Only 6% of Challenging Database Migrations Are Completed On Time, Caylent Survey Finds

Insights into Database Migration Challenges

A recent survey by Caylent, recognized as an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Premier Tier Services Partner, has brought to light significant hurdles that organizations face when migrating their databases. According to the findings published on August 19, 2025, only 6% of participants reported successfully finishing their most complex migrations within the scheduled time frame. This alarming statistic speaks volumes about the complexities inherent in enterprise database modernization.

Key Challenges Identified

The survey, which included responses from over 300 IT leaders across various sectors such as education, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, highlighted three major migration challenges: transitioning from on-premises setups to cloud environments, upgrading database versions, and executing cross-cloud migrations. It became evident that these migrations not only suffer from delays but also often result in prolonged downtimes, with almost half of the respondents (46%) reporting over five hours of downtime during their most difficult migrations.

Such downtimes had detrimental effects, contributing to customer experience issues (51% of respondents), revenue losses (49%), and operational slowdowns (44%). These findings underscore the urgent need for organizations to adopt more effective database modernization strategies to minimize disruptions.

The Role of AI in Migrations

While there has been a surge in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for database migration, challenges remain. Exactly 60% of the survey participants utilized generative AI or automation tools to assist in their most difficult migration projects. Despite this, a significant 53% reported a lack of clarity regarding which AI tools and features are most beneficial for their specific needs.

Lori Williams, CEO of Caylent, highlighted the growing urgency for modernization amid the accumulated technical debt faced by many organizations. She stated, "Modernization is essential, but outdated methodologies often lead to unnecessary downtimes and delayed financial returns." In response, Caylent merges generative AI with engineering expertise to tackle complex projects efficiently, enabling quicker migration times and reduced legacy costs.

Insights on Migration Motivations

Organizations have various motivations for undergoing migrations. The survey revealed that 34% of IT leaders aimed to eliminate vendor lock-in, while 28% were focused on decreasing their spending on database licensing. Additionally, 13% sought to enhance scalability through these migrations.

A majority of respondents also reported effective use of AI during their migrations, with 77% indicating that the AI technologies they implemented were rated as effective or highly effective. However, the most labor-intensive tasks identified in these migrations included transferring data from the source database to the target, testing the integration of the target database, and converting the database schemas to suit the new platform hosting.

Conclusion

Overall, these survey findings illuminate the ongoing struggles in the domain of database migrations while simultaneously pointing toward AI-driven solutions as a pathway to more streamlined and efficient transitions. Companies are encouraged to look beyond conventional methods and explore innovative strategies that incorporate AI technologies. To dive deeper into these findings and gain further insights, organizations are invited to download Caylent's comprehensive 2025 Database Modernization report.

Caylent, as an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner, aims to facilitate advancements across industries through AI while helping organizations adapt to today's fast-evolving technological landscape. With an impressive track record of industry recognition, Caylent's continued focus on migrations, modernization, and AI solutions positions it as a key player in transforming database management practices.