Wave Planning

Overview

The Wave Planning feature of Dr. Migrate is powered by a machine‑learning algorithm that automatically groups applications into migration waves. It handles the complex task of sequencing and allocating workloads so that migrations are executed in manageable stages.

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Why wave planning matters: Grouping applications into waves helps control risk, balance resource constraints and manage dependencies. Smaller waves reduce downtime and enable teams to apply lessons learned to subsequent waves.
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Complete application sizing and 6R assignments first, then use Wave Planning to sequence your migration. Accurate sizing and assignments ensure the algorithm groups workloads effectively.

Key Features

Configuration Steps

When the App to Server Template (Bulk inventory upload) is imported for the first time, Dr. Migrate will automatically size and wave plan all apps using the pre-defined best practice settings.

### Review Wave Plan
Wave Timeline Menu

Access the Wave Timeline to view your current wave plan

Navigate to Wave Timeline to view the current waveplan.

This page contains key metrics of the plan such as:

  • Wave count
  • Total duration
  • Migration squad count

Scrolling down, each wave can be examined to get an understanding of how Dr. Migrate has organized the migration.

Review Wave Plan Settings

Wave Plan Settings Menu

Configure wave plan settings to optimize your migration strategy

Under settings, you can configure several properties that influence wave plan creation:

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Wave Plan Settings Explained

  • Size Limits – Ring‑fence app sizes by limiting the number of applications or servers per wave.
  • Squad Management – Adjust migration squad count to control parallel work capacity.
  • Effort Estimation – Configure duration based on application sizing complexity and effort tiers.
  • Group Weights – Fine‑tune algorithm behavior; by default, waves are grouped using network affinity prioritization, but you can override this to favor other dimensions.
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As the migration planning evolves, you can return here to update settings accordingly.

Customize the Wave Plan

Edit Waves Menu

Customize your wave plan with flexible editing options

To customize the wave plan, select the Edit Waves section. Available customization options include:

  • Changing wave order
  • Creating new waves
  • Editing existing waves
  • Deleting waves

Recalculate the Wave Plan

Recalculate Wave Plan

Recalculate your wave plan to incorporate recent changes

You should recalculate the wave plan each time you make a change to the wave plan settings. This ensures Dr Migrate re-evaluates the plan based on currently available data points.
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Best practices for wave planning

  • Start with automatic planning. Review how Dr Migrate groups your applications and servers by default to establish a baseline.
  • Review the timeline and metrics. Ensure wave sizes, durations and squad counts align with business windows and resource constraints.
  • Iterate and recalculate. Adjust size limits, squad counts or group weights incrementally and recalculate after each change.
  • Communicate and adapt. Share the wave schedule with stakeholders and revisit the plan when new requirements or data emerge.