Any way you look at it, a transition from one major business system to another is a daunting task. Even migrating between different instances of the same application can present major challenges.
In this case, many organizations are surprised to learn that different application instances have different data models, which means that they can’t simply copy the database from one to the other. For some field mappings, transformations are required, and some of them can be quite complex, especially when dealing with attachments, journal entries or workflow.
Data Migration Pitfall: Low-Level Development and Scripting
The popular ServiceNow service management applications are no exception, and businesses seeking to migrate from one ServiceNow instance to another often find themselves heading down the path of developing custom software and migration scripts to handle the task.
This approach is a huge mistake. Why?
Here are just a few reasons:
High level of effort: The analysis, development, and testing of custom migration software and scripts is a resource-intensive, time-consuming project on its own.
Specialized skill set: This type of development requires a specialized (read: expensive) skill set that many organizations do not possess in-house. Thus, this approach incurs the additional expense of recruiting, vetting, and onboarding one or more contractors to do the work.
Throwaway software: Out of necessity, the migration software fills a narrow need and is not easily re-used for other migrations, even for the same application. More than likely it will be used once and then thrown away.
High failure rates: Even with extensive testing, the software and scripts can exhibit unexpected results after migrating the production data. This unhappy outcome causes rework, re-testing, and missed project deadlines.
For these and other reasons, it’s best to avoid doing low-level development and scripting work in your ServiceNow data migration effort. But how?
Precision Bridge Instance Migrator vs. Custom Development
A better option for performing your ServiceNow data migration is the Instance Migrator tool from Precision Bridge. Instance Migrator helps you avoid low-level software and scripting development because all of the mappings and transformations are already built into the tool, which can be used for any source and target ServiceNow instance.
Some benefits of Instance Migrator include:
Configuration—not custom coding—using the tool’s intuitive point-and-click interface
Seamless migration of complex data objects, including attachments, journal entries, and workflows
Average 85% reduction in time and effort required for migration
Success Story: Wellstar Health System
Wellstar Health System is one organization that reaped major benefits from using the Instance Migrator tool. After attempting a manual ServiceNow migration—an effort that foundered in the face of numerous data integrity issues—Wellstar turned to Precision Bridge for their ServiceNow re-platforming project.
The results were remarkable: Over 2 million records were successfully migrated within three weeks, resulting in an estimated savings of over 2,100 man-hours.
Accelerate Your ServiceNow Migration with Precision Bridge
If your organization is contemplating (or has already started) a ServiceNow migration project, it’s worth your time to schedule a demo of Instance Migrator. Whether you are re-platforming to eliminate customizations, consolidating instances after a merger, or for any other reason, Precision Bridge can help. Contact Precision Bridge todayfor more information.