PIPELINEGuide
Data migration: ongoing costs and operation
The project price is only part of the calculation. What actually arises in effort and costs after going live — and which item is most often forgotten.
After going live, data migration typically requires a few hours of maintenance per quarter, plus hosting, licenses, and third-party usage-based fees. The most frequently forgotten item isn't the money, but ownership: systems become outdated because no one is designated, not because maintenance is demanding.
01 — Operation
What ongoing operation means
After the settling-in period, the effort is low but not zero. For data migration, that's typically a few hours per quarter: additions when something changes in your offering, checking the logs, occasional corrections.
More important than the scope is the responsibility. Systems don't become outdated because maintenance is demanding, but because no one is assigned. One person with a recurring calendar appointment solves this problem completely.
What additionally arises on an ongoing basis depends on the setup — hosting, licenses and third-party usage-based fees belong in the same calculation as the implementation. We show this separately in the quote instead of hiding it in the project price.
02 — Factors
What drives the price
- Scope and number of integrations. Every additional system that needs to participate costs effort — regardless of how simple the core is.
- State of your starting point. Clean data, existing content and documented processes significantly reduce effort. Chaos is the most expensive cost factor.
- How much new material needs to be created. What you can contribute doesn't need to be invented by anyone. This is the biggest lever you have in your own hands.
- Requirements for design and customization. A solid standard system costs a fraction of a custom solution — and is sufficient more often than vendors admit.
- Operating model. One-time project costs or ongoing support: calculated over three years, this often gives a different picture than the quote comparison.
03 — Contract
What needs to be clarified in writing
- Ownership of data and access. They belong to the client. If a provider won't clearly confirm this, that's the most important information from the conversation.
- Handover upon termination. In what format, within what timeframe, at what cost.
- No minimum term without consideration. Lock-in is justifiable if something is delivered in return — otherwise not.
- What a later change costs. The total cost isn't determined by the project price, but by the hourly rate in year three.
- Documentation as a deliverable. Not as a promise, but as a line item in the proposal.
04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does a migration take?
The transfer itself usually hours. The time goes into analysis, rules, and trial runs — typically two to six weeks, depending on the condition of the legacy data.
What happens to attachments and documents on the record?
They are transferred along, provided the target system supports them. Where the format doesn't fit, it's clarified beforehand whether conversion is necessary or external storage remains more practical.
Do we take everything?
Rarely makes sense. Dead records, test datasets, and ten-year-old transactions burden the new system. We recommend migrating the active inventory and keeping the rest archived and accessible.
Can we keep working in parallel?
For short transitions yes, with a cutoff date. For longer migrations, you typically continue working in the legacy system until the switchover and transfer the additions at the end.
What if something is missing after the switchover?
That's why count protocol and fallback option: the legacy inventory remains untouched until acceptance is complete. Subsequent additions of individual areas are possible.
How do we ensure nothing gets lost?
Through the count protocol: number of records before and after is compared, samples are checked for content. Only after this acceptance is the migration considered complete.
Do we need access to both systems simultaneously for the migration?
Yes, at least for the period of trial runs and the actual switchover. After that, access to the legacy system can be restricted or terminated.
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