Data Migration, as the name suggests, refers to moving data from one point to another. It could be lData migration tools assist in moving your data from one location or system to another. No matter if you’re moving to the cloud, switching to a new database or enhancing your tools, a suitable tool makes the process simpler and safer.
As data becomes central to every business, using the right data migration software ensures accuracy, security, and minimal disruption. It allows for changes to happen without disrupting everything.
For me, the number of tools out there makes it complicated to pick the right one. In this blog, we simplify the process by pointing out leading solutions, what services they provide, and how to make a good decision regarding data migration.
How I Chose the Best Data Migration Tools
If I am searching for tools that are easy to use and make migration trouble-free, without any doubts about my process. These are the features I’ll focus on:
- Pre-migration testing and schema mapping: I found it most useful to be able to see the data structure first by testing in an empty environment. You never commit until you know what is going to happen.
- Automation where it matters: Field mapping, job scheduling, data transformation, and clean-up should be automated. I chose tools that take care of the repetitive stuff while letting you stay in control.
- Multi-environment support: The strongest tools are compatible with on-prem, cloud, hybrid, and SaaS environments. I needed a system that offers similar support for databases, apps, files, and APIs.
- Error handling and rollback: Migrations break sometimes. I made sure to include tools that enable live tracking, detect issues, and create backups so that you can recover easily when needed.
- Clear visibility and reporting: Detailed logs, dashboards that track progress, and real-time status updates let teams see what’s happening every step of the way.
I also made sure the tools are:
- Easy to use, even for non-technical users
- Scalable enough for large datasets
- Backed by solid documentation and responsive support
- Trusted by teams doing serious production-level migrations
My preference went to tools that gave me confidence every time, allowing me to grasp and believe in the data transfer process. Take a look at how data migration works in detail to get a better understanding of the concept.
Hevo’s no-code platform enables seamless data integration, empowering your team with real-time insights and streamlined analytics.
- Real-Time Data Integration: Hevo supports real-time data streaming, ensuring your data is always up-to-date for timely decision-making.
- No-Code Setup: With Hevo’s intuitive interface, set up data pipelines without writing a single line of code, making data integration accessible to all team members.
- Centralized Analytics: Combine data from multiple sources into a single destination, providing a 360° view of your business operations.
- Scalable Architecture: Hevo’s platform is designed to handle large volumes of data effortlessly, scaling with your business needs.
Explore Hevo’s features and discover why it is rated 4.3 on G2 and 4.7 on Software Advice for its seamless data integration.
What are Data Migration Tools?
Data migration tools are software applications or platforms used to move data from one system or storage location to another. This process can involve transferring, transforming, and validating data to ensure it’s correctly and securely migrated. Data migration is often part of the ETL process.
Data migration tools review the accuracy and consistency of information so that the transfer does not affect the quality of the data. They also prioritize data security by protecting sensitive information and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations during the entire migration process.
Also, have a look at the key differences between Data Migration vs Data Integration to make sure you understand the difference between the two terms.
Types of Data Migration Tools
Data migration tools generally fall into three categories: self-scripted, on-premises, and cloud-based.
- Self-scripted tools: Businesses with simple migration tasks might consider self-scripted migration, but it’s not practical for bigger or complicated tasks. These tools are tied to the migration logic and are commonly used for one-off jobs or unsupported systems. Self-scripted data migration tools required extensive coding knowledge.
- On-premises database migration tools: These are installed locally for businesses needing full control and strict compliance. Examples like IBM InfoSphere and Microsoft SSIS efficiently migrate data between databases with minimal downtime. It offers low latency and complete control over the stack from the application to the physical layers. However, this means that these tools must be kept up and running.
- Cloud-based data migration software: Cloud-based data migration tools might be suitable for organizations moving their data from a diverse set of platforms/sources to a cloud-based destination. It operates through the cloud and is built for flexibility, scalability, and speed. Hevo Data, AWS DMS, and Fivetran are suitable for businesses that work on several platforms and deal with a high amount of data.
Also, take a look at the types of database migration in detail to broaden your thought process.
The Top Data Migration Tools
Here is a comprehensive list of some of the best Data Migration Tools available in the market, that you can choose from for your Analytics pipeline:
- Hevo
- Fivetran
- Matillion
- Stitch
- AWS Data Pipeline
- Integrate.io
- IBM Informix
- IRI NextForm
- SnapLogic
- Informatica PowerCenter
Scroll down to explore what makes each one stand out.
1. Hevo Data
We’re Hevo, a cloud-based data migration tool that makes moving data easy and fast. We are best for businesses that want a no-code, automated solution that works with many data sources and destinations. We support over 150 connectors, including databases and SaaS apps, helping teams avoid manual work.
We handle real-time data replication with built-in error handling and monitoring. Our tool is ideal for companies needing scalable, reliable data pipelines without complex setup.
What makes us special is that our easy interface works with powerful automation, ensuring teams are firmly in charge when transferring data.
Key Features
- Data Transformation: We provide a simple no-code interface to perfect, modify, and enrich the data you want to transfer.
- Monitoring and Alerting: You can monitor your data pipeline health with intuitive dashboards showing every pipeline stat and data flow. You also get real-time visibility into your CDC pipeline with alerts and activity logs.
- Schema Management: Hevo can automatically detect the schema of the incoming data and map it to the destination schema.
- Incremental Data Load: We at Hevo allow the transfer of data that has been modified in real-time. This ensures efficient utilization of bandwidth on both ends.
- Security: Hevo complies with major security certifications such as HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC-2, ensuring data is securely encrypted end-to-end.
- 24×7 Customer Support: Live chat with around-the-clock assistance and thorough support documentation is available.
Pricing
Hevo provides transparent pricing that ensures no billing surprises even as you scale. It provides four pricing plans, which are:
- Free: For moving minimal amounts of data from SaaS tools. Provides up to 1 M free events/month.
- Starter: $ 239/Month – Moving limited data from SaaS tools and databases.
- Professional: $679/Month – For considerable data needs and higher control over data ingestion.
- Business Critical: You can customize it according to your requirements. For advanced data requirements like real-time data ingestion
You can learn more about our pricing plans.
Pros
- Supports complex transformations with pre-built functions
- Provides seamless integration with popular BI tools like Looker and Tableau
- Offers built-in data lineage for better auditability
- Strong customer support with personalized onboarding assistance
Cons
- It may be complex for very small, one-time projects
- Limited transformation flexibility
Customer Testimonial
“We had numerous files that needed rapid ingestion and a pipeline established without being hindered by server infrastructure or schema complexities. Hevo enabled us to achieve this efficiently.” — Mike C., SVP of Technology, Small Business
Read the full review on G2
Case Study
About the Company:
Infinity Brands is a South African franchisor that helps businesses scale by systemizing operations. They manage data across 1000+ users through a centralized reporting system.
The Challenge:
Switching from a traditional ERP to cloud-based CIN7 Omni created integration issues. With no direct access to data and frequent report updates, they needed a tool to automate and streamline ingestion into SQL for BI reporting.
The Solution:
Hevo Data enabled seamless, automated pipeline setup from CIN7 Omni into SQL, eliminating manual maintenance. Reports now refresh twice daily with high accuracy and minimal effort.
The Impact:
- 63.92% year-over-year growth for ACDC Express
- R500 M+ reported turnover in 12 months
- Power BI dashboards power insights across 41 stores
- Enhanced performance tracking, benchmarking, and franchise-wide success modeling
2. Fivetran
Fivetran is a cloud-based data migration tool best for automating data syncs from multiple sources to cloud warehouses without manual upkeep.
It works continuously to take data from databases and SaaS apps, allowing teams to focus on other tasks and keep their pipeline always up-to-date.
Because Fivetran can self-manage changes to schemas, migrations can be done smoothly and with less intervention.
Key Features
- Flexible capture methods: HVR supports flexibility using other capture methods, including: Trigger-Based Capture, Archive Log Only (ALO), and Direct Redo Access (exclusive to Oracle databases).
- Version Control via Git Integration: Fivetran integrates directly with Git repositories, allowing for robust version control, collaboration, and CI/CD practices for your dbt transformation code, just as you would with a self-managed dbt setup.
- Integrated Scheduling & Orchestration: Transformations can be scheduled to run automatically when your Fivetran data sync has completed, guaranteeing transformations will apply against the most recent data.
Fivetran Pricing
The price is determined by monthly active rows, and there is a free trial option.
Pros
- Minimal maintenance required
- Reliable and automated schema handling
- Excellent cloud data warehouse integrations
- Automatic Schema Mapping
Cons
- Pricing can be high at scale
- Limited flexibility for custom transformations
Customer Testimonial
“It just works. Support for hundreds of connectors, good documentation, and support tickets are typically resolved in a reasonable amount of time.” — Verified User in Computer Software, Mid-Market
Read the full review on G2
3. Matillion

Matillion is a cloud-based data migration tool that also offers strong data transformation features. It works best with cloud warehouses like Snowflake and Redshift.
It helps teams load and transform data using an easy drag-and-drop interface, cutting down on coding and speeding up migration.
What makes Matillion stand out is its balance of simplicity and power, giving users control over data preparation during migration.
Key features
- Visual Pipeline Orchestration: Matillion provides a graphical interface to design, build, and manage ETL pipelines, reducing the need for extensive coding for many everyday tasks.
- Cloud-Native Architecture: Matillion is built for the cloud (often deployed via cloud marketplaces like AWS, Azure, GCP) and designed to scale with cloud infrastructure.
- Built-in Orchestration and Scheduling: Matillion includes features for orchestrating complex sequences of data loading and transformation jobs, managing dependencies, and scheduling executions based on time or events.
- Separate staging Environment: Facilitates managing different environments (e.g., development, staging, production) with distinct configurations and variables.
Matillion Pricing
Users pay for Matillion in subscriptions, which depend on the cloud platform and how big the instance is.
Pros
- Powerful transformation capabilities
- User-friendly visual interface
- Strong support for cloud data warehouses
Cons
- Can be complex for very simple migrations
- Pricing depends on cloud resources, which may add up
Customer Testimonial
“Built-in connectors to heaps of systems; ability to create custom connectors; active community and quick responses to forum questions.” — Steve B., Senior Data Specialist, Small Business
Read the full review on G2
4. Stitch Data
Stitch Data is a cloud-based ETL platform that allows you to move data pretty quickly from point A to point B without any coding necessary. This enables you to focus on extracting actionable insights from your data to steer business growth.
Stitch makes it easy to copy data from different sources with very little setup required. With this, teams can easily gather different sets of data without requiring a lot of technical knowledge.
What makes Stitch unique is its ease of use and flexible integrations, offering a cost-effective solution for fast migrations and ongoing data syncing.
Key features
- Robust In-Network Checkpoints: These checks guarantee data validity and provide users with confidence that their data is safe.
- Pre-built integration applications: Stitchm allows users to define how they want to receive the stream of change events in their CDC application.
- Flexible Data Flow Design: Create and connect intricate data flows graphically or programmatically through the UI with Striim’s TQL scripting, supporting dynamic and scalable stream processing.
- AI-Ready Output: Converts incoming data to JSONL format, which is ready for OpenAI ingestion and model training.
Stitch Data Pricing
Stitch offers a 14-day free trial, with standard plans ranging from $100 to $1250 per month based on monthly row volume.
Pros
- User-friendly and fast to deploy
- Good selection of integrations
- Cost-effective for smaller teams
Cons
- Limited transformation capabilities
- Not recommended for extremely complicated pipelines.
Customer Testimonial
“Code-free and easy integration. Also, the free limit for new integrations helps in testing.” — Pandyarajan V., Mid-Market (51–1000 employees)
Read the full review on G2
5. AWS Data Pipeline
AWS Data Pipeline is a cloud-based data migration and workflow orchestration service best for businesses using Amazon Web Services infrastructure. It excels in automating data movement and processing within the AWS ecosystem.
It makes it simpler and easier for data teams to move and change data across AWS and on-premises systems.
What sets AWS Data Pipeline apart is its tight integration with AWS services and scalability for large enterprise workloads, making it ideal for organizations heavily invested in AWS.
Key features
- Error Handling and Notifications: Includes mechanisms for error handling and can send failure notifications via Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS).
- Ease of Use with Visual Editor and Templates: Offers a drag-and-drop console (visual editor) and a library of common pipeline templates to simplify pipeline creation.
- Integration with AWS Services and On-Premises Sources: Supports various AWS services like Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon EMR, as well as on-premises data sources.
- Support for Diverse Activities: Can orchestrate a variety of data processing activities, including running Amazon EMR jobs (like Hive queries, Pig scripts, MapReduce applications), SQL queries, or custom applications.
- Logging and Transparency: Provides detailed logs of pipeline activities, offering transparency into the execution and status of your data workflows.
AWS Data Pipeline Pricing
Pricing is pay-as-you-go based on the number of pipeline activities and data processed.
Pros
- Deep AWS ecosystem integration
- Highly scalable and flexible
- Supports complex workflows
Cons
- More difficult to grasp for beginners
- Fewer features in their UI compared to rivals
Customer Testimonial
“Easy to run a Spark job as a step in the pipeline. AWS Console has a drag-and-drop UI to build the pipeline schema, and it works very well.” — Verified User in Information Technology and Services, Mid-Market
Read the full review on G2
6. Integrate.io
Integrate.io is a cloud-based data migration and ETL platform designed for fast and flexible data movement. It’s best for companies needing quick integration across diverse data sources without heavy coding.
The tool automates data extraction, transformation, and loading, helping data teams streamline pipelines and improve data quality. It supports various databases, SaaS applications, and cloud platforms.
Its user-friendly interface and strong data transformation tools allow Integrate.io to be used by both experts and beginners.
Key Features
- ELT and Reverse ETL Capabilities: Supports both ELT (Extract, Load, Transform in the destination) and Reverse ETL (syncing data from warehouses back to operational tools).
- API Management and Generation: Includes tools to create, manage, and consume APIs, allowing users to expose data pipelines as API endpoints.
- CDC (Change Data Capture): Efficiently replicates only the changes made in source data for near real-time updates and reduced system load.
- Workflow Automation and Scheduling: Allows users to automate and schedule data pipelines with defined dependencies and triggers.
- Data Observability and Monitoring: Provides tools to monitor pipeline health, track data quality, receive real-time alerts, and access detailed logs.
- Security and Compliance: Implements security measures like data encryption and access controls, and supports compliance with standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2.
- Dedicated Support: Offers access to an expert customer support team for assistance.
Integrate.io Pricing
This service offers pricing that depends on the data amount and features, with custom plans available for businesses.
Pros
- User-friendly for all skill levels
- Good transformation capabilities
- Flexible deployment options
Cons
- A lack of advanced analytics capabilities
- Large production can be pricey
Customer Testimonial
“I find Integrate.io easier to use compared to other ETL tools, as it is a low-code/no-code platform. People who are not proficient in programming or coding can also easily understand and use it.” — Vinitha V., Data Engineer, Mid-Market
Read the full review on G2
By using Hevo’s intuitive platform, you can ensure smooth and reliable data transfer between disparate systems. Your migration time will also be reduced, and data accuracy will be maintained.
Get Started with Hevo for Free7. IBM Informix

IBM Informix is a hybrid data migration and database tool ideal for enterprises needing high availability during migrations. It supports real-time data replication and change data capture to keep systems running smoothly.
DBAs can use this software to move important data with less downtime and it supports both on-premises and cloud systems.
What makes Informix stand out is its reliability and strong support for hybrid setups, perfect for businesses with strict uptime needs.
Key Features
- Embeddability & Wide Deployment Range: Runs on a diverse array of devices, from small edge systems (as compact as 100 MB on a Raspberry Pi) to large enterprise-class servers, embedding seamlessly into applications.
- Hybrid Data Model Support: Combines relational and object-oriented capabilities, allowing for flexible data modeling and support for SQL, NoSQL/JSON, and time-series data within a single database.
- Autonomics (Low Administration): Performs many crucial managerial and operational tasks autonomously, significantly reducing the need for human database administration.
- High Performance & Real-time Processing: Delivers high throughput, well-suited for always-on transactions and real-time analytics, even in embedded applications.
- Real-time Analytics & AI Integration: Enables access and querying of real-time data for analytics and AI through integrations, such as the connector for IBM watsonx.data, often without requiring ETL.
IBM Informix Pricing
IBM Informix offers plans starting at $1,250 and $4,000 per instance, with varying RAM, storage, and network capabilities based on the selected tier.
Pros
- Strong reliability for mission-critical data
- Seamless hybrid environment support
- Comprehensive backup and recovery options
Cons
- Organizing, installing, and monitoring tricky systems
- Higher cost compared to simpler tools
Customer Testimonial
“The best thing about Informix is its onstat commands to see database stats. This is really quick and gives you output directly from memory.” — Verified Reviewer
Read the full review on G2
8. IRI NextForm
IRI NextForm is a versatile data migration tool designed for complex, large-scale migrations. It works well for organizations needing to modernize legacy systems and convert data across various platforms.
NextForm automates data conversion and migration tasks, helping teams reduce manual coding and errors during transitions.
The ability to process both legacy and modern systems, mainframes, relational databases and cloud configurations is what makes NextForm unique.
Key Features
- Broad Operating System Compatibility: Runs on various operating systems, including Windows, Unix flavors (Linux, Solaris, AIX, HP-UX), and IBM mainframes (z/OS, z/Linux).
- Versatile Data Source & Target Support: Migrates and converts data from and to a wide range of sources and targets, including flat files (like CSV, COBOL), databases, structured, and semi-structured data.
- Data Type & File Format Conversion: Handles complex conversions between different data types (e.g., EBCDIC to ASCII, packed decimal to numeric, endian changes) and various file formats.
- Data Masking & PII Protection: Includes capabilities to mask or otherwise protect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and other sensitive data during migration or transformation.
- High-Performance Processing: Designed for speed, leveraging IRI’s CoSort engine or interchangeable processing engines to handle large data volumes efficiently.
- Intuitive Job Design & Automation: Jobs can be defined using simple, self-documenting 4GL scripts (SortCL program) or through IRI Workbench, a free graphical IDE built on Eclipse™, and can be automated.
IRI NextForm Pricing
IRI NextForm offers tiered pricing based on product editions like Lite, COBOL, DBMS, and Premium, with additional charges for installation support.
Pros
- Excellent for legacy system modernization
- Reduces manual effort and errors
- Supports complex environments
Cons
- The cost for small organizations may be expensive.
- Requires technical expertise for setup
9. SnapLogic
SnapLogic is an intelligent data integration and migration platform ideal for enterprises needing to connect a wide variety of data sources quickly. It’s best suited for businesses looking for scalable, AI-powered automation in their data workflows.
SnapLogic automates most of your data migration workflow with its workflow builder. It boosts the cloud data migration and allows users a unified view of all data.
What makes SnapLogic unique is its AI-powered workflows that optimize pipeline performance and reduce manual configuration, making complex migrations simpler.
Key Features
- Extensive Library of “Snaps” (Pre-built Connectors): Quickly connect to hundreds of applications, databases, APIs, cloud services, and data warehouses using intelligent, reusable connectors.
- Unified Platform for Application & Data Integration: Manage both application-to-application integration (connecting different software) and data integration (ETL/ELT for data movement and transformation) within a single platform.
- AI-Powered with Iris AI: Snaplogic Leverages artificial intelligence (Iris AI) to provide suggestions for data mappings, help automate pipeline building, and offer insights during development.
- Built-in API Creation and Management: SnapLogic lets you easily create, publish, secure, and manage APIs from your integration pipelines, allowing you to expose data or application functionality as services.
SnapLogic Pricing
A free trial of 30 days is provided by SnapLogic, and the price depends on the usage and connectors used. The price list is available upon request.
Pros
- Advanced AI automation
- Flexible Hybrid Deployment (Snaplex)
- Broad integration support
- Visual Drag and drop
Cons
- Higher cost for smaller teams
- Learning curve for beginners
Customer Testimonial
“Easy to build and implement. Customer support is very responsive. Enormous features to discover. User-friendly to integrate.” — Varish M., Technical Architect, Enterprise
Read the full review on G2
10. Informatica Power Center
It is designed for use in major organizations with many different and challenging data types. It is commonly used to handle large-scale, high-speed migrations involving multiple databases, warehouses and system types.
It enables data teams to extract, transform, and load data with precision while offering advanced scheduling, monitoring, and governance tools. PowerCenter is trusted in industries where compliance, scalability, and reliability are critical.
PowerCenter is recognized for providing top-level results for businesses, effective metadata controls, and safe operation in handling large-scale migrations.
Key features
- High-throughput ETL engine: It allows for parallel processing, data partitioning, pushdown optimization, and cache management.
- Workflow orchestration with scheduling: Informatica enables you to design and manage complex ETL workflows.
- Metadata Management: Informatica PowerCenter includes a metadata management framework that enables you to capture and manage metadata throughout the ETL process.
- AI-powered optimization: Informatica’s AI engine, CLAIRE, helps optimize costs with enhanced performance for hyperscalers and ecosystems.
- Monitoring and Error Handling: It provides logging and auditing features to track the progress of ETL jobs, identify bottlenecks, and troubleshoot issues.
Informatica Power Center Pricing
Informatica’s costs typically align with how much you use their platform. They also promote a model where you can select and pay for the specific services you require at a given time. This offers flexibility to adjust your chosen services as your business needs change, with an emphasis on tracking usage to help manage costs effectively.
Pros
- Made for handling vast amounts of data that are crucial to work success
- Strong governance and audit features
- Highly customizable and secure
Cons
- Too costly and complicated for small teams to deal with
- Steeper learning curve
Customer Testimonial
“Ease of use, great documentation explaining exact features, and great support. It’s easy to implement business logic via the transformations offered.” — Kritika, Data Engineer, Enterprise
Read the full review on G2
What are the Key Functions of Data Migration Tools?
Data migration tools do far more than just move data. They ensure the process is efficient, accurate, secure, and resilient. The core functions these tools offer address real-world challenges faced by organizations navigating complex migrations.
1. Seamless Connectivity and Automated Updates
Modern migration tools come equipped with fully managed connectors that automatically update to keep pace with changes in source and target systems. This eliminates the need for manual reconfiguration, enabling effortless integration across diverse environments such as on-premises databases, cloud platforms, or legacy systems
2. Data Transformation and Cleansing
Raw data often requires reshaping to fit new schemas or business rules. Visual drag-and-drop interfaces empower users to cleanse, enrich, and transform data without writing code, while automated data conversion ensures compatibility across different platforms. This reduces errors and minimizes post-migration fixes.
3. Incremental Loading and Change Data Capture
Instead of moving entire datasets repeatedly, tools capture and migrate only new or changed data in real time. This approach speeds up migration and minimizes system load, which is vital when working with large or frequently updated databases.
4. Schema Drift Management
Data structures evolve over time. Migration tools that automatically detect and adapt to these changes prevent pipeline failures. This capability keeps migrations running smoothly even as source data evolves, avoiding costly interruptions.
5. Data Lineage and Validation
Being able to trace data lineage allows organizations to understand the source of their data and what is done to it, which helps with compliance and auditing. Also, thorough data validation and reconciliation checks ensure that all the data was moved correctly and completely, helping to prevent any hidden loss or changes.
6. Real-Time Monitoring and Intelligent Error Recovery
Live dashboards help you quickly identify any problems in your pipeline. The migration tool handles errors by trying tasks again to reduce total downtime and ensure a reliable experience.
How to Use Data Migration Tools the Right Way?
1. Conduct a Comprehensive Data Audit
Make sure that all data is moved over correctly so it is protected from any accidental data loss or corruption during the process.
2. Use the Incremental Migration Technique
Adopt change data capture (CDC) or something similar to only transfer the modified data. Reduced downtime means less stress for your computers.
3. Set Up Robust Monitoring and Alerts
Enable real-time monitoring and alerts to quickly detect and address pipeline issues before they impact your migration.
4. Perform Data Validation and Reconciliation
After completing the data migration, process an automatic check to confirm that all the data is intact and correct for performing data validation.
5. Document and Automate Rollback Procedures
Prepare and automate rollback plans so you can quickly recover if anything goes wrong during the migration process.
Take a look at how you can build a successful data migration team for your organization.
How to Select the Right Data Migration Tool for Your Organization?
Here are a few factors that you can keep in mind before deciding on a data migration tool:
- Performance and Scalability: Cloud-based tools trump the others in this category due to their flexibility, which allows them to scale up or down according to the needs of the user.
- Regulatory Compliance: The tool must adhere to relevant industry standards and data protection regulations, such as GDPR and HIPAA.
- Data Sources and Destinations: This is a pivotal factor based on your requirements. Self-scripting solutions offer support for almost any destination or source but are not scalable. They are suitable only for small projects. Most of the cloud-based and on-premise tools handle numerous data destinations and sources.
- Compatibility and Adaptability: Ensure that the tool integrates with existing systems. The integration should be seamless and should have the ability to adapt to various data formats and sources. Such flexibility is indispensable when handling diverse data sources and technology stacks.
- Customization and Extensibility: The tool should support customization and extensibility to cater to unique data migration scenarios.
- Interoperability with Legacy Systems: The ability to convert legacy data formats into those required for new systems is crucial. Top-tier data migration tools include plug-ins or modules that facilitate this conversion process, ensuring the original content remains accessible and secure.
- Self-Service Deployments: Self-service deployment options empower customers to manage their data migration tasks independently. This approach eliminates the need for waitlists, as users can download the application and execute the migration through a series of well-defined steps.
- Automated Workflows: Tools that offer automated workflows simplify the data migration process, which often involves moving large volumes of data and complex procedures. Automating the data migration testing process is also recommended to preserve the integrity of the data.
- Auto-Detection of Missing Items: The feature of auto-detection of missing items is a time-saver in extensive databases or repositories. It ensures that any errors, such as the accidental deletion of data, are promptly detected, and the process is paused to prevent further issues.
- Comprehensive Documentation & Training: Comprehensive documentation, such as self-help manuals, video tutorials, and workshops, is invaluable, especially for complex features like scripting and APIs. For larger projects, round-the-clock vendor support is also crucial.
Take a look at how you can build a successful data migration team for your organization.
Challenges of Data Migration & How to Overcome Them
Moving data from one place to another is complicated and can be challenging. These are some typical issues and how you can address them:
- Lack of Expertise: This seems like a simple task, but there’s a lot of complexity involved in data migration. Having an experienced professional with excellent references on your team can ensure a smooth process.
- Lack of Planning: Sometimes, projects that lack a proper migration plan can get off track. Plan in detail, including schedules, use of resources, and identifying risks and solutions for possible problems, ahead of starting the project.
- Lack of Data Governance: Unclear ownership and permissions lead to errors. Define who can create, edit, or delete data and document these rules to maintain control throughout the migration.
- Unproven Migration Methodology: You need to do some research that can help elicit the benefits of the data migration process with examples. Try not to accept a generic solution offered by a vendor if it can’t be backed by a testimonial.
- Supplier and Project Management: Oversight is necessary because otherwise, vendor management can be very unorganized. Hire one main person whose role is to interact with vendors, track the project’s progress, and ensure there is always an open exchange of information.
- Cross-Object Dependencies: Since these tools can find it tough to handle cross-database dependencies, you must arrange these in your migration plan.
- Waiting for Perfect Specs for the Target: If the implementation team is busy dealing with the design criteria, you should focus on proper communication with the stakeholders and effective data governance measures.
- Insufficient Data Prep Software and Skills: For a large-scale data migration, you need to invest in first-class data quality software and consider bringing in a specialist firm to assist you. This can help you cut costs since this is usually a cheaper (time and effort) process than assigning an in-house team to deal with it.
- Contacting Key Stakeholders: You need to explain the need for the data migration project and its impact on your key stakeholders before you get down to brass tacks. This ensures that your timeline isn’t disrupted at a later stage, which would hamper efficiency.
Tool | Type | Transparent pricing | No- Code Interface | Purchase Process | G2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hevo Data | Commercial | Yes | Yes | Self-Service | 4.3/5 |
Fivetran | Commercial | Yes | Yes | Self-Service | 4.2/5 |
Matillion | Commercial | Yes | Yes | Self-Service | 4.3/5 |
Stitch Data | Commercial | Yes | Yes | Contact Sales | 4.4/5 |
AWS Data Pipeline | Commercial | No | Yes | Contact Sales | 4.1/5 |
Xplenty | Commercial | No | Yes | Contact Sales | None |
IBM Informix | Commercial | Yes | Yes | Self-Service | 4.6/5 |
IRI NextForm | Commercial | Yes | No | Contact Sales | None |
SnapLogic | Commercial | No | Yes | Contact Sales | 4.2/5 |
Informatica PowerCenter | Commercial | No | No | Contact sales | 4.4/5 |
Conclusion
In this blog, we have walked you through the Top 10 data migration tools while also covering important concepts on what data migration is and the dos and don’ts while using one.
As you collect and migrate your data across various databases in your organisation, it is necessary to use a full-scale solution for your business. You can comfortably achieve this through a Cloud-based ETL tool such as Hevo.
Sign up for a 14-day free trial and experience Hevo’s feature-rich suite to see why it is the best choice for your data migration needs.
FAQ on Data Migration Tools
1. What is a data migration tool?
A data migration tool automates moving data between systems by extracting, transforming, and loading it. It guarantees correct information and relies on support from databases and cloud services.
2. What are the four types of data migration?
The four types are storage, database, application, and cloud migration. Each addresses different data movement needs and requires specific tools and planning.
3. What is a data migration tool in SAP?
SAP tools like Data Services and Migration Cockpit move data into SAP systems during upgrades, offering cleansing, transformation, and pre-built mapping for accuracy.