Focusing on migrating the product catalog first is strategic because the product catalog serves as the foundational element for many e-commerce applications. It holds critical information about the products that users see, and any e-commerce system is heavily reliant on accurate and accessible product data. Prioritizing this migration allows the development teams to establish a reliable data source, which can then be used to test and validate subsequent integrations with other components of the application.
Once the product catalog is migrated, the frontend can interface effectively to display products, while testing can be performed on how the catalog interacts with other systems. This initial migration sets the stage for integrating additional functionalities such as payment processing, inventory, and order fulfillment, all of which depend on having a solid and well-integrated product catalog in place. With a functioning product catalog, it’s easier to evaluate any further migrations' impacts on the overall user experience and system performance.
The other migration options, while important, would generally rely on the existence of a stable product catalog and could complicate early-stage testing if undertaken first. This makes migrating the product catalog the most logical starting point in a phased migration strategy.