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

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Oracle ATG Web Commerce to BigCommerce

Replatforming your e-commerce store is a significant undertaking, and moving from a robust enterprise platform like Oracle ATG Web Commerce to the modern, scalable BigCommerce ecosystem can unlock new growth opportunities. Oracle ATG, while powerful, often entails complex infrastructure and high maintenance costs. BigCommerce, a leading SaaS solution, offers a cloud-native, user-friendly environment with extensive features, a thriving App Marketplace, and a focus on accelerating online sales.

This guide provides a detailed, actionable roadmap for merchants looking to make this crucial transition. Since Oracle ATG Web Commerce does not offer direct API integration with standard migration tools, our strategy will involve a highly effective CSV.File Data Migration process. This method ensures all your vital store data, from product SKUs and customer data to order history, is meticulously prepared and transferred, safeguarding data integrity throughout the journey.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before embarking on your migration journey, proper preparation is key. Ensuring both your source Oracle ATG store and your target BigCommerce store are ready will streamline the process and minimize potential downtime.

1. Preparing Your Oracle ATG Web Commerce Store (Source)

As Oracle ATG Web Commerce typically lacks direct API integration for third-party migration tools, the recommended approach is to export your data into CSV files. This requires administrative or database access to your Oracle ATG system. You will need to export the following key entities to ensure a complete data transfer:

• Products: Include product details, SKUs, prices, descriptions, images, categories, and any associated product variants or attributes.
• Product Categories: Ensure a clear hierarchy for your categories.
• Customers: Export customer accounts, shipping addresses, billing addresses, and any customer groups. Note that direct password migration via CSV is often complex and may require a separate strategy for re-establishing customer access on BigCommerce.
• Orders: Transfer order history, including order IDs, line items, customer information, and order statuses.
• Manufacturers: If applicable to your products.
• CMS Pages & Blogs: Any static content, informational pages, or blog posts.
• Coupons: Discount codes and their associated rules.
• Product Reviews: If supported by your Oracle ATG setup and can be exported.

Consult your Oracle ATG technical team or documentation to ensure a complete and accurate data export. This step is foundational for maintaining data integrity.

For more details on preparing your source store, read our How to prepare Source store for migration? guide.

2. Setting Up Your BigCommerce Store (Target)

Your BigCommerce store needs to be established and ready to receive data. This involves:

• Creating Your BigCommerce Store: Sign up for a BigCommerce account and set up your basic store.
• Generating API Credentials: BigCommerce requires API access for data transfer and operates on an API only connection method. You'll need to create a custom API account with specific scopes. Navigate to your BigCommerce Admin Panel -> Store Setup -> API Accounts. Click 'Create API Account' and choose 'Create V2/V3 API Token'. Provide a name for the API account (e.g., 'Migration Tool') and configure the OAuth Scopes, ensuring all necessary permissions (read/write for Products, Customers, Orders, Information, etc.) are granted. This is crucial as BigCommerce requires custom app development with required scopes for comprehensive data access. The essential credentials you will need are the Client ID, Access Token, and API Path.
• HTTPS Requirement: Ensure your BigCommerce store is using HTTPS, as this is a requirement for API connections and general security.
• API Rate Limits: Be aware of BigCommerce's API rate limits. While standard migration tools handle this automatically, large migrations might take longer.

For further assistance with access credentials, refer to The Short & Essential Guide to Access Credentials for Cart2Cart. Additionally, learn more about How to prepare Target store for migration?

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

With your data exported from Oracle ATG and your BigCommerce store prepared, you can now proceed with the migration wizard. The following steps outline the process for a smooth data transfer.

Step 1: Initiate the Migration Process

Begin by visiting the migration tool's website. You'll be prompted to start a new migration by selecting your source and target platforms.

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

In the 'Source Store Setup' section, select 'CSV File to Cart' as your source platform. You will then upload the CSV files containing your exported data from Oracle ATG. Ensure your CSV files are correctly formatted according to the tool's specifications to maintain data integrity for your product SKUs, customer records, and order history.

Step 3: Connect Your BigCommerce Target Store

Next, select 'BigCommerce' as your target cart. Enter your BigCommerce store's URL. You will then need to input the API credentials (Client ID, Access Token, and API Path) that you generated in the prerequisites step. These credentials grant the migration tool the necessary API access to transfer your data to BigCommerce.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This critical step allows you to choose exactly which data entities you wish to transfer from your Oracle ATG CSV files to BigCommerce. You can select all available entities or pick specific ones like products, product categories, customers, orders, coupons, blog posts, and CMS pages. The migration tool supports the transfer of Products, Products_Categories, Products_Manufacturers, Products_Attributes, Products_Attributes_Option, Customers, Orders, Coupons, Blogs_Posts, and CMS_Pages to BigCommerce.

Step 5: Configure Additional Migration Options

Enhance your data transfer with various additional options. Key options to consider include:

• Clear Target Store Data: Opt to Clear current data on Target store before migration option to remove any existing demo data from your BigCommerce store.
• Preserve IDs: Use options like Preserve Product IDs, Preserve Order IDs, and Preserve Customer IDs to maintain continuity for SEO and internal records.
• Create 301 SEO URLs: This is vital for maintaining your SEO rankings and link equity. It ensures that old Oracle ATG product and category URLs automatically redirect to their new BigCommerce counterparts.
• Migrate Groups to Tags: If your Oracle ATG store uses customer groups, these can be migrated to BigCommerce customer tags.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Essential for properly displaying product variants (e.g., size, color) in BigCommerce.

Step 6: Map Your Data Fields

In this step, you will map your Oracle ATG data fields (from your CSVs) to their corresponding fields in BigCommerce. This ensures that customer groups, order statuses, product attributes, and other metadata are correctly aligned and transferred, preserving data integrity and a consistent user experience on your new platform.

Step 7: Perform a Demo Migration (Recommended)

Before committing to the full data transfer, run a free demo migration. This allows you to transfer a limited number of entities (e.g., 10 products, 10 customers, 10 orders) to your BigCommerce store. It's an excellent opportunity to review the transferred data, check for any discrepancies, and ensure the process meets your expectations without affecting your live store.

Step 8: Final Review and Full Migration

After a successful demo, review your migration plan, including the total cost and any selected services like Migration Insurance Service, which offers additional remigrations. You can learn more about How Migration Insurance works? Once confirmed, initiate the full migration. This process will transfer all selected data from your Oracle ATG CSVs to your BigCommerce store. Monitor the migration's progress and prepare for post-migration checks.

Post-Migration Steps

The migration doesn't end when the data transfer is complete. Thorough post-migration checks are essential to ensure your new BigCommerce store is fully functional and ready for customers, preserving your hard-earned SEO rankings and delivering a superior user experience.

1. Thorough Data Verification:
   • Products: Check product details, images, SKUs, pricing, stock levels, and variants. Ensure categories are correctly assigned.
   • Customers: Verify customer accounts, login functionality, and order history. Note: Customer passwords often require a reset on the new platform for security reasons.
   • Orders: Review recent and historical orders, ensuring all details, statuses, and associated customer data are accurate.
   • Content: Check CMS pages, blog posts, and any other static content.
2. Test Store Functionality:
   • Checkout Process: Perform test purchases from product selection to payment gateway integration and order confirmation.
   • Search & Filtering: Ensure product search, categories, and filters work as expected.
   • Mobile Responsiveness: Verify your BigCommerce theme provides an optimal user experience across all devices.
3. SEO & Redirects Audit:
   • 301 Redirects: Crucially, verify that all 301 redirects set up during the migration are working correctly. Use an SEO crawler to identify any broken links. This protects your SEO rankings and link equity.
   • Update Sitemaps: Submit your new BigCommerce sitemap to search engines.
   • Google Analytics & Search Console: Update your tracking codes and verify data flow.
4. Reconfigure Integrations: Reconnect any third-party apps, payment gateways, shipping providers, and marketing tools that were previously integrated with Oracle ATG.
5. Theme & Design Review: Customize your BigCommerce theme to align with your brand identity and optimize the user experience.
6. Go Live: Once satisfied with all checks, point your domain name to your new BigCommerce store.

Consider utilizing services like Recent Data Migration Service to transfer any new data that accumulated on your Oracle ATG store during the post-migration verification period. This ensures you launch with the most up-to-date information.

Migrating from Oracle ATG Web Commerce to BigCommerce is a strategic move that positions your business for future growth. By following this detailed guide, you can achieve a smooth and successful transition, empowering your new BigCommerce store to thrive.