Why estates make this move
- The Adobe commitment is narrowing - Analytics stays, but the estate is diversifying away from single-ecosystem pipes.
- DTM-era legacies were never truly rebuilt for Launch, and the estate is carrying a decade of rule debt.
- Multi-vendor activation needs outgrew ecosystem-aligned tag management. (When the estate is Adobe end-to-end and staying that way, keep Launch - the comparison says so plainly.)
The concept mapping
| Launch / DTM concept | Tealium equivalent | Migration note |
|---|---|---|
| Property | iQ profile | Consolidation opportunity for multi-property estates |
| Rules (events + conditions + actions) | Load rules + tags | Rebuild from the event spec; DTM-inherited rules should not survive verbatim |
| Data elements | Data layer attributes | Converge onto one specified universal data object |
| Extensions | iQ tags / extensions | Marketplace covers common vendors; custom code gets re-reviewed |
| Web SDK / Edge into AEP | EventStream | Re-specify the server-side path; port routing intent, not internals |
| Publishing flow (dev/stage/prod) | iQ environments | Near-equivalent discipline - keep the workflow rigor |
Adobe Analytics continuity is the project inside the project
When Adobe Analytics remains the reporting store, its feed must not wobble: the report suite's variable mappings, processing rules, and success events have to receive the same meanings from the new pipes. We map the data layer to the existing variable model explicitly, run both collection paths in parallel, and reconcile report-suite numbers daily through the overlap window. The alternative - re-deriving eVar semantics from tribal memory after cutover - is how analytics teams lose a quarter. Our Adobe Analytics practice works this side of the fence daily.
The order of work
Runtime inventory of the Launch property (and any DTM remnants). Event spec written against current business questions, not historic rules. Parallel build in iQ/EventStream. Adobe Analytics reconciliation first and longest; other destinations follow. Cut over per destination, then retire the Launch property deliberately. Method in full at the migration hub.