In November 2015, Magento announced the new Magento 2.0 platform for enterprise and community editions. Magento was built to be recognized as a flexible platform – this was the defining feature of Magento, which made it stand out from the rest. Users can create stores with a variety of functions using pre-made extensions or by utilizing their coding chops. This is the beauty of a platform like Magento and one reason why it’s so popular.
Magento 2 has improved performance, runs 20% faster than Magento 1, is scalable for businesses that are looking to grow online, is highly customizable and more streamlined, and is built to be user-friendly.
With the release of the new version of Magento, all new innovations in the Magento e-commerce world are being directed towards the latest version. To stay relevant and have access to the latest technology, store owners must plan to migrate to Magento 2 sooner rather than later as Magento 1 gets slowly phased out.
Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Basics
A Magneto 2 migration involves 4 different components:
- Data
- Theme
- Extensions
- Custom Code
When an e-commerce store owner decides upon Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration and starts seeking Magento migration services, it is important to start coming up with a definitive plan detailing how and when certain actions will be performed as part of the process. This plan can ensure that the migration process happens smoothly.
The following steps can be followed for the Magento 2 Upgrade Services:
- Review Extensions on the Current Site
Take a look at the existing extensions on your e-commerce store and list out the extensions that you need. Make sure these extensions are available on the Magento 2 version. This step will also help you remove redundant and unnecessary data from your Magento site.
- Plan Increase or Decrease of Capacity
If you’re looking to include advanced functionality in your Magento store, you might have to consider increasing the capacity and this is the perfect time for it.
- Start the Process for Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration
This step involves a few components that include installing Magento 2 and setting up the Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration with a topology and design that is similar to the Magento 1 site. Build and test the site so it is functioning properly.
- Migrate to Magento 2
Stop all activity on your Magento 1 admin panel except for order management functions, and stop Magento 1 jobs. It is recommended that you migrate data from a replicated Magento 1 database instance.
- Upgrade Incremental Data
Capture data updates such as new orders, reviews, changes, etc. from customer profiles, and as you migrate to Magento 2store, move them as well.
- Go Live
Your store will experience a brief period of shut down, which would be just a few minutes to re-index and change DNS settings. After this step, you are good to go live.
A few considerations that need to be kept in mind when adopting Magento migration services to make the Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration process much simpler and more fluid:
- Estimating the Difficulty in Magento Migration Services
Magento 2 migration is only slightly larger than a Magento 1 upgrade. The amount of time and effort it takes to move to Magento 2 depends on the number of customizations, complexity, and the number of extensions running on the store.
- Importing Vital Data
Magento 2 Upgrade Services tool by Magento helps in the process of importing product and customer data to the new version of the site. It is a robust tool that verifies consistency between Magento 1 and 2 database structures (tables and fields), tracks the data transfer progress, creates logs, and runs data verification tests before the process starts.
- Importing Media Files
- Media files on the store such as images and videos need to be transferred manually and can become a cumbersome process if the store is too big.
- Migration of Extensions and Themes
In most cases, the extensions on the Magento 1 based store are not compatible with Magento 2. Both Magento 1 extensions and themes must be re-created to work properly with the new Magento 2 structure.
- Performance Considerations
- Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration should be done bearing in mind that the performance of the store will be impacted. A store owner should plan to migrate to Magento 2 with the knowledge that initially certain issues will arise, but in the long run, it will turn out to be a beneficial step because the number of extensions available and innovations taking place on Magento 2 is far more than on Magento 1. The store owner will have a wider scope of functionalities available for his or her online store.
Magento 2 is designed to provide a better experience for customers as well as the admin. It maintains the flexibility that Magento is known for, but adds some very important and useful features.
Making the switch to Magento 2 is necessary if you as a Magento based online store owner want to keep pace with the latest innovations in e-commerce. While it can be a tedious process, it is made easier by planning every step in detail and sticking to a migration plan.
If you’re not familiar with Magento, it’s best to hire a company providing Magento migration services or Magento 2 upgrade services to assist you and make the process of moving to Magento 2 simpler.
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