Prepping for Data Conversions.
If you are planning on doing a data conversion, there are a number of things that you can do minimize delays and extended downtime when an actual final conversion is done. Some questions that you should be asking yourself in advance are…
- How frequently do I purge data and run file utilities to reduce file sizes?
- In reality, how far back do I ever go to look at history?
- Is my current hardware adequate to handle both the new software, including processing time required during the data conversion?
- Do I have a plan in place for doing work in the event that the data conversion process doesn’t complete in the time frame that was originally anticipated?
- Is my staff adequately trained in advance so that they can start using the new software immediately after the data conversion is complete?
Remember, there are no unrealistic goals, only unrealistic time frames…
Even when I have addressed all of the above question with end-users, some of the kinds of questions that I still get at the point of the final data conversion are…
How come it’s taking so long? – I remember one situation where a customer insisted on retaining 12 years of historical data regardless of the time/cost to do the work. Later, it was determined that never went back more that 2-3 years to find data, nor did they use more that 2 years worth of historical data
for managerial or purchasing decisions.
I know that you won’t be starting on the conversion work until 10:00 PM after the stores close, but can you absolutely guarantee me that it will be ready buy 4:00 AM when the first inventory staff arrives? – Data conversions are influenced by many diverse factors, including such things as a servers CPU speed, machine RAM, available server resources, the level of historical data that is to be converted, and the level of pre conversion set-up work that was done (if applicable). Sometimes all that we can do is give a reasonable estimate based on actual experience.
If you have questions or want additional recommendations for preparation work that can be done, please contact the CCS Retail Systems Support Department.
– John