The methodology behind the method
Practical Data Migration was built on two decades of project delivery - not in a workshop but on real programmes where the same failures kept happening for the same structural reasons.
A methodology built over three editions
Practical Data Migration has evolved continuously since 2006, each edition reflecting how the industry has matured, not a change in core principles.
PDMv1 - the first edition
Published by the British Computer Society, PDMv1 introduced the four Golden Rules, the Responsibility Gap, and the core module structure that guides practitioners from landscape analysis through to decommissioning. It was the first vendor-neutral methodology for enterprise data migration.
PDMv2 - refined and extended
Six years of additional practice and the growing maturity of the data migration market shaped the second edition. The Golden Rules remained unchanged. The module guidance was refined with richer real-world examples and sharper guidance on stakeholder management and governance.
PDMv3 - the current standard
The third edition reflects a decade of technological change - cloud migration, Agile working, the explosion of migration tooling - and the further maturation of the services market. New chapters address how PDM modules operate as service objects within Agile programmes. The four Golden Rules have not moved an inch.
Data Migration Matters
Alongside the book, Johny Morris has been a driving force behind Data Migration Matters - the only European conference exclusively devoted to data migration. Running for over a decade, it has brought together practitioners, executives, and researchers to share experience, debate emerging practice, and build the community around a discipline that the broader industry has long underserved.
The conference reflects the same conviction that underpins PDM: data migration is a distinct discipline, not a subset of something else, and it deserves its own body of knowledge, its own community, and its own professional standards.
Published by the British Computer Society
Practical Data Migration is published by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT - the professional body for computing in the UK. BCS publishes peer-reviewed practitioner and academic computing texts; inclusion in that catalogue reflects the rigour and independence of the methodology.
The book is available from the BCS bookshop, Amazon, and Waterstones. ISBN: 978-1-78017-514-0.
See all purchase optionsLearn the methodology
The PDM online course on Hopp Academy takes you through all nine modules with the DHGS case study running throughout.
View the courseJoin the community
PDM-certified practitioners are invited to join the community of practitioners - sharing experience and promoting their expertise.
Practitioners directoryRead the book
The third edition covers all nine modules in full depth, with guidance for both practitioners and executives.
About the book