Recently, we had the privilege of hosting an engaging event on the theme: “Migrating from SAS Legacy to Future-Proofing Data Management, Analytics, and AI”. The event featured key insights and practical lessons learned from our colleagues from Databricks, CZ and T1A, who are deep into modernizing data architecture and migrating from legacy systems.

Here are the main takeaways:

✔️The 3 Ps of migration: people, process, and platformMigrating legacy systems is more than just technical — it requires a strong focus on people and processes. At its core, migration must balance technical complexities with business goals. The migration strategy must address both technical performance and the business user enablement to make the transition smoother.

✔️Why migrate? Business and technical perspectivesFor CZ, the goal of migrating to Databricks wasn’t just to upgrade technology, but to prepare for the future of AI and open-source capabilities. The expected savings could be significant, driven by increased agility, reduced complexity, and the scalability of modern architecture.

✔️Challenges and lessons learned Migration is never as simple as “code in, code out.” The process requires a deeper understanding of scope & dependencies, as well as continuous change. The key is to start small, fail fast, and automate wherever possible. During the session, we also emphasized that patience and persistence are key to a successful migration journey. It's not an easy process, and setbacks are inevitable, but staying focused on the long-term goals is crucial.

Another major point discussed was the role of automation, which is absolutely essential when dealing with large, legacy systems. Without it, the complexity of the migration can quickly become overwhelming.

Key takeaway? Migration is more than just code conversion. This event was an opportunity to showcase not just our successes, but also our vulnerabilities. We wanted to highlight that migration is far more than just a code conversion project. It’s about architectural simplification, business enablement, and aligning with the future of data and AI.

Special thanks to all the speakers Michiel Luijten, Bouke-Jan Otter, Ilya Aniskovets, Yulia Tokareva and Victor van den Broek and all the participants.