Q: Guys would you like such a migration tool?

Hi guys,
What would you say about a tool I am currently building for cross platform user credentials and details migration.
The idea is simply to place a tool on your server which only asks about DB credentials (if not auto discovered) of OpenCart and one of the rest platforms (currently) such as WordPress, PrestaShop, Magento, PHPBB etc.

It has 1 button for transfer all users from WordPress / PrestaShop / Magento whatever you feed db credentials for to OpenCart. It can also export / import users and their details to / from OC as CSV for those cases where you don't have source and destination on the same server.

What do you think about such a tool what features would you need? I will be happy to hear any comments.

One of the main problens, related with migration, is the fact, that every Version, and everybody, uses it's own way's, and Mod's, as well, leaving their individual fingerprints on a DB. Some by Source, and some by Vq- and other Mod's Then, when it comes to an upgrade, it does not work anymore, because of Stuff, laying around, and not getting along well, with the new Situation, kind of...

Like a new Friend, and old habit's...
Reminds me of human migration, and old habit's, by looking around in the world...

How do you plan to make this not longer to be a main problem of migration? Regarding OC, at least ? I bet, it's not gonna be easy, if you want to avoid an individual, extensive Find/Compare $-Variable 'Pre-Check' Task between installed and new Versions. Constantly worked UP to latest spec's, in addition... I killed one of my TestShop Setup's, completely, trying to 'recover' from a PAV-related Theme Adventure...

And, even if something like this would work, with the DEFAULT Theme - plus some popular Mod's, then, just install a popular Journal- or PAV-Theme, and you may start from scratch, finding all, required to, either remove, or add, in a matching Form, to the new DB.

A short while ago, I've been reading about Mod-Certification, on another Site. A kind of 'Standards' would do as well, possibly, but then, it would be another System, and Software, I guess, and sure not for free

I'm not programmer, rather a smart thief, when it comes to knowledge. It forces me, to remember, what/where I found, or saved it, because I see and understand it, but cannot recall, by Brain, on how to write it, error-free, by hand. Stupid!?

Good luck
Ernie

Thanks for your reply.
My tool is concentrated to migrate ONLY users / customers from old installs and from other platforms like WordPress for example.
I had a case recently where I had to migrate a large base of existing customers and their contact details from some custom eCommerce solution to OpenCart 1.5.6.4.
I thought that other people may need such tool.

> I thought that other people may need such tool. <

Sure, they would, but only, if it works. But since not even a bloody 'OC DB PREFIX' is/has a 'given' Value, it's NOT even required, to make MOST of it work (not everything! ), one would have to 'set up' such an import Tool to MATCH all existing Way's and Values, required to make it work. But 99 out of 100 to-be OC ShopUsers would not even know, what the whole thing means. As a consequence of such, without deeper OC-Knowledge, one could not not possibly get it to work. And you would have a Forum full of complaints, from those, expecting 'click&GO' Action, similar to adding an App to a Phone. Even for FREE

Because of this, I mentioned above, some kind of "Find/Compare/Add" 'Pre-Check' Runtime Routine would be required, to find out, what EXISTS on DB-Tables, and their Names, in a running OC-DB, otherways, I can't see a way to do it. EXEPT, for fully default-valued OC's, waiting to be enhanced/modified, technically, after such a Data-Import has been done. But the Mayority of Users would already have installed Mod's at an earlier time already, as I see it...

I.E., one has a multi-language OC Shop. The DB-Content, imported from another Shop, may only contain ONE Language. As a consequence, if one wants to modify some Product Content, afterwards, anything, the Product Changes cannot be 'saved' any longer, because no Second Language Title/Content yet exists. Things, like that, would have to be taken into consideration as well. A Mod exists, to avoid this Multi/Language SAVE-Error, but it does NOT work, in all Situations, unfortunately. With my single language Mass-ProductsGenerator, used, I am confronted with that Problem on a daily scale. So, I would have to remove all languages, exept for the english, to avoid such problems, to start with. But tell that the Crowd...

Just thinking, about, where it could fail...
Ernie
bigmax.ch/os/

PS. Something, like Language Admin Tools, would be helpfull, at least, listing all 'Variables/Names', related to DB's.
So, one could compare, and add, what's important, to exist, even if it has not been used in the other Shop. If you know, what I'm trying to say, not beeing of english origin... But this would be a nice and helpfull Add-On, by itself!!

I get what you mean.. well at least I will try to make this Click and go 'Magical' button to satisfy the crowd. (Well I will leave room for advanced users as well if that button fails for some reason)
I already have the auto DB table discovery algo.
My idea was to make sure fields like email, password, username, first name, last name, address, phone ---- are transferred from foreign platforms or older OCs towards current OC install so that one big WordPress based site for example can easily open an OC store on the same server with the already existing userbase. Turning existing users into customers. I think that some simple WP plugin could assist the tool too as additional insurance that all works 'Magically' out of the box.

Something like that. I am far from full migration because of all the reasons you mentioned. Thanks for your ideas, looks like you went thru a lot in this area.

> Looks like you went thru a lot in this area <
I just like to gather knowledge. The, probably, only reason, to 'spare' it, like on this forum, bases on the fact, that I, for myselfs, probably never use it, in real terms, anyway. Too many other THINGS are waiting, to further be explored. The only THING, I ever kept, was my Wife, but she would have been just too expensiv to let her go again.

This is, why I wasted more than 12K hours, or more, in my Life, trying to get along with 'Scripting', mostly, just to find out, how it does. I would not have been able to sell my Works anyway, after investing 1K hours into an auction Software, and/or just to throw it on the 'Scene', for free, to, then, see it, beeing resold by Others, was sure not, was I was looking for.

But It really had a great effect on 'structured thinking', something, I hardly knew before, or, better, likely refused to do, as a rather unstructered Hippie, always trying to have a good time...

But, I learned it by assistance of fine Fellows, so, I'm just trying 'copy and paste', kind of, if I feel, to be able to help. At least, at the Forum, I do not groove on 'personal inquiries' either, because I don't work for Money here, playing more the Role of a Tester, but sure not as Programmer. Unfortunately..., I would like to be able to.

Ernie