An Expert Guide to Using Digital Platforms
How to Map Data From Existing Legacy Systems for your New Digital Platform
How to Map Data
The Data Mapping process is often a complex one, involving specialists in business functions and IT from across your organisation. It is common to discover multiple sources of data, some of which may conflict (more on cleansing data later on). Part of the mapping exercise is to create a view of the rules for deciding which set of data is definitive when data from different systems conflicts!
User Mapping and Technical Mapping
Data Mapping often comprises of two processes, usually done in sequence. User Mapping involves using a legacy system and recording where information from the Data Model can be found in the user interface of the legacy system. This usually involves filling in a document and taking screenshots as examples.
This User Mapping document acts as a shared understanding of what information will become part of the Digital Platform Data Model.
Technical Mapping usually happens next. This data mapping process consists of taking the User Mapping documents and interrogating the legacy systems from a technical perspective. This involves technical staff, such as computer programmers and database specialists, using APIs and database queries to discover how to access and modify the data specified in the User Mapping document.
The purpose of the Technical Mapping documents is to discover enough information to allow each Digital Adapter to be created later on. The Digital Adapters are the components that retrieve and update information in legacy systems at the request of the Data Broker in the Digital Platform (see article 2 in this series).
You can download a short example of a Data Map here that contains User Mapping and Technical Mapping information.
Example of a Data Map:
Click below to view the next chapter on how to do data cleansing in existing legacy systems for your new Digital Platform.
