As kCura developed and continues to update Relativity Bridge, a Relativity Ecosystem application that automates the migration of cases and projects from other e-discovery software to Relativity, we’ve learned a lot from customers as they describe their triumphs and trials in shifting between enterprise software platforms.
When the time comes to change platforms, migrating old case data can turn into a project in itself. When done manually, it's often a time-consuming experience with potential for error—and it’s equally frustrating on projects of 10,000, 100,000, or more documents. So what are the best ways you can get a good handle on your data to make migration smoother, regardless of the method you use?
Tip #1: Take an inventory of your custom data.
You should be able to map most standard metadata fields between platforms, but critical information may lie in custom fields built to capture work product such as markups, issue designations, and review notes. Those don’t always translate exactly between e-discovery systems and might require new fields to be created in your current platform. Know where and how this data is stored in your other system.
Tip #2: Organize, organize, organize.
Invest some time to scope out the best organizational structure for your data before you migrate it into your new platform. Now that you’ve switched systems, does your old data need to be reorganized to match the new structure? Will you have to set up the data differently given your current workflows?
Tip #3: Don’t rush.
If you have hundreds of old projects to migrate, it will be tempting to export and import the data as quickly as possible so you can jump the hurdles and get to your everyday work. However, rushing will leave you more prone to error, costing more time overall. Build a repeatable process and perform a few test runs to nail it down.
Tip #4: Define your data’s purpose.
For each project you migrate, define why it’s important to move to your new platform. Having a good handle on what this data will be used for moving forward will help you justify the work it takes to perform the migration and best organize your data for future use.
While migration may be no one’s favorite project, it doesn’t have to be a nightmare, either. With the right prep, your team can invest fully in consolidating your projects—new and old—into a single platform.
