Clay Migration Deep Dive

Overview

Comprehensive guide for migrating to or from Clay, or major version upgrades using the strangler fig pattern.

Prerequisites

• Current system documentation

• Clay SDK installed

• Feature flag infrastructure

• Rollback strategy tested

Migration Types

Type Complexity Duration Risk

Fresh install Low Days Low

From competitor Medium Weeks Medium

Major version Medium Weeks Medium

Full replatform High Months High

Instructions

Assess current configuration (Week 1-2)

Inventory all files referencing Clay, count integration points, and document dependencies. Build a MigrationInventory with data types, record counts, and customizations.

Step 2: Build Adapter Layer (Week 3-4)

Create a ServiceAdapter interface with CRUD operations. Implement ClayAdapter with data transformation from old format to Clay format. This enables gradual migration.

Step 3: Migrate Data (Week 5-6)

Run batch data migration (100 records per batch) with error collection. Track progress and log failed batches for retry.

Step 4: Shift Traffic (Week 7-8)

Use feature flags to gradually route traffic: start at 0%, increase to 10%, 50%, then 100%. Use getServiceAdapter() to select Clay vs legacy based on flag percentage.

Step 5: Validate and Cut Over

Run validation checks: data count match, API functionality, performance baseline, and error rates. All must pass before completing the migration.

Rollback Plan

Disable Clay via environment variable and restart pods. For data rollback, restore from backup. Verify via health endpoint.

For complete TypeScript implementations, assessment scripts, and validation code, load the reference guide: Read(${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/implementation-guide.md)

Output

• Migration assessment complete

• Adapter layer implemented

• Data migrated successfully

• Traffic fully shifted to Clay

Error Handling

Issue Cause Solution

Data mismatch Transform errors Validate transform logic

Performance drop No caching Add caching layer

Rollback triggered Errors spiked Reduce traffic percentage

Validation failed Missing data Check batch processing

Resources

• Strangler Fig Pattern

• Clay Migration Guide

Next Steps

For advanced troubleshooting, see clay-advanced-troubleshooting .

Examples

Basic usage: Apply clay migration deep dive to a standard project setup with default configuration options.

Advanced scenario: Customize clay migration deep dive for production environments with multiple constraints and team-specific requirements.