Migrating from a legacy system to PeopleSoft is a daunting task, especially when you are unfamiliar with the PeopleSoft product. There are numerous technical, functional and management risk areas including; requirements definition, resource allocation, data validation, data mapping and project management.

How do I reduce risk? Apply expertise and experience!

The best way to minimize the risk of data conversion is to hire PeopleSoft experts that are experienced with data conversion to assist you though the migration. You will save time and money if you use skilled and knowledgeable PeopleSoft experts from the very beginning of the migration effort.

What are some common problems with PeopleSoft data conversion?

Several years ago when we were new to PeopleSoft data conversion projects we recognized some common problems:

• There was no easy way to identify errors in the legacy system prior to the conversion
• Data maps were difficult to read, inconsistent, and often ambiguous, making it nearly impossible for functional experts to interpret.
• Program execution time performed with the Import Manager and through SQR® programs was exceptionally long, typically taking 24-48 hours.
• There was a lack of reports to allow the functional experts the opportunity evaluate the converted data.

The process consists of two phases:

• Phase I - Legacy data evaluation
  The first step is to perform a thorough data evaluation and data mapping of the legacy system. This task will provide information needed to develop the conversion framework and estimate the Phase II completion date. Our consultant use the results of data evaluation and data mapping to provide recommendations for validation scripts to ensure that the legacy data is clean and suitable for conversion.

• Phase II - Preparation of data for conversion
  Once the conversion framework is in place, we begin building tables required for the conversion, writing SQL scripts (and stored procedures if necessary) to convert the legacy data, performing the conversion and providing the converted data to the developers of the new system.