Throwback Thursday: July 23, 2026
In today's edition of Throwback Thursday, we explore the pitfalls of "big bang" cutovers and how to reduce the risks of complex migrations.
With over a million words scattered across more than 1,800 articles on this blog, you've probably missed a few things here.
That’s why each week in "Throwback Thursday," we’ll revisit some standout posts. Expect a blend of my personal favorites, insightful articles from other great minds, and a touch of coding humor to keep things light.
Highlights from NoLongerSet.com
The Golden Rule of Data Migrations
The fastest and most reliable way to run a migration is to repeat it many times. I call this the “Repetition Paradox.”
Mike Wolfe
Access Migrations
Data migrations are high risk operations. You can’t prepare for every pitfall, but a good plan will maximize your chances of success.
Mike Wolfe
Two Ways to Burn
Burning cardboard is a lot like a large data migration. You can do it all at once or slowly over time.
Mike Wolfe
Wisdom from Around the Web
Big Bang Cutovers Do Not Survive Contact With Complex Systems: One More Case Study
After eight years of development and roughly £79.7 million in contracts, the UK Home Office flipped the switch on Atlas in 2025, a new case management system designed to replace the 25-year-old Casework Information Database (CID), deploying it for operational use.
Hassib Amiryar
bliki: Strangler Fig
Inspired by the strangler figs in Australia, a strangler fig application gradually draws behavior out of its host legacy application
Martin Fowler
Cover image generated by Ideogram
