A BI migration fails in the details: metrics that stop matching, users locked out mid-quarter, dashboards that arrive broken. We run migrations the boring way — parallel systems, validated numbers, a fallback window, and a trained team on the other side. Your users keep working the whole time.
2 enterprise BI environments → 1 Little to no disruption for users ~15–20 day fallback window
Workbooks become Looker dashboards; calculated fields become governed LookML measures; extracts become live BigQuery connections.
Includes: calculated-field translation · workbook rebuild for Looker UX · extract-to-live migration · user groups and permissions.
DAX measures translated to LookML dimensions and measures; DirectQuery replaced with optimized BigQuery.
Includes: DAX → LookML translation · report layouts → dashboards · data model → BigQuery + LookML · row-level security mapping.
MicroStrategy and others. Enterprise schemas and complex metrics translated to a modern semantic layer.
Includes: schema objects → LookML models · metrics → derived measures · reports/dossiers → dashboards · security model translation.
Self-hosted to Google Cloud, including multi-instance consolidation.
Includes: instance consolidation · LookML modernization · PDT strategy redesign · zero-downtime cutover.
Full inventory of your current environment: dashboards, users, roles, schedules, data sources, dependencies. Output: a detailed migration roadmap with risks named before they're problems.
Weeks 1–2Looker instance, BigQuery connection, core LookML models, and Git flow — conventions set right from day one, not retrofitted later.
Not a 1:1 copy. We rebuild dashboards for Looker's UX, translate business logic into governed LookML, and reconcile every number against the source. Migration is also the moment to drop the dead weight: most clients land with fewer, better dashboards.
Both systems run in parallel through a user-validation window. Cutover happens in a low-usage period, with the legacy system kept live as fallback (~15–20 days in our enterprise consolidation work). Then: role-based training, documentation, runbooks, and a hypercare period.
The migration nobody notices is the one that worked.
Clean, documented, maintainable models built on conventions — not a transliteration of the old tool's logic.
Every business-critical dashboard recreated for Looker's UX with performance in mind.
Rigorous reconciliation so the numbers match. Stakeholders get reconciliation reports, not reassurances.
Admins, developers, and business users each get their own enablement track. Your team is self-sufficient after cutover.
Data dictionary, user guides, runbooks. The knowledge lives with you, not with us.
A dedicated support window after go-live, when the real questions surface.
A migration done right doesn't just swap tools. It's the one chance to fix the model underneath: our optimization work on Looker + BigQuery stacks has delivered 40%+ faster dashboards and 30–60% lower BigQuery costs, and a migration is where those fixes cost the least — you're rebuilding anyway. The assessment tells you what your migration would recover, before you commit to anything.
We review your current environment and give you a high-level roadmap: scope, risks, realistic timeline.
$0 · 30 min
Full inventory and detailed roadmap: content map, dependency analysis, phased plan with effort estimates.
Fixed scope · 1 week
Priced from the audit: defined deliverables, committed timeline, parallel-run and fallback plan included.
Fixed-scope SOW
Fractional Looker expertise after hypercare: new features, optimization, ongoing enablement.
Monthly retainer · flexible scope
No migration is quoted before discovery — anyone who gives you a price without an inventory is guessing with your quarter.
Two enterprise Looker environments consolidated into one cloud-core platform: hybrid user profiles preserved access and roles, dashboards stayed consistent, and a ~15–20 day fallback window kept rollback safe. Little to no disruption for users throughout.
Read the full case study → See all Data & Analytics services →
How long does a Looker migration take?
It depends on scope. A small migration — around 50 dashboards on a simple data model — typically takes 4 to 6 weeks. Enterprise migrations with hundreds of dashboards and complex business logic run 3 to 6 months. You get a committed timeline after the discovery phase, when the inventory replaces the guesswork.
How much does a Looker migration cost?
Migrations are scoped, not quoted off a list. The free 30-minute assessment gives you a high-level range; a scoped migration audit produces the detailed roadmap the proposal is built on. Cost drivers are content volume, business-logic complexity, and integrations. Book the free assessment and we'll scope it — you'll know the full price before any migration work starts.
Will users lose access during the migration?
No. Both systems run in parallel while we build and validate the new environment. Users keep working in the old tool until cutover, which we schedule in a low-usage window — and the legacy system stays live as a fallback afterward. In our enterprise consolidation work, users experienced little to no disruption.
Do you migrate all of our existing content?
We migrate everything business-critical — and we help you decide what that is. A migration is the natural moment to retire unused reports and consolidate duplicates. Most clients land with fewer, better dashboards than they started with, and a smaller bill to match.
How do we know the numbers will match after migration?
Data validation is a formal phase, not a spot check. We reconcile migrated dashboards against the source system and deliver reconciliation reports your stakeholders can review. Cutover doesn't happen until the numbers agree.
What about our custom integrations?
Embedded analytics, API consumers, scheduled exports, alerting — we map every existing integration to its Looker equivalent (API, Actions, Schedules) during discovery, so nothing is discovered broken after cutover.
Should we migrate to Looker or Looker Studio?
They're different products. Looker is the enterprise platform with a governed semantic layer (LookML); Looker Studio suits simpler, lighter reporting. If you're weighing both, we'll help you decide in the free assessment — including telling you if Looker is more than you need.
Let's talk · 08
A free 30-minute assessment of your current BI environment: scope, risks, and a realistic timeline. No pitch — if the migration doesn't make sense yet, we'll tell you that too.
LookML development, embedded analytics, dashboards, and team training — knowledge your team keeps.
Performance optimization for Looker and the BigQuery bill behind it — measured against your baseline.
Partitioning, slot strategy, query tuning, and FinOps monitoring — measured on your own billing.