# Migration Strategy: Selection Criteria

__*Migration Strategy*__

![`smart`](MigrationStrategy_en_001_20230609.png)

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The following are some of the important factors to consider while selecting a migration strategy. Some will be covered in more detail in the following slides.
+ Data size: Your strategy will differ in case of multi-terabyte databases.
+ Application down time: An easier migration strategy may not provide the benefits of minimal outage. Depending on application importance, you may want to migrate with minimal down time.
+ Network bandwidth: Data transfer from on-premises to cloud is entirely dependent on the customer's network bandwidth.
  + `FastConnect`: The unpredictable nature of the Internet affects migration to a cloud service. With FastConnect, you can create a high-speed, dedicated, and low-latency extension and thereby avail of a true hybrid cloud setup. It also offers better security than exchanging your data over the Internet.
+ Business criticality: For a `TIER 1` database (critical databases with least acceptable downtime), the strategy will be first to migrate the User Acceptance Testing (`AT`) and pre-production environments, followed by production.
+ `OS` compatibility: `TiDB Cloud` provisions an g generic Linux platform (little-endian) for you. Your source database `OS` and endianness will also help in finalizing a migration strategy.
+ Data complexity: Some migration methods have limitations on the type of data. You must consider this before finalizing the migration strategy. A few of these are discussed later in this lesson.