Legacy database migration, done properly
Moving on from an ageing database system without losing what makes it work for you: your data, your relationships, your business rules.
Who this is for
Businesses running an older, proprietary database system — legacy platforms like Servoy or FileMaker, among others — who are ready to move to a modern, web-based application. Starting from scratch instead, with no existing system to move away from? See bespoke database development instead.
When migration makes sense
A well-built legacy system can run a business perfectly well for a long time, and there's no need to move if it still does the job. Migration tends to be worth it when:
- Remote or web access is limited, and your team increasingly needs to work from anywhere.
- A self-hosted server has become a maintenance burden of its own.
- Development time for your platform is hard to find or afford, and the system needs to change.
- You want mobile-friendly access or integration with other modern web services.
Worth being honest about the trade-off too: migration removes the old platform's licence fees. It doesn't automatically remove server costs — infrastructure, hosting, maintenance and support all still cost something, and exactly how much depends on the solution we agree on together.
How a migration actually works
Map what you actually have
Tables, relationships, business logic and every integration that touches the system — before anything gets rebuilt.
Rebuild as a modern web app
A Next.js and Supabase application shaped around how your business actually works, not a generic template.
Migrate the data and test it side-by-side
The new system runs alongside your old one until it's proven, not instead of it, before anyone relies on it.
Cut over with training and handover
On your schedule, with your team trained on the new system before the old one is switched off.
Migrations we've completed
A top-20 UK interior design practice
A legacy database built on Servoy, with limited remote access and slow performance, migrated to a custom Next.js and Supabase application with project management and automated reporting.
This system is now Aestima, visit aestima.ukA 20-person top London design agency
An outdated, similarly proprietary CRM with no mobile support and integration limitations, rebuilt as a modern React-based CRM with custom workflows, advanced analytics, third-party integrations and a self-hosted Supabase instance.
Experience
Full-stack development on both sides of a migration like this — years of legacy-platform work, and the modern React/Next.js/Supabase stack it moves to. See the full case studies on the homepage.
Coverage
Based on the London/Surrey border, working with businesses across London, East & West Molesey, Kingston upon Thames, Esher, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge, Richmond, Twickenham and Surrey, and remotely anywhere in the UK.
How quotes are prepared
Every migration starts with a conversation about your current system. For anything beyond a small application, that's usually followed by a short, paid discovery phase to map the data, relationships and business logic properly — guessing at scope upfront serves nobody. From there we'll give you either a fixed price for the whole project, or an estimate billed at our standard £95/hour + VAT, whichever gives you the more predictable number for a job that size.
Thinking about moving on from an old system?
Tell us about your current system and we'll talk through whether migration makes sense.