Adobe Commerce Migration Guide for Agencies

Summary

Migrating off Adobe Commerce (Magento) is one of the most complex replatforming scenarios agencies face. This guide covers what to assess, what typically breaks, and how to scope these engagements accurately.

Adobe Commerce Migrations Are Archaeology Projects

Most Magento implementations have years of accumulated customization. Extensions installed and forgotten. Custom modules that bypass core functionality. Integrations held together with cron jobs and hope. Database tables that no one can explain.

The platform's flexibility, once its selling point, becomes the source of migration complexity. Every store is different. Every migration scope is wrong until you actually dig in.

Agencies that treat Adobe Commerce migrations like standard replatforms end up eating hours, missing deadlines, and damaging client relationships.

What to Look For in an Adobe Commerce Assessment

Extensions Hide More Than They Reveal

Start by cataloging every installed extension. Then determine:

Which are actively used vs. installed but disabled
Which have been modified from their original source
Which depend on other extensions
Which override core Magento functionality

Extensions that override core classes or use preference rewrites create hidden complexity. You won't find this in a feature list, you'll find it when something breaks post-migration.

Custom Modules Range From Trivial to Months of Rebuild

Assess:

How many custom modules exist
Whether they follow Magento coding standards
How tightly coupled they are to core functionality
Whether they contain business logic that must be replicated

Some custom modules are trivial. Others represent months of development that needs to be rebuilt or rearchitected on the target platform.

Data Migration Is Where Estimates Die

Adobe Commerce allows extensive database customization. Look for:

Custom EAV attributes (product, customer, category)
Custom tables and their relationships
Modified core tables
Data stored in serialized fields

The EAV structure means data is scattered across dozens of tables. Custom attributes multiply the complexity. This is where most estimates go wrong.

Integration Patterns Matter More Than Integration Counts

Map every integration point:

ERP connections (SAP, NetSuite, Dynamics)
PIM systems
OMS and fulfillment
Payment gateways (especially custom implementations)
Shipping and tax services
Marketing automation
Custom API consumers

Pay attention to how integrations are implemented. Direct database writes? Custom API endpoints? Message queues? Each pattern creates different migration requirements.

Frontend Architecture Varies Wildly

The frontend situation determines half your scope:

Luma theme with modifications
Fully custom theme
PWA Studio implementation
Headless with custom frontend

Headless implementations add a second codebase to assess. PWA Studio projects often have frontend logic that duplicates or extends backend functionality.

Performance "Features" That Won't Translate

Understand the current operational state:

Hosting setup (on-premise, Adobe Cloud, third-party)
Caching layers (Varnish, Redis, full-page cache rules)
Search implementation (Elasticsearch customizations, Live Search)
Performance optimizations and workarounds

Some "features" are actually performance hacks that won't translate to other platforms.

Patterns That Signal Scope Risk

Heavy Catalog Customization

Stores with complex product types, custom options, or heavily modified configurable product logic are high-risk. This functionality varies significantly across platforms.

B2B Functionality

Adobe Commerce B2B features (company accounts, requisition lists, negotiable quotes, shared catalogs) don't have direct equivalents everywhere. Each feature needs mapping to the target platform's approach.

Multi-Store Complexity

Multi-website, multi-store, multi-store-view setups with shared catalogs but different pricing, different currencies, or different tax rules create scoping challenges. The target platform's multi-store model may work differently.

Checkout Customization

Heavily modified checkout flows are common in Adobe Commerce. Custom shipping methods, payment integrations, order splitting logic, all of this needs documentation and rearchitecting.

Admin Customizations

Custom admin grids, forms, and workflows often represent significant operational dependencies. Users have built processes around these customizations.

What a Good Assessment Actually Covers

Technical Discovery

Codebase audit (modules, extensions, overrides)
Database schema analysis
Integration mapping
Performance baseline

Business Process Discovery

Order lifecycle and fulfillment workflows
Customer service operations
Merchandising processes
Reporting dependencies

Stakeholder Input

Which features are actually used
What pain points exist today
What capabilities are expected on the new platform
What would they change if they could

Platform Fit Analysis

Feature mapping to target platform
Gap analysis with resolution options
Integration approach on target platform
Data migration strategy

Risk Documentation

Functionality that cannot be replicated
Data that may not migrate cleanly
Integrations that need rebuilding
Timeline and budget risks

How DigitalStack Structures This

System inventory captures the full technical landscape, extensions, custom modules, integrations, in a connected data model rather than scattered spreadsheets.

Stakeholder surveys gather input from operations, merchandising, and customer service teams systematically. You find out what's actually used before you start scoping.

Objectives tracking connects business goals to technical decisions. When a client asks why something is in scope, you have the traceable answer.

Architecture documentation maps current state to target state with clear gap identification. Requirements connect to implementation decisions.

Output generation produces assessment deliverables from structured data. When scope changes, documents update.

The result: migration assessments that hold up against reality, and clients who understand what they're buying.

Next Step

If you're scoping Adobe Commerce migrations with spreadsheets and slides, you're creating risk. See how DigitalStack structures complex platform assessments, request a demo.