Oracle ATG Web Commerce to Magento Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Migrating Your E-commerce Store: Oracle ATG Web Commerce to Magento

As the e-commerce landscape evolves rapidly, replatforming your online store can be a strategic move to unlock new capabilities and improve scalability. While Oracle ATG Web Commerce offers a robust foundation, many merchants are now considering a transition to platforms like Magento for its flexibility, extensive feature set, and thriving community support. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of migrating your store's valuable data from Oracle ATG Web Commerce to Magento, leveraging a streamlined CSV-based approach.

Understanding that Oracle ATG Web Commerce does not typically offer direct API connectors for automated migration tools, this guide focuses on a methodical data transfer via CSV files, ensuring a smooth transition of your products, customer profiles, orders, and more to your new Magento store.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before embarking on your data transfer, thorough preparation is paramount to ensure data integrity and minimize downtime. Here's what you need to have in place:

• Comprehensive Backups: Always create full backups of both your existing Oracle ATG Web Commerce database and files, and your new Magento installation. This is your safety net in case any unforeseen issues arise during the migration.
• Oracle ATG Data Export: As Oracle ATG Web Commerce requires an indirect migration method, you will need to export your store's data into CSV files. Focus on critical entities such as products, product categories, customer records, order histories, product reviews, and CMS pages. Ensure your CSV files are well-structured and contain all necessary fields for seamless import. You can learn more about CSV.File Data Migration.
• New Magento Store Setup: Have a fresh Magento installation ready. Ensure your hosting environment meets Magento's system requirements for optimal performance. You will need administrative access to your Magento backend and FTP/SFTP access to its root directory. For detailed guidance, refer to How to prepare Target store for migration?
• Magento Password Migration Module: Magento requires a specific module for migrating customer passwords securely. Install this module on your target Magento store prior to migration to ensure all customer login credentials are transferred correctly.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

This section outlines the detailed steps to transition your e-commerce data from Oracle ATG Web Commerce (via CSV) to Magento.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration Process

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. This initial screen provides options to start your migration journey, calculate costs, or seek expert assistance.

Step 2: Configure Your Source Store (Oracle ATG via CSV)

Since a direct connector for Oracle ATG is not typically available, you will select 'CSV File to Cart' as your source platform. Upload your pre-exported CSV files containing your Oracle ATG store's data.

Step 3: Set Up Your Target Magento Store

Next, choose 'Magento' as your target e-commerce platform. Provide your Magento store's URL. You will then be prompted to download a 'connection bridge' file. Unpack this file and upload the 'bridge2cart' folder to the root directory of your Magento installation. This bridge establishes a secure connection for data transfer. For guidance on identifying your root folder, see What is a root folder and where can I find it?

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

In this crucial step, you'll choose which data types (entities) you wish to migrate from your Oracle ATG CSVs to Magento. Common entities include products, product categories, customers, orders, product reviews, manufacturers, and CMS pages. You can select all or pick specific entities based on your needs.

• Products: Including SKUs, descriptions, images, and variants.
• Product Categories: Maintaining hierarchical structures.
• Customers: Customer profiles and associated data.
• Orders: Complete order history, statuses, and details.
• Product Reviews: User-generated content enhancing social proof.
• CMS Pages: Informational pages like 'About Us' or 'Contact Us'.

Step 5: Map Your Data Fields

Data mapping ensures that information from your Oracle ATG CSVs correctly aligns with the corresponding fields in Magento. This step is critical for maintaining data integrity. You'll map customer groups, order statuses, product attributes, and other relevant fields between the source and target platforms.

Step 6: Choose Additional Migration Options

The migration wizard offers a range of additional options to customize your data transfer. Consider these valuable enhancements:

• Preserve IDs: Options like 'Preserve Product IDs', 'Preserve Customer IDs', and 'Preserve Order IDs' are vital for maintaining internal references and historical data consistency. Learn more about How Preserve IDs options can be used?
• Migrate Images in Product Descriptions: Ensure all embedded images within your product and category descriptions are transferred.
• Create 301 SEO URLs: This is a critical option for preserving your existing search engine rankings and link equity by automatically generating 301 redirects for old product and category URLs to their new Magento counterparts.
• Password Migration: If you installed the Magento password migration module, select this option to transfer customer passwords.
• Clear Current Data on Target Store: Use this option with extreme caution, as it will delete all existing data on your Magento store before migration. Clear current data on Target store before migration option.
• Create Variants from Attributes: If your Oracle ATG products have attributes that define product variations (e.g., size, color), this option helps structure them correctly in Magento.
• Migrate Store Config: Transfers basic store configuration settings.

Step 7: Perform Demo & Full Migration

We highly recommend performing a free demo migration first. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your new Magento store, giving you a chance to review the results, check data integrity, and identify any potential issues before committing to the full migration. Once satisfied with the demo, proceed with the full data transfer. You might also consider a Migration Insurance Service for added peace of mind. Find out more about How Migration Insurance works?

Post-Migration Steps

The migration doesn't end when the data transfer is complete. Several crucial post-migration tasks are necessary to ensure your new Magento store is fully operational and optimized:

1. Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check all migrated data. Verify products, categories, customer accounts, order details, and especially product reviews, as Magento has a specific reviews table dependency. Ensure images are present and links are functional.
2. Magento Reindex: It is highly recommended to reindex all Magento data after a migration. This ensures that your catalog, search, and other functions work correctly and display the newly imported data.
3. Frontend & Backend Testing: Test all aspects of your new Magento store. Place test orders, register new customer accounts, try different payment gateways, and navigate all critical pages to ensure a seamless user experience.
4. Configure 301 Redirects: While the migration tool can create 301 redirects, double-check that all essential old URLs from Oracle ATG are properly redirecting to their new Magento counterparts to preserve SEO rankings and prevent broken links.
5. Update DNS Settings: Once you are confident that your Magento store is fully functional, update your domain's DNS settings to point to your new Magento hosting. Schedule this during a low-traffic period to minimize customer disruption.
6. SEO Adjustments: Monitor your search engine performance closely using tools like Google Search Console. Address any crawl errors or indexing issues promptly.
7. Clear Caches: Clear all Magento and server-level caches to ensure that the latest data is displayed to your visitors.
8. Install Essential Extensions: Install any necessary Magento extensions for payment gateways, shipping, marketing, or other functionalities that were present in your Oracle ATG setup.

Migrating from Oracle ATG Web Commerce to Magento, particularly via a CSV-based approach, is a significant undertaking that requires meticulous planning and execution. By following these detailed steps, you can ensure a successful transition, empowering your business with Magento's robust capabilities. Should you encounter any challenges or require expert assistance, do not hesitate to Contact Us.