There is no digital transformation without data migration. It’s the one process that exposes the quality of everything under your systems, the accuracy of your records, and the strength of your internal processes. For most organisations, it’s also the moment of truth; when the data moves, reality shows up.
This is the world Migra Data operates in, led by Alan Sheldrick, a man who has spent much of his career fixing what others got wrong. Sheldrick said, “We’re asked to come in when people realise that data migration isn’t a side task, it’s the foundation of everything that follows.”
Experience forged in the field
Sheldrick’s perspective was forged during years of large-scale housing transformations, including Clarion Group and several other major housing providers which were moving from multiple legacy systems to modern cloud platforms.
Sheldrick said, “We saw the same patterns again and again. Each project started with good intentions but too often the data was treated like plumbing, something you deal with once the design is finished, but by then, it’s too late. You end up forcing old structures into new systems and calling it ‘progress’.
“The answers are in the data. Reviewing the data will usually highlight where current systems are failing because that’s where the data is below standard.”
Migra was created to break that cycle. The company’s foundation is not theory but experience, hundreds of practical lessons turned into a structured methodology that removes ambiguity and risk.
Sheldrick said, “We built the model from real programmes. It’s about making every step explicit – who owns it, what success looks like and what happens next. It might sound rigid but it’s the only way to maintain control.”
A framework that works
Migra’s 200-step migration framework defines the entire process from the first data discovery through to final archiving. It covers scoping, extraction, transformation, validation, trial cut-overs and final deployment. Each stage has clear accountability, documentation and testing.
At Clarion, this approach helped transform what had been a fragmented legacy environment into a single structured dataset ready for use in its new housing management platform.
Sheldrick said, “Clarion was a turning point. We demonstrated that a migration could be done systematically and still adapt to the quirks of each organisation. It was the proof that discipline doesn’t kill agility, it enables it.”
This structure means that Migra can handle complex, multi-system migrations involving asset management, finance, tenancy, CRM and document systems, often each with different owners and data standards across departments.
The result is not only clean data but operational confidence. Sheldrick said, “When the lights go on in the new system, everyone knows what’s there, where it came from and why it’s there.”
Precision over guesswork
What sets Migra apart is the company’s obsession with precision. Take the concept of the ‘golden record’, the single, definitive version of each entity across multiple systems, which is where migration projects fall apart for many housing providers.
Sheldrick said, “Every organisation says it wants a single version of the truth. But unless you define it properly and enforce it through rules, you’ll carry every old inconsistency forward. We build those golden records as part of the migration itself, not as an afterthought.”
Migra’s process involves early data profiling and quality analysis. It runs automated checks, validates constraints and designs rules that ensure the new system receives only data that fits the business processes it will run.
Sheldrick said, “Moving data is easy. Moving data that actually works is the challenge.”
Learning from the real world
Bromford’s transformation project is another example of Migra’s principles in action.
Sheldrick said, “We ran 18 full trial cut-overs before the final go-live. That meant we could simulate every interaction and every integration and remove any surprises before they cost anyone sleep.”
That level of preparation requires patience, coordination and leadership. David Bamford, Migra’s commercial director, said, “People often want to rush, but when you’ve rehearsed that many times, the actual cut-over is almost calm. Predictability becomes your greatest advantage.”
Bamford is the commercial counterbalance to Sheldrick’s technical drive. His focus is on the relationships and clarity that keep programmes stable under pressure.
Bamford said, “Clients come to us because they’ve seen what happens when you treat data as an IT problem. We tell them at the very start of each project: this is about people, ownership and decision-making because the technology is the easiest part.”
The human factor
For all its structure, Migra’s work is deeply human. The company embeds business users early, not just IT teams.
Sheldrick said, “When people see their data cleaned and functioning in the new environment, they feel genuine pride. They start to understand what ‘good’ looks like. That’s when adoption becomes effortless.”
Migra runs workshops to show staff what data quality means in practice, linking it directly to customer service, compliance and reporting. Sheldrick said, “We’re not lecturing them on governance. We’re showing how clean data helps them do their jobs better.”
Innovation grounded in discipline
Migra is now developing new tools to enhance speed and consistency. These include machine-learning models that identify anomalies across datasets and language-based automations that validate transformation scripts.
Bamford is cautious about AI’s hype. He said, “AI can accelerate parts of the process but it can’t replace professional discipline. We use automation where it adds certainty, not because it sounds clever.”
The company’s next phase is to further codify its methods to make them transferable across delivery partners and scalable across multiple clients.
Sheldrick said, “We are building repeatability into the DNA of every project. That’s what gives our clients confidence that what worked at, say, Clarion or Bromford will work for them.”
Rules that never fail
Asked to summarise the Migra philosophy, Sheldrick listed five non-negotiable rules:
- Know your data early – Understand its structure, history and limitations.
- Define ownership – Every dataset needs a business owner, not just an IT contact.
- Build your golden records – Fix duplications and conflicts before you migrate.
- Rehearse until confident – No one ever regrets extra dry-runs.
- Leave baggage behind – Archive with intention, not panic.
Sheldrick said, “Those rules might sound simple but if every project did those five things properly, half of our sector’s pain would disappear.”
The business of reliability
For Bamford, the real product Migra delivers is trust. He said, “Our reputation comes from keeping promises. We tell clients exactly what we’ll do and then we do it. Housing providers have been through enough transformation fatigue – they want predictability, honesty and quality that lasts.”
It’s this mix of engineering rigour and business transparency that makes Migra stand out. Its success stories are quiet ones – programmes that go live without drama, data that works from day one and teams that sleep at night.
Getting the job done properly
Data migration might not sound glamorous but it remains the most critical ingredient in digital transformations. It demands structure, honesty and an understanding of both technology and people.
Migra has built its name by treating that process with the seriousness it deserves. In a sector where failed data migrations can define careers, Sheldrick and Bamford have built something rare, a company that treats reliability as an art form.
For more information on Migra Data and its migration services for housing providers, please visit migra.co.uk or email david.bamford@migra.co.uk.
George Grant is the publisher of Housing Technology. Alan Sheldrick is the principal migration consultant and David Bamford is the commercial director at Migra Data.
