Migrations Glossary

Browse 8 migrations terms defined in plain English, from the cultural dictionary of computing.

8 Migrations Terms

Automated Migration: A schema or data migration executed through versioned automation as part of an application's deployment or startup workflow instead of being applied manually....
Code Odyssey: A long complicated technical journey involving many steps, surprises, and changing plans. In engineering slang, a code odyssey usually means the original...
Code Refugee: A developer or code artifact displaced from one system, team, or stack into another. In engineering slang, code refugee often describes people and patterns...
Flash Cut: An immediate switch from old to new without a long overlap period. In engineering slang, flash cuts are efficient when they work and terrifying when rollback...
Lift and Shift: Moving a system from one environment to another with minimal redesign, usually trading speed for deeper modernization. In engineering slang, lift-and-shift...
Migration Hell: A deeply painful migration effort full of hidden dependencies, old clients, state mismatches, and surprise regressions. In engineering slang, migration hell is...
Seed Data: An initial dataset loaded into a database to establish baseline records needed for the application to function — such as default roles, country codes, or test...
Upgrade Path: The supported route by which users or systems can move from one version, tier, or architecture to another with acceptable risk. Good products make the upgrade...