Data Migration Change Log
This is a practical guide to building a change log for a data migration project — a record of change requests and their decisions, adapted to the realities of moving data from legacy systems into a new platform.
What a Change Log is
A change log is a record of change requests and their decisions. For the full concept and how it works in general, see Change Log. On a data migration project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for a Data Migration project
Data Migration projects live or die on moving data from legacy systems into a new platform. A well-built change log gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how data migration projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Change ID and description
- Impact assessment
- Decision and date
- Updated baselines
Data Migration-specific considerations
Tailor the change log to the risks that most often derail data migration projects:
- Data quality and lineage
- Field mapping errors
- Reconciliation and cutover
Example
On a real data migration project, the change log would be shaped by moving data from legacy systems into a new platform. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — data quality and lineage, field mapping errors, reconciliation and cutover — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.