The Hard Way: Lessons Learned from Real-World Data Migration Projects How three years of ignoring data migration nearly derailed my dev career — and what I spent the next years mastering. What Is Data Migration? Data migration is the process of moving data from one system, format, location, or environment to another. It sounds straightforward — until it isn't. At its core, data migration is about transfer + transformation + validation . You're not just copying files; you're ensuring that data arrives at its destination intact, usable, and consistent with the target system's structure and rules. Types of Data Migration 1. Storage Migration Moving data from one physical or cloud storage system to another — e.g., from on-premise servers to AWS S3 or Google Cloud Storage. 2. Database Migration Transferring data between database engines (MySQL → PostgreSQL), versions, or schemas. This often involves restructuring tables, rewriting queries, and handling incompatible data types. 3.…