirements. | Custom Service scope is documented with evidence and pass conditions. |
| 5 | Confirm access and ownership. | The right people can provide access, approve changes, and validate results. |
| 6 | Define acceptance criteria. | The team knows what must pass before sign-off. |
Choose the Appropriate Walkthrough
Section titled “Choose the Appropriate Walkthrough”- Use the Demo walkthrough for a limited preparatory test, not as a substitute for the first paid configuration.
- Use the Full Migration walkthrough for the first run under the intended Active purchased migration.
- Use Migration Action Options to plan later paid activity after reviewing its previous result and state.
- Use Run Your Migration for live execution and monitoring.
Expected result
Section titled “Expected result”After completing preparation, you should have:
- an approved data scope;
- a clear distinction between standard configuration, Add-ons, and Custom Service;
- documented dependencies and exclusions;
- named access and decision owners;
- representative validation samples;
- measurable acceptance criteria.
Next Steps
Section titled “Next Steps”Open Define Migration Scope to translate business requirements into purchase-ready and configuration-ready scope notes. When a new purchase is ready, continue to Purchase a Migration.