Magento 1 to Magento 2 transition affects the following four components:
- Data, including product, customer, and order data, store configurations, likewise promotions.
- Extensions; the widely used ones are already adopted and vetted for Magento 2.
- Theme & Customizations; A detailed guide for adapting themes and layouts is available at Magento’s official website (devdocs.Magento.com)
- Code Customization; You get to customize your store functionality and create innovative shopping experiences.
But what is the exact process of Magento 2 migration? So, let’s see the all 8 steps of the Magento migration process:
Step #1: Create A Migration Plan
The first step of the Magento migration process is to map out the process. Project stakeholders including the development team and that retailer team together create a migration plan before starting coding. This pre-planning will help them to stay on the same page and will also ensure that they don’t miss even the tiniest element or component during migration. That is why the specific migration process will also help developers by saving their time and finance. The following are the three stages they can include during the planning:
- Data Related details including product details, categories, customers, orders, and content (Web pages, articles, case studies, etc., whatever they want to add).
- Project specification section includes how the project should be developed, including all processes. They must describe each page, block, tab, button, and etc.
- Project roadmap with every milestone listed on a particular timeline which have transparent deadlines and clear definitions of what actually they did.
These steps of the project planning will help you to map out the whole project strategically with actual time-line, and also saves time and money.
Step #2: Prepare Testing Environment
Page loading time or application downtime is your loss, that we know! So, preparing a separate environment on a dedicated server for migration and development. Normally, it is preferable to hire a Magento 2 developer to work on the same. At this stage, you have to set up the best development environment, install the default Magento 2 platform, and configure the version control system (Git/SVN) to make sure everything is up to the mark to run the project.
Step #3: Migrate A Theme
Magento 1 and 2 themes are incompatible, the storefront design can be moved manually; yet, it will require more time and effort to copy all media, HTML, CSS, and other files. We recommend updating the design of the website to get access to more features of the Magento 2. If you want to reduce the time and are not into theme customization, you can install a default one from the Magento Marketplace. On the other hand, Migration to Magento 2 is a chance to give your website a fresh coat of paint.
Step #4: Install Extensions
The migration plan will come handy with the list of all Magento 2 extensions that you are using at the time of migration, which will help you to find matching ones for Magento 2. Reviewing the existing extensions is also an excellent idea as some of the extensions might be redundant already. In case you still need some add-ons that are not compatible with the newer version, than you can customize that according to your way, which may include:
- Diverse payment systems integration
- One-click checkouts
- Custom ERPs and CRMs
- Shipping solutions, and much more
Step #5: Customize Functionality
If you have any custom functionality on a website, you can move it with the help of Magento 2 data migration tool. Still, you will need to edit some transferred files manually after the migration, as they may not be integrated properly. Also, remember that the more customization code will take longer to transition. Moreover, sometimes it is even easier to build some features from scratch, which should be discussed during project planning along with budgets you are ready to spend on such functionality.
Step #6: Migrate Data & Information
In this step you need to transfer all of your store data and settings that is why this step is very crucial for the Magento 2 developers. You can transfer all essential data using a dedicated Magento 2 migration tool which creates a complete backup just in case anything goes wrong. The following are the most essential steps of the whole step:
Installation Of The Tool
For installing a tool you will need a developer for authentication keys, retrieve them from your profile on Magento marketplace.
Configuration Of Data Migration Tool
This step will involve the configuration of settings and scripts of your store for instance, specification of source and destination points for data transfer.
Settings Migration
Setting migration moves your system configurations, like payment, tax, shipping settings, and many more.
Data Migration
And finally, you can move your internal data, catalog, product lists, orders, customer’s information, etc.
Step #7: Test & Sync Database
You can consider this step as the last one. In this step Magento 2 developers check whether everything runs smoothly, troubleshoot (if any bugs are found), and synchronize the database so that no orders or customers get left behind in migration. Before launching the website you need to test it because as the saying goes, “First impression is always a last!” you can’t change the users opinion after fixing the bugs also. So, batter is to launch bug free websites or apps.
Step #8: Launch A Magento 2 Store On A Live Server
The final step! Launch your Magento 2 store on a live server after everything was documented, executed, and tested.
Conclusion
The whole Magento 2 migration process will take time and effort but once you launch the website I assure you that you can run everything smoothly and up to the mark. Moreover, if you are looking for a Magento 2 certified developer for the migration process then contact MageCaption because we have a team of certified and experienced developers who make everything happen!