Data Migration

Data Migration is the process of transferring data between one system to another system. Data
migration is required when organizations or individuals change computer systems or upgrade to
new systems, or when systems merge (such as when the organizations that use them undergo a
merger/takeover).
To achieve an effective data migration in oracle, data on the old system is mapped to the oracle
database format. Data migration may involve many phases but it minimally includes data
extraction where data is read from the old system and data loading where data is written to the
oracle system.
After loading into Oracle, results are subjected to data verification to determine whether data was
accurately translated, is complete, and supports processes in the new system. During verification,
there may be a need for a parallel run of both systems to identify areas of disparity and forestall
erroneous data loss.
Automated and manual data cleaning is commonly performed in migration to improve data
quality, eliminate redundant or obsolete information, and match the requirements of the new
system. Data migration phases (Design, Extraction, Cleansing, Load and Verification) for
applications of moderate to high complexity are commonly repeated several times before the
new system is deployed.
Data Conversion is a bit different from data migration in the sense that in data conversion we
convert data form one format to another format in the different version of the same system.
Example: When we upgrade from Oracle 11i to Oracle R12 we do a data conversion from 11i to
R12

Interface is similar to both the data migration and conversion in the sense it involves the
movement of data from one system to another system but its requirement in business is
completely different. Interfaces are written to transfer data on a regular basis where as most of
the data migration and conversion job are one time activity.
Following examples distinguishes all the above three process

Importing customer / supplier / item information from legacy Data Migration

Moving customer / supplier / item information from 11i to R12 Data Conversion
Importing/Exporting PO/SO/WIP information from one system to oracle on a daily basis
Interface Job