Oxatis to Magento Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

Migrating Your E-commerce Store from Oxatis to Magento: A Comprehensive Guide

The decision to replatform your e-commerce store is a significant one, often driven by the need for greater scalability, enhanced features, and more robust control over your online presence. If you're currently operating on Oxatis and considering a move to Magento, you're looking towards a powerful, feature-rich platform that can elevate your business. This guide will walk you through the entire process of migrating your valuable store data from Oxatis to Magento, ensuring a smooth and efficient transition. Given that direct API connections for Oxatis are not universally available through standard migration tools, we will outline the process using CSV file export from Oxatis and import into Magento, facilitating a comprehensive data transfer.

Prerequisites for a Successful Migration

Before initiating your e-commerce platform transition, thorough preparation is crucial to ensure data integrity and minimize downtime. Here's what you'll need:

• Oxatis Data Export: Since Oxatis does not typically offer a direct connection bridge for migration tools, you will need to export all your essential store data into CSV files. This includes products (with SKUs, variants, descriptions, images), customer data, order history, product categories, manufacturers, reviews, invoices, taxes, coupons, and CMS pages. Ensure your CSV files are well-structured and contain all necessary information for a complete transfer. For detailed guidance, refer to our CSV File Data Migration service.
• Fresh Magento Installation: Have a new, fully functional Magento store set up and ready to receive data. It's recommended to perform the migration on a clean Magento installation to avoid conflicts. Make sure you have full administrative access to your Magento backend. If you need help preparing your target store, consult our guide on how to prepare your target store.
• FTP/SFTP Access: You'll need FTP or SFTP access to your Magento store's root directory to upload the connection bridge file. Unsure what a root folder is? Read our FAQ on root folders.
• Backup Your Stores: Always create a full backup of both your Oxatis data (exported CSVs) and your new Magento installation before starting the migration. This is a critical step to safeguard your information against any unforeseen issues.
• Review Magento Plugin Requirements: For certain functionalities like password migration, Magento requires a specific module to be installed on your target store. Additionally, ensure your Magento reviews table is ready to accept imported data.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to successfully migrate your store data from Oxatis (via CSV) to Magento:

Step 1: Start Your Migration

Begin by accessing the migration wizard. This is your starting point for configuring the data transfer.

Step 2: Set Up Your Source Store (Oxatis via CSV)

Given the nature of Oxatis, your migration will utilize CSV files for data input. Select "CSVTOCART" from the list of source shopping carts. You will then be prompted to upload your prepared CSV files containing all your Oxatis data. This method allows for a comprehensive transfer of your products, customer data, orders, and other essential entities.

Step 3: Configure Your Target Store (Magento)

Next, select "Magento" as your target platform from the dropdown menu and enter your Magento store's URL. To establish a secure connection for data transfer, you will need to download a unique "connection bridge" file. Unpack this file and upload the resulting 'bridge2cart' folder to the root directory of your Magento installation via FTP/SFTP. This bridge acts as a secure gateway, allowing the migration tool to access your Magento store's database.

Step 4: Select Data Entities and Additional Options

This crucial step allows you to specify exactly what data you wish to transfer. You can choose to migrate all entities or select specific ones such as products, product categories, customers, orders, reviews, CMS pages, and more. For Magento, remember that migrating reviews depends on the target store's table structure, and password migration requires a dedicated module.

You will also be presented with a range of Additional Migration Options to fine-tune your data transfer. These include:

• Clear Target Store Data: Recommended for a clean slate on your new Magento store. Learn more about clearing target store data.
• Preserve IDs: Maintain original product, customer, and order IDs. This can be vital for third-party integrations or internal record-keeping. See how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• Migrate SEO URLs & Create 301 SEO URLs: Essential for maintaining your search engine rankings and link equity. This option ensures that your old Oxatis URLs redirect seamlessly to your new Magento URLs.
• Migrate Customer Passwords: This feature requires the installation of a specific Magento module for secure password transfer.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Crucial for products with different options (e.g., size, color) to be correctly represented as product variants in Magento.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensures all embedded product and category images are transferred.

Step 5: Configure Data Mapping

Data mapping is where you align your Oxatis (CSV) data fields with the corresponding fields in Magento. This is especially important for elements like customer groups and order statuses to ensure data consistency and integrity. The wizard will guide you through matching these fields, preventing data discrepancies post-migration.

Step 6: Run a Free Demo Migration (Recommended)

Before committing to the full migration, it's highly recommended to perform a free demo migration. This transfers a limited number of entities (e.g., 10-20 products, customers, orders) to your Magento store. This step allows you to review the migrated data, check its accuracy, and ensure all settings are correctly applied without affecting your live store. It's a valuable opportunity to identify and resolve any potential issues beforehand. Consider a Migration Preview Service for this step.

Step 7: Initiate Full Migration

Once you're satisfied with the demo results, proceed with the full migration. This process will transfer all selected data from your Oxatis CSV files to your Magento store. During this stage, you may also consider opting for a Migration Insurance Plan, which offers additional support and remigrations if needed. Learn more about how migration insurance works.

Post-Migration Steps

After the full data transfer to Magento is complete, a few crucial steps remain to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized:

• Thorough Data Verification: Rigorously check all migrated data, including product listings (SKUs, descriptions, images, variants), customer accounts, order history, and CMS pages. Ensure everything appears as expected.
• Test Store Functionality: Conduct extensive testing of your Magento store's core functionalities. This includes the checkout process, search functionality, user registration, account management, and any custom features.
• Configure SEO Settings: Verify that all 301 redirects are properly implemented to preserve your existing SEO rankings and link equity. Update your sitemaps and resubmit them to search engines.
• Install Necessary Extensions and Themes: Set up any essential Magento extensions or your chosen theme to enhance your store's functionality and user experience.
• Reindex Magento Data: As per Magento's notices, it's highly recommended to reindex all Magento data after a migration. This ensures that your new data is correctly processed and displayed across your store.
• Update DNS: Once you're confident everything is perfect, update your DNS settings to point your domain to your new Magento store.
• Consider Post-Migration Services: If you add new data to your old Oxatis store after the main migration, consider a Recent Data Migration Service to transfer only the latest updates. Should you need to restart or adjust the migration, a Remigration Service is also available.

Migrating from Oxatis to Magento is a significant undertaking, but with careful planning and execution, you can achieve a powerful e-commerce platform that meets your business needs. If you encounter any challenges or require expert assistance, our team is always ready to help. Feel free to contact us for support.