Database Migration and Consolidation

Moving data safely between platforms with full validation, zero data loss, and minimal disruption to your operations.

Data Migration Done Right

We handle database migrations and consolidation for businesses across the UK and Isle of Man. Moving data safely between database platforms, consolidating multiple databases into a single system, or migrating from a legacy database to a modern platform - all done with the rigour that your data deserves.

Database migration is one of the highest-risk activities in software engineering because the consequences of getting it wrong are severe and sometimes irreversible. Data loss, data corruption, and missed edge cases in transformation logic can be extremely difficult to detect and even more difficult to remediate after the fact. The risk is not in the technology - it is in the process, the validation, and the willingness to slow down when something does not look right.

Every database migration we undertake is led by Owen Jones, OLXR's founder and lead engineer. We treat data migration as the high-stakes activity it is - with the process rigour, validation checkpoints, and rollback planning that your data deserves.

Who This Is For

Businesses migrating between database platforms and needing data moved safely

Organisations consolidating multiple databases after mergers or acquisitions

Companies migrating on-premises databases to cloud infrastructure

Businesses replacing legacy applications and needing the data migrated to a new system

Dev teams needing a database migration planned and executed alongside an application upgrade

Organisations moving workloads to the cloud that need their databases migrated with minimal disruption

What We Deliver

Source Assessment

Complete inventory of tables, volumes, relationships, and data quality issues.

Schema Mapping

Detailed mapping with transformation rules for every field between source and destination.

Data Cleansing

Identification and resolution of data quality issues before migration.

Migration Scripts

Tested, repeatable scripts that can be run multiple times with consistent results.

Validation Framework

Automated reconciliation of record counts and key values between source and destination.

Rehearsal Migrations

Full dry runs in non-production environments before going live.

Production Execution

Live migration with monitoring, validation, and rollback capability.

Post-Migration Validation

Reconciliation and smoke testing after switch-over so you know the migration succeeded before legacy systems are retired

Our Approach

Assess Before Committing

Every database migration has characteristics that are not apparent until you look closely. Data quality issues, undocumented constraints, inconsistencies accumulated over years of operation. We conduct a thorough assessment of the source database before committing to an approach, timeline, or cost - because surprises during a production migration are the kind of surprises nobody wants.

Rehearse the Production Migration

A production migration that has not been rehearsed is an experiment. We conduct multiple rehearsal runs - testing scripts against copies of production data, measuring execution time, and validating output at every stage. By the time we execute the production migration, we know exactly what will happen and how long it will take.

Validate at Every Stage

Validation happens at every stage of the migration, not just at the end. Record counts after each batch, transformation logic verified against samples, referential integrity checks before switchover. We do not declare a migration complete until the data in the destination has been validated to the required confidence level.

Technologies We Use

SQL Server

PostgreSQL

MariaDB

SQLite

EF Core

AWS RDS

Azure SQL

Python

Docker

ETL/ELT

Don't see your database platform? Get in touch.

Frequently Asked Questions

We typically use a bulk migration followed by incremental sync approach, which reduces the final cutover window to minutes rather than hours. The bulk of the data is migrated while the source system remains live, and only the changes made during the migration window need to be applied during the cutover.

That is normal - most legacy databases have data quality issues that have accumulated over years. Some can be resolved with automated cleansing rules, while others require business decisions about how to handle them. We surface all issues clearly and do not proceed past validation failures without agreement on how each issue should be resolved.

Yes - cross-platform migration involves schema conversion as well as data migration. Data types, constraints, stored procedures, and platform-specific features all need to be assessed and converted. We assess the full scope of the cross-platform differences during the preparation phase so there are no surprises during execution.

Related Services

Database Design

Scalable databases and data platforms

Architecture

Schema design and data modelling

Legacy Replacement

Modernise outdated systems

Ready to Migrate Your Database?

Tell us about the migration you need. We will give you an honest assessment of the complexity, the risk, and the most practical approach for your situation.

Book a Free Consultation