Digital information · Lesson 36 · Approx. 7 minutes including practice
ERP migration discovery
Start by defining systems, data owners, scope and the business meaning of each field. Agree what must migrate and what should be archived. A discovery register makes assumptions and unknowns visible before transformation begins.
Step 1: Entities
A documentation workflow, not an equipment operating sequence. Animation starts only when you choose Play.
Understand the business meaning before moving data
Migration discovery establishes the source and target systems, record owners, scope and purpose. Begin with business entities such as items, suppliers, assets and open transactions rather than assuming every spreadsheet column maps directly to the new system. Decide what should migrate, what should be archived and what must remain available for reference. Clarify ownership of technical, commercial and personal information before access is granted.
Prepare and check the work
Create a discovery register with field definitions, source systems, volumes, dependencies, quality issues and unresolved decisions. Identify authoritative sources where the same entity exists in several places. Agree sample data and sandbox access through approved channels. Never exchange passwords in a public enquiry or chatbot. Confirm retention and rollback expectations before transformation work begins, so the project is not driven only by the import tool.
Worked example · demonstration only
An item code exists in both CAD and purchasing exports with different descriptions. Determine which system owns each field and how the codes relate. Copying whichever value appears first would conceal the governance question rather than solve it.
Guided practice and review evidence
Use only a demonstration dataset for this exercise: Prepare a migration brief naming source, target, entities, volumes and acceptance criteria. Before starting, write down the question the finished record should answer and identify the source information you would need on a real job. Keep a separate list of missing inputs. Prepare a first draft, then compare it with the topic-specific checks above. Ask another person to follow your references without explaining them verbally. Record where they hesitate, what information they cannot locate and any different interpretation. Keep a brief review log with four columns: observation, proposed action, responsible reviewer and closure evidence. Revise the example and repeat the information-finding check. Your evidence of completion is the revised demonstration record plus that log, not simply time spent reading. Do not upload client information to the academy or practise on operating equipment.
What good completion looks like
A useful result can be understood by someone who did not prepare it. They can identify its purpose, applicable item, source and review status, and they can distinguish confirmed information from unresolved questions. Pay particular attention to this failure mode: Never use production credentials in an ordinary project message or upload. Check the output in the format the recipient will use. A native file, spreadsheet and exported PDF can expose different problems. Keep the source revision and the issued output linked, and record any limitations of the handover. On a real project, follow the customer's authorised checking and approval arrangements before the information is used. The knowledge check below tests understanding of this lesson; it does not assess practical competence or authorise regulated work.
Practical workflow
- Establish the source: identify the approved input, document revision and person responsible for its technical content. Record missing information as an open question.
- Prepare a small representative example before applying the approach to a whole project. Check identifiers, units, references and the intended reader’s needs.
- Ask the nominated reviewer to check technical meaning. Capture the response, resolve comments and issue only under the agreed document-control process.
Review checklist
- Can another reader identify the source and applicable revision?
- Are assumptions and unresolved decisions clearly recorded?
- Is there evidence of the required review before issue?
Educational material and demonstration examples. Not accredited training, practical competency assessment or authority to perform regulated work. Use current approved sources and your responsible technical authority on real projects.