System X-ray
Tables, procedures, reports, scheduled jobs, links to other software and users. Many dependencies were never documented and only come to light when each department is asked.
A cold storage warehouse in Murcia tracks goods in, batches and traceability with a custom program built in 2006 on Access and SQL Server 2008. The server runs a version of Windows that has not seen a patch in years, the original developer has retired and the insurer has started asking pointed questions about cyber security. The program works, but nobody dares touch it. Migrating a system like this is not about copying a database. You have to know which reports, integrations and overnight jobs rely on it, convert data stored in twenty-year-old formats, rehearse the whole switch and have a way back ready. It is all done remotely, and the final move is scheduled for whenever your business can afford to pause.
Most of the work happens before switch day. When the groundwork is solid, the switch itself is boring, and boring is what we want.
Tables, procedures, reports, scheduled jobs, links to other software and users. Many dependencies were never documented and only come to light when each department is asked.
A current release of the same engine, a move to PostgreSQL, a managed server or the cloud in the AWS region in Aragon, Azure Spain Central or Google Cloud in Madrid, weighed on cost, requirements and your team's skills.
Dates in obsolete formats, amounts stored as text and, very often, the Spanish ñ and accented letters mangled on the way from old encodings to UTF-8. All of it is caught and fixed during rehearsals.
Complete migrations run on copies of the database in a staging environment. Each one records timings and leaves a list of tweaks for the next.
Specific steps for returning to the old system if something serious goes wrong in the first hours, including the point after which going back no longer makes sense.
Comparison of counts, totals and samples of critical data: customer balances, unpaid invoices, batches and stock levels.
Preparation time depends on volume and dependencies. The number of hours offline comes from the second rehearsal, not an upfront guess.
Technical inventory, interviews with key users and a definition of how much downtime is acceptable. If the warehouse opens on Saturdays, the plan changes.
At least two full migrations on copies, with timings measured and scripts corrected after each.
The rehearsed script run in the agreed window, with one contact person online throughout and a check-in with you at every decision point.
Closer watch, fast handling of issues, and the old system left available read-only for comparison.
The old system does not get switched off the next day. Keep it in read-only mode for a few weeks, because some piece of data nearly always turns out not to have migrated as expected. Bear in mind too that Spain's Commercial Code requires accounting books and records to be retained for six years, and that if personal data moves to a new provider or country your record of processing activities must be updated.
We will know precisely after the second rehearsal, which times everything against your real volumes. The switch is usually scheduled between Friday afternoon and Sunday, and before the date is fixed we send you an hour-by-hour plan.
For some systems, yes, by replicating data continuously and making a final switch lasting minutes. It is more expensive and more complex, and it is worth it when every hour offline causes heavy losses, as with a booking platform. Most companies do not need it.
For the data, almost always: we work directly with the database and rebuild the rules by talking to users. Carrying on developing the old program is another matter, and your lawyer should establish what rights you hold over it. Writing new modules from scratch is often the more sensible choice.
Yes. If your system handles information belonging to a public body, the cloud provider and the service must comply with Spain's National Security Framework (ENS) at the appropriate level. We treat that as a requirement when choosing the destination, along with keeping data in Spain or the EU.
With a short note on visible changes, a video session for each affected team and extra support over the first few days. There are always questions on the first Monday; what matters is that people know who to ask.
Tell us which system you want to move, how big the database is and how much downtime you can absorb. We will begin with a diagnosis and a first rehearsal.
Your request is with us
Expect an answer within one working day. A reported fault that has halted your team is handled first.
No match found. Try another spelling, or go with the closest provincial capital: every job is done remotely, so the location makes no difference to what we deliver anywhere in Spain.