Migrating from older version to the newer one is something that may have to be done one or more times during a website’s lifespan. This happens for all web development platforms and Drupal is not an exception. With the End of Life for Drupal 6 in 2016, business websites had to switch to Drupal 7 and now Drupal 8. Upgrading to the latest version, in fact, is the most important decision that you can make right now as it will make your business future ready. Despite the unmatched improvements that this all new version has rendered, there are several challenges that Drupal 8 migration involves. Here is all that you need to know before you start working on it.

Migrating to Drupal 8: All that you should know

Right from its release, this version of the CMS has been commended for its performance, scalability, and flexibility. This is the reason that migration has become a norm for businesses that want to leverage the improvements in the version. But there are several issues related to data migration and module shifts that you may have to deal with. Thus, it is better to be prepared and know what to expect after the migration:

Complete theme revamping: Once you migrate, the Drupal 8 site will be much different looking as compared to the original one. The reason is that the themes and templates take a complete revamp and you would need to rework on them.

Information architecture advancement: Besides getting a new look, the migrated site will also be structurally different as it will have an advanced architecture. It would be best to hire Drupal developers to assess the existing information architecture and upgrade it to the advanced one as you move on to the new version.

Focus on Drupal 8 core and a mobile-first approach: The emphasis on the core functionalities of the CMS has increased in Drupal 8. Additionally, the UI and UX in the version are tailored to maintain mobile friendliness.

[b]Emphasis on the native OOPS feature of PHP: [/b]Drupal 8 promotes OOPS features of PHP as it focuses on more on this concept. The themes, modules, users and nodes are some components which fit the description of an “object” in the new version.

Source: http://drupalindia.co.in/blog/drupal-8-migration-challenges-need-to-understand