Migrating your content and data to a new platform is a complex process that requires diligent planning. In this blog post, we provide 5 helpful tips to keep in mind as you embark on a Veeva Vault migration.
Veeva Systems is a company that provides cloud-based software solutions to the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries. These solutions help companies manage various aspects of their business, including:
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Regulatory compliance
- Quality management
- Content management
With Veeva’s solutions, you can streamline your operations, collaborate with stakeholders, and ensure compliance with industry regulations. But to reap these benefits, you first may need to migrate your data, which can come with its own challenges.
3 Common Challenges of Migrating to Veeva Vault
There are always challenges when moving from one system to another, and Veeva is no different. Three common challenges involve:
- Data alignment: The structure of your existing data might not match the target system’s requirements, leading to data corruption and business process disruptions.
- Data quality: If you have dirty data in the source system, migrating it to any target system could be challenging and require lots of data cleansing.
- Timing: Oftentimes, with large datasets, a migration will take more than a long weekend to execute, leading teams to consider other approaches such as wave-based or delta migrations.
Fortunately, you can proactively address these challenges and ensure a smooth Veeva migration by following these five tips.
5 Tips for a Successful Veeva Vault Migration
1. Document Your Business Processes Before Attending a Veeva Configuration Workshop
A Veeva configuration workshop is a collaborative and structured event where teams gather to configure, customize or fine-tune Veeva’s software solutions to meet their specific needs and requirements.
During the workshop, Veeva will ask your team questions about your business process, which are essential for the configuration of your system. If your process isn’t documented beforehand, you may have difficulty answering these questions, which can delay your project.
Therefore, come prepared to your Veeva configuration workshops to maintain your timeline and set yourself up for success. Work with your team to establish business processes and make sure everyone knows their roles and responsibilities.
2. Include All Parties in Migration Planning
Another crucial part of the Veeva migration process is getting all essential parties involved during the planning phase.
Migrations aren’t just technical exercises; the business as a whole needs to be involved from the beginning to ensure a smooth process. This allows you to keep everyone on the same page and assign responsibilities to individuals or teams.
If you aren’t sure who needs to participate, start with this list:
- IT
- Quality
- Validation
- Veeva
Once you have your team in place, you can start defining what’s in and out of scope for your migration before you begin testing.
3. Test Early & Often for Business & IT
Data testing in the Veeva migration process is necessary for guaranteeing data accuracy, system functionality, regulatory compliance and overall success. It’s a proactive and systematic approach that helps you:
- Identify and resolve issues
- Minimize risks
- Ensure a smooth transition to Veeva’s cloud-based solutions
Engaging in two to three dry runs in a sandbox environment will allow you to conduct a comprehensive review of the migration and receive valuable feedback before moving on to the validation testing phase. This iteration ensures that each step of the migration is thoroughly tested and refined, ultimately leading to a more robust and error-free data migration process.
4. Conduct Face-to-Face Workshops with a Migration Partner
When embarking on a Veeva Vault migration, collaborating with a Veeva migration partner will help you ensure a successful transition. To maximize the benefits of this partnership, consider organizing face-to-face workshops involving your internal team and the consulting experts.
These workshops will be a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, fostering a deeper understanding of your organization’s unique needs and the nuances of the Veeva Vault migration process. They also allow for direct, real-time communication, which can more effectively convey complex ideas and requirements than virtual interactions, especially if language differences exist.
Close interactions promote teamwork and shared responsibility between your in-house staff and the consulting team. It facilitates a stronger working relationship and helps build trust, ensuring that both teams are aligned with the project’s goals and objectives.
5. Emphasize Data Mapping, Cleansing & Enrichment for Active vs. Legacy Docs
Generally, two types of documents need attention during a Veeva migration: active and legacy documents.
Active documents are documents you currently use or have ongoing relevance and importance to your organization’s operations. These documents are frequently accessed, modified or referenced to support daily business processes. Legacy documents, on the other hand, were once active or in use but have now become less relevant, outdated or no longer actively maintained or referenced in day-to-day operations.
The categorization and handling of active and legacy documents are integral to Veeva Vault migrations. For example, when tagging documents, you can create a “Legacy” subtype and make it the default value when migrating older TMF documents. This approach ensures that active documents are readily available in the new system, while legacy documents are archived and searchable efficiently, in compliance with industry regulations and focused on optimizing resources and storage.
It’s recommended to minimize data cleansing enrichment for legacy documents as much as possible to save time and money and focus the teams’ efforts on the higher-value active documents. Data mapping can help to accomplish these goals by facilitating the efficient transformation of legacy data into the format required by Veeva, reducing the need for manual data enrichment efforts.
By aligning the existing data with the target structure through well-defined mapping rules, you can streamline the migration process, ensuring that data remains accurate, consistent and ready for immediate use in the new Veeva Vault environment.
Conclusion
A successful Veeva Vault migration demands meticulous planning and strategic execution. Remember to document business processes from the beginning, include all parties during the planning phase, test early and often, conduct face-to-face workshops and emphasize data mapping.
By following these five tips, you can confidently navigate the migration process and seamlessly transition to Veeva’s powerful cloud-based solutions.
If you need help with your Veeva migration, Daelight Solutions is here to help. As a Veeva Preferred Services Partner and Certified Migration Partner, we have the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure your migration is a success. Contact us to start the process.