Devvista partnered with Brayn Mac of the Speed Of Lights Digital to execute a highly complex and mission-critical data migration from a 50-year-old legacy CRM system into a custom-built WordPress web application. The original CRM, running on a decades-old SQL database, contained vast volumes of historical, semi-structured customer data. Our task was to extract, transform, clean, and migrate this data into a modern, responsive WordPress platform—dramatically improving accessibility, usability, and long-term maintainability.
We also developed and deployed custom Python scripts on a VPS to automate and monitor various data preparation and migration stages, ensuring real-time control and zero downtime throughout the process.
- Extracting structured and unstructured data from a fragile SQL database
- Cleaning and validating legacy records with minimal documentation
- Mapping inconsistent schema to a modern WordPress data structure
- Maintaining performance and integrity throughout migration
- Training a non-technical user base on the new system’s operation
1. Data Scraping & Extraction: Using custom Python scripts, we extracted millions of legacy records — including customer profiles, transaction logs, and internal notes — while preserving data fidelity.
2. Data Cleaning & Transformation: We implemented a robust ETL (Extract-Transform-Load) pipeline to standardize fields, remove duplicates, and re-map relationships to modern taxonomy.
3. Custom Integration into WordPress: Built PHP and Python modules for bulk data import with custom schema mapping.
4. Web App Design & Deployment: Created a clean, admin-friendly WordPress theme with AJAX-powered search, and deployed Python monitoring tools on a secure VPS.
🗃 Complete Data Migration: 50+ years of legacy CRM data successfully transitioned
🔁 ETL Pipeline: Python-based extraction and transformation scripts for clean migration
🧠 Smart Schema Mapping: Automated field matching, validation, and relational linking
⚙️ Custom Backend Tools: WordPress admin panels extended for deeper data control
🚀 VPS Deployment: Python tools hosted and maintained on a secure Linux VPS
🖥 Modern UX/UI: Clean, intuitive WordPress web application for easy staff onboarding
Backend: Python (data processing), PHP (WordPress integration)
CMS: WordPress
Database: Legacy SQL → WordPress MySQL
Infrastructure: Linux-based VPS for script deployment and hosting
The migration project successfully modernized a 50-year-old system. The new interface is user-friendly, even for non-technical staff. Internal processes were streamlined and long-term scalability was ensured. Automated scripts now handle future data imports and backups easily.
Project Summary
Client: Brayn Mac
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
Launch Date: December 31, 2023
Website: https://ayrshire-chamber.org
Services Provided: Data migration, ETL scripting, WordPress development, VPS deployment
