Coldfusion - MsSQL to Drupal Mysql I would like to receive some input on how you guys would approach the following:

We have an internal Projects Database application that was intially developed in ColdFusion and Microsoft SQL, approx. 5 - 6 years ago.

We now want to rebuild the entire application on the Drupal platform (with entities) and of course a Mysql Database, so far so good.

Now,

I am wondering how we approach the datamigration from one platform to the other.
Basicly we want to migrate all the database records to the new Drupal database structure once the project is finished.

-> Do we need to try and match the database structures when we are developing the platform in Drupal? Or will we have to write a migration script that matches all records one-by-one anyway?

-> Are there tools out there that can assist us in this project?

Developing the new, empty Drupal platform is not a big deal, it's a lot of work (a lot of fields and views basicly), it's the data migration from the old one to the new one that i would like to receive some opinions on.

Thanks for your advice in advance!

Best Regards,
I would definitely start by looking at the Migrate module. It has a plugin for MSSQL. Then, with writing some code to extend the module, you can tailor your migration to fit your needs. You can define data sources and targets, extend the migration classes, hook into the migration function, run batch migrations to test, and many other cool stuff. It is also well documented and has a few examples and case studies. You can read the documentation here on how to use and extend the Migrate module to build and/or enhance your migration process.