Reporting Done Right, Migration Done Better

May 21, 2025

By Gurmeet Bhatia, president of enterprise applications, Datavail

Migrating from Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) to Oracle Cloud Applications is a strategic move for many enterprises. It promises agility, scalability, and access to innovation—but it also introduces challenges, especially when it comes to reporting.

Unfortunately, reporting is often deprioritized during cloud migrations, seen as something to address after go-live. This “we’ll get to it later” mindset can come at a steep cost. From prolonged data reconciliation to frustrated end users, organizations that overlook reporting early on often find themselves scrambling to fix avoidable problems later.

The truth? Reporting should never be an afterthought. In fact, it should be embedded into your migration strategy from day one.

Why Reporting Matters More Than You Think

During a cloud migration, much of the focus tends to be on applications, integrations, and infrastructure. But reporting is the bridge between the old and the new—the tool users rely on daily to analyze performance, make decisions, and validate that everything is working correctly.

When reporting isn’t addressed upfront, organizations face a range of challenges that can delay timelines and undermine the value of the entire migration.

The Risks of Postponing Reporting in a Cloud Migration

Here are the most common (and costly) problems companies face when they delay reporting:

Data Reconciliation Nightmares: Without parallel access to both EBS and Oracle Cloud data, it’s difficult to validate if migrated data is accurate. Teams end up relying on manual Excel workbooks or ad hoc queries, which is time-consuming and prone to error.
Delayed Testing: User Acceptance Testing (UAT) requires access to standardized reports for comparison and validation. Without prebuilt reports or templates, test cycles stretch longer and introduce rework.
Slow User Adoption: If users don’t have access to familiar, actionable reports at go-live, they struggle to embrace the new system. This delays productivity and can create unnecessary friction.
Lack of Visibility: Reporting gaps prevent leadership from monitoring progress, making it harder to spot issues early or track migration KPIs.
IT Overload: When reports aren’t built early, users lean on IT to extract even the simplest data—further bottlenecking internal resources during critical stages.

Each of these issues could derail your go-live timeline, increase costs, and slow down the business.

Benefits of Planning Reporting from Day One

When you prioritize reporting alongside your broader Oracle Cloud migration strategy, the benefits are immediate—and lasting:

Faster Reconciliation: Pre-migration reporting tools allow side-by-side comparison of legacy and cloud data, making it easier to spot mismatches and correct them early.
Streamlined Testing: With reports designed and validated in advance, UAT becomes more efficient and meaningful, shortening overall timelines.
Higher Adoption Rates: When business users have the reporting tools they need from the start, they’re more confident and capable in the new environment.
Improved Decision-Making: Real-time reporting from day one gives stakeholders visibility into every stage of the migration and early insights into operational performance.
Future-Proofing: A strong reporting framework sets your teams up for continuous improvement long after go-live, rather than scrambling to catch up.

Common Reporting Challenges During Migration

Even with the right intentions, many organizations face these reporting roadblocks:

Data Model Changes: Oracle Cloud has a different underlying data model compared to EBS, and that impacts how reports are built and interpreted.
Cross-Platform Complexity: Reporting across both systems requires careful mapping, transformation, and validation to ensure apples-to-apples comparison.
Lack of Self-Service Tools: Many organizations still rely heavily on IT to build or modify reports, limiting business agility.
Standardization Issues: Without a centralized approach, reports often become fragmented, inconsistent, and difficult to scale across departments.

Overcoming these challenges starts with building a comprehensive reporting strategy before the migration begins—not after.

Your Reporting Strategy Checklist for Oracle Cloud Migrations

To ensure a successful transition, your reporting strategy should:

Include reconciliation reports that compare legacy and cloud data in real-time
Offer prebuilt templates for UAT and key operational functions
Leverage familiar tools like Excel to ease the learning curve for users
Establish a standardized, scalable reporting repository
Provide self-service capabilities for business users post-go-live

When reporting is treated as a core workstream in your Oracle Cloud migration—not a follow-up task—you lay the foundation for faster adoption, better visibility, and long-term ROI.

As an Oracle Partner and certified Cloud Excellence Implementer with 19 Oracle Expertise Badges, Datavail brings deep experience in aligning reporting with every phase of your cloud migration.

We help enterprises: