Data Migration Testing is a software testing process that involves the transfer of data from one system to another, to ensure that the data is accurately transferred, properly formatted, and functioning as intended within the new system.
An important part of software development and maintenance is safely transferring data across platforms. Ensuring that all data remains intact and is free of issues requires a type of software testing called data migration testing. This type of testing is essential because of the risks associated with transferring data.
Outsourcing a managed testing service mitigates the high-risk nature of a data transfer. These services are provided by expert QA teams that have years of experience and know the best practices and policies for data transfers and testing. These experts provide clients with a data migration testing strategy that focuses on maintaining data integrity and application functionality.
Transferring data happens for many reasons, such as after upgrades to an application, adding new data to an existing domain, and or moving data from an old application to a new one. Typically, the system the data is being moved from is referred to as a legacy system, and the system the data is moved to is a target system.
Keep in mind that transferring data is a high-risk process, especially when the data is sensitive or in large volumes. The main risks associated with data migration are losing data, data becoming corrupted, extended downtime, and application crashes. When correctly done by a quality assurance team, migration testing indicates the possible risks of the migration process.
There are established testing techniques used by QA teams that ensure a data transfer goes smoothly, data remains intact, and application functionality is not compromised. These techniques require experienced tech engineers to ensure they are done properly.
An experienced QA team ensures that the proper steps are taken, and important information is known before migration testing is executed. The prerequisites for this testing include defining the scope of the migration, schema (data organization) knowledge of the legacy and target systems, access to both systems databases and the application, and a verified mapping document that aligns with the client’s requirements.
This migration testing technique happens at the database level and requires expert knowledge of structured query language (SQL), a programming language used to manage data. This technique also requires a QA team to access a mapping document containing details of the transfer of data from the legacy system to the target system. A QA team puts all the data in a SQL query and compares both systems.
This technique allows a team to determine if the data was transferred completely without being lost, if data in the target system matches the legacy system and if any data was incorrectly repeated in the target database. This technique is beneficial because teams can update the SQL scripts at any time.
This data migration testing strategy allows you to test how transferred data will look in an application to the individual using the app hence user interface (UI) verification. With this test, a QA team again compares data between the old and new platforms but views the new platform the same way a user would. This technique allows a QA team to verify that all data is displayed correctly.
This is another technique that determines whether data quality and accuracy were affected by the transfer. This technique requires writing SQL scripts that check these aspects of the data and may be done in phases during development to ensure any mistakes are caught early.
This validation technique looks at application functionality as a whole and not individual data. This test ensures that the transferred data has not disrupted an application that was previously working correctly. A good practice is to include performance testing to determine if the application function behaves as expected.
Data migration testing is not just a necessary part of software development–it’s also highly beneficial for a business. The benefits of migration testing are that it mitigates the high-risk nature of data migration, ensures the quality and integrity of data, is cost-effective, and enhances user experience.
It is also best to outsource a managed service with the experience and knowledge to perform data transfers and testing to ensure it is done right. The expert teams provided by these services are aware of the best practices and techniques of migration testing so that your data remains intact and secure.
A managed service provider is a cost-effective option to maintain the integrity of your data and applications. Outsourcing a team to handle your software needs enhances the productivity of you and your employees by giving you more time to focus on your areas of expertise.
At CelticQA Solutions, we provide many services that enhance the development and final product of your application. Our staff is full of certified experts that have decades of experience in providing services to various industries. Our company has provided testing services to clients in the financial, insurance, biopharmaceutical, healthcare, software, engineering, & retail sectors.
We offer fully managed testing services that include data migration testing. Our testing process is proven to provide clients with great success. This includes testing at each stage of the Extract, Transform, and Load process.
Our services provide clients with a team of QA Engineers, Senior QA Engineers, and Senior Automation Engineers. These experts create QA frameworks using best practices, policies, and modern testing tools. Many migration tests can be automated. Having these practices able to repeat without human effort is ideal for modern times and great for your business’s productivity.
Our automation engineers are certified Ranorex engineers, making us an exclusive Ranorex Gold Partner. Ranorex is a test automation tool that is advantageous for improved time to value and enhanced product quality. CelticQA is also partnered with QAConnector–a test management tool that provides real-time test reports, test planning tools, and forecasting & execution of tests with integrated defect management.
We provide our clients with high-performing QA teams that are committed to making the client’s applications and business successful by delivering projects on time, on budget, and with zero critical defects.
At CelticQA Solutions, we value every partnership. Whatever your software QA or testing needs are, we encourage you to reach out and schedule a call with us.
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