How PaperStreet Streamlined a 500-Post Data Transfer with Smart Solutions

Technical Challenge Summary

Migrating large amounts of content between websites presents unique technical challenges. During a recent data transfer involving 570 event posts, an unexpected discrepancy arose between how event locations were displayed across different sections of the website. This was not an error but rather a standard data migration challenge that required a strategic solution. Instead of resorting to a time-consuming manual fix, PaperStreet devised an innovative approach that significantly reduced workload and ensured data accuracy.

Challenge

A client needed to migrate a list of old events from their live website to a new website. These events were displayed in a traditional blog-style view, showcasing the event date, title, and related attorneys. Additionally, the new website required an auto-archiving feature, ensuring that past events would be removed from the main blog landing page automatically.

Solution

To accommodate the client’s needs, our team activated a custom event date field. This field was designed to automatically archive events once the date had passed, streamlining the user experience and ensuring the event list remained current. When our PaperStreet Data Team transferred the events from the old website to the new one, we populated the Event Date field but left the Post Date field empty. Since the system was programmed to pull from the new Event Date field, the Post Date field became unnecessary.

Side Note: The Post Date field in WordPress reflects when an entry was created. It can be manually adjusted to schedule posts in advance or retroactively set for past events, but it was not relevant for this project.

Unexpected Data Challenge

During the first round of BugHerd review, our client noted that the event location was missing from the events listing. Our Content Director discovered that while event locations were displayed on attorney biographies, they were not included in the master event list on the main events page. In order to add the event location data, we needed to open up and revise each post – approximately 570 of them.

However, since the Post Date field was not used, WordPress listed the posts in more or less random order, making it difficult to match event titles with their respective dates. This presented a challenge for validating and inputting location data efficiently.

A standard but time-consuming approach would have been to manually search for each event title in the client’s existing content management system, open each entry, and retrieve the location field. Instead, our team devised a more efficient and innovative solution, ultimately saving hours of work.

Collaboration for a Creative Solution

Rather than manually opening hundreds of individual entries, our team manipulated the client’s live website to generate a custom page displaying all events in a category-style list. This list included the event title and event date side by side, allowing our data team to efficiently cross-reference and copy-paste event locations directly into the new system. By eliminating unnecessary clicks and reducing back-and-forth navigation, this streamlined approach significantly reduced the workload and expedited the migration process.

Results & Takeaways

This case study highlights how data migration projects often present unexpected technical hurdles. No two projects, platforms, or backends are identical, requiring a team that can think critically and adaptively. The PaperStreet team’s ability to pivot and develop a creative workaround not only saved valuable time for both teams but also improved the user experience on the live website and ensured data accuracy on the staging site.

Our Content Director, Technical Project Director, and Senior Developer form an exceptional powerhouse team. Their expertise in problem-solving, data precision, and innovative solutions reinforces why an experienced web development and data migration team is essential for achieving seamless website transitions.