Readiness checklist

Do you have enough evidence to plan modernization?

Use this checklist before a discovery call, pilot discussion, or internal planning workshop. Check an item only when the answer is known from current evidence. Leave it unchecked if the answer depends on assumptions, interviews, or outdated documentation.

Discuss your gaps View sample outputs

Inventory clarity

We have a current list of SQL Server instances, databases, schemas, and major objects in scope.
We know which SSRS folders, reports, shared datasets, and shared data sources are active candidates.
We know which SSIS projects or packages are deployed, including whether they use SSISDB or legacy deployment patterns.
We know which SQL Agent jobs orchestrate reporting, ETL, model refresh, or data preparation.
We know which SSAS Tabular models, tables, measures, partitions, and data sources are in scope.

Dependency visibility

We can trace the main report-to-data dependencies for important SSRS reports.
We can identify which SQL Agent jobs trigger SSIS packages, stored procedures, scripts, or refresh steps.
We can identify key SSIS source and destination systems without relying only on tribal knowledge.
We can see which semantic models depend on which SQL sources or intermediate tables.
We can distinguish direct metadata relationships from inferred or uncertain relationships.

Usage and criticality

We have recent usage or execution signals for SSRS reports, SQL Agent jobs, SSIS packages, or SSAS refreshes.
We know which assets are business-critical, externally visible, month-end critical, or regulatory in nature.
We can identify likely stale, disabled, duplicated, or low-value assets.
We understand which jobs and reports are time-sensitive or tied to operational processes.
We know where usage history is missing, retained for too short a period, or unavailable.

Migration complexity

We know which assets rely heavily on stored procedures, dynamic SQL, scripts, expressions, or custom code.
We know which SSRS reports are likely straightforward candidates versus reports that need redesign.
We know which SSIS packages are simple data movement versus tightly coupled orchestration or transformation logic.
We know which jobs depend on local file paths, service accounts, environment variables, or server-specific configuration.
We can explain the main complexity drivers without giving false precision.

Access, security, and coverage

We know which environments can be scanned with read-only or least-privilege access.
We know which systems are unavailable, unsupported, partially accessible, or blocked by permissions.
We can collect useful metadata without exporting passwords, secrets, or sensitive connection values.
We can separate collected evidence from assumptions and consultant judgment.
We can show where confidence is high, medium, low, or limited by coverage gaps.

Decision readiness

We can answer what exists across the estate.
We can answer what depends on what, at least for the major cross-system chains.
We can answer what appears critical versus stale.
We can answer what looks hardest to migrate and why.
We can recommend a modernization path without assuming a default target platform.

Readiness score

Count the unchecked items.

The useful question is not whether every box is checked. The useful question is where the uncertainty sits and whether those gaps should be closed before planning.

Interpreting gaps

0-5 gaps: You likely have enough evidence for targeted planning. A focused assessment can still help validate scope and complexity.
6-12 gaps: Assessment is recommended before committing budget, roadmap, or migration sequence.
13+ gaps: Discovery risk is high. Start with evidence collection and dependency assessment before choosing a modernization plan.

Next step

Bring the gaps to the first planning conversation.

If most gaps are around inventory, dependency visibility, usage, complexity, or confidence, TangleMap can help turn the estate into assessment-ready evidence.

Discuss your gaps Read methodology