When a large-scale CMS relaunch was initiated, the challenge was clear: replace a legacy system and consolidate two separate platforms for CMS and Commerce. With 25 markets, 70+ modules, and over 10,000 pages, manual migration was simply not an option. The goal was to automate the transfer of content from the old CMS to Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) with Edge Delivery Services for a seamless, scalable solution.

The Migration Challenge

Migrating content at this scale came with significant hurdles. The legacy CMS relied on deeply nested JSON and template-based hierarchies, while AEM required a specific structure, component-driven architecture aligned with Edge Delivery Services. 106 unique component types - cards, heroes, accordions, and more - demanded custom transformation rules.

Content spanned multiple locales (DE, EN, PL, FR, IT), requiring language-specific transformations and complex DAM path handling. Manual migration would have been error-prone, time-consuming, and unsustainable for future maintenance. Each component type required unique field mappings, and any changes to transformation logic would have meant extensive manual rework.

Our Solution: Automated Migration Tools

To overcome these challenges, we developed a two-pronged migration approach:

• Python Migration Tool
  Designed for content migration, this tool primarily processed JSON data from the legacy FirstSpirit CMS and applied YAML-based transformation rules for 106 unique component types. While HTML parsing was part of the process, it was handled as an attribute within the JSON structure during transformation. The tool featured dynamic path resolution, conditional logic for template mapping, validation, error handling.
• Node.js Asset Migration Tool
  Built for asset migration, this tool enabled sequential upload with rate limiting, comprehensive logging, and environment-specific configurations.

Both tools integrated seamlessly with Adobe APIs, ensuring compliance with AEM Edge Delivery Services component patterns and enabling smooth data transfer.

Benefits Delivered

Automation brought significant advantages:

• Time Savings: Batch processing and sequential uploads drastically reduced migration time.
• Consistency: Standardized transformation logic ensured uniformity across all content types.
• Reusability: Modular architecture supports multiple environments and future CMS integrations.

Key Learnings

Choosing the right tool for each task was critical - Python for content, Node.js for assets simplified debugging and maintenance. YAML-based rules provided flexibility to adapt quickly to evolving requirements. Comprehensive logging, validation, and error handling were essential for success.

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