Data Migration Tools

Data Migration Overview

Data migration occurs when companies move data from a source to a target system. Companies have many different reasons for migrating data. Often, you’ll need to migrate data when making changes to infrastructure, such as moving a data warehouse to the cloud. Suppose your company acquires another company; you’ll need to migrate the data from the acquisition to the existing data warehouse. You might need to move data from an outdated system to a newer system that meets current requirements. Or, there may be several different departments that need to share information, so you need to move it to one common location.

There are three primary types of data migration tools to consider when migrating your data:

• On-premise tools. Designed to migrate data within the network of a large or medium Enterprise installation.
• Open Source tools. Community-supported and developed data migration tools that can be free or very low cost.
• Cloud-based tools. Designed to move data to the cloud from various sources and streams, including on-premise and cloud-based data stores, applications, services, etc.

On-Premise Data Migration Tools

On-premise solutions are designed to migrate data between two or more servers or databases within a large or medium enterprise/network, without moving data to the cloud. These solutions are optimal if you are performing tasks like changing data warehouses or moving the location of your primary data store, or if you are simply bringing together data from disparate sources on-premise. Some companies prefer on-premise solutions due to security restrictions.

Below is a list of popular on-premise data migration tools:

• Centerprise Data Integrator
• CloverDX
• IBM InfoSphere
• Informatica PowerCenter
• Microsoft SQL
• Oracle Data Service Integrator
• Talend Data Integration

Open Source Data Migration Tools

Open source is software you can use, modify, and share because its design is publicly accessible. Typically, open source solutions are free or lower in cost than commercial alternatives. Sometimes commercial products are built on open source products and/or offer an open source, limited version for download. Open source data migration tools can be a practical option for migrating your data, especially if your project is not large or complex. However, to work with open source, you may need some coding skills.

The following list shows some popular open source data migration tools:

• Apache NiFi
• Myddleware
• Pentaho
• Talend Open Studio

Cloud-Based Data Migration Tools

Cloud-based data migration solutions are the latest generation and are designed to move data to the cloud, either from an on-premise store, an application or stream, or another cloud-based store. Cloud-based solutions are optimal if you are already storing your data in the cloud or if you intend to move your data to the cloud. Many companies see cost efficiencies and increased security in moving data from on-premise to the cloud and need a data migration tool to help with this process. And, cloud-based data migration tools tend to be very flexible about the types of data they can handle.

The following list shows some popular cloud-based data migration tools:

• Alooma
• Fivetran
• Matillion
• Snaplogic
• Stitch Data

How to Select a Data Migration Tool

Selecting the right data migration tool depends largely on your needs. There are many excellent data migration tools, but they won’t help if they don’t meet your company’s particular goals. Here are a few questions to help you choose the right tool for you.

• Location. Do you want to migrate data on-premise (in the same environment)? Or, do you want to move data from on-premise to the cloud? Or from one cloud store to another cloud store? This will help you determine which group of tools to consider.
• Cost. Is cost-effectiveness a first priority? Using open source tools can be free or significantly cheaper than commercial solutions, assuming you have the right expertise in place. Using a cloud-based data migration tool can save you significantly on infrastructure and manpower costs, freeing up resources for other projects.
• Data model. Do you need to change your data model? You may be moving from an on-premise data warehouse to a cloud-based data warehouse, or you may move from relational data to a mix of structured and unstructured data. Cloud-based data migration tools tend to support the widest variety of data models, whereas on-premise tools tend to be the least flexible.
• Data transformation. Do you need to transform (enrich, cleanse, merge, etc.) your data or support new source types? Because you will be adding or changing data sources, you will almost certainly need to transform your data as part of the migration process. All migration tools can transform data, but cloud-based systems tend to be the most flexible, supporting the widest range of data types.
• Security. Is any of the data you are migrating sensitive? If you want to migrate sensitive data, it is subject to compliance requirements, which can be hard to support during migration. Cloud-based tools are likely to be extremely secure and compliance certified. On-premise solutions depend on the security of your overall infrastructure. And security may vary widely for open source tools.