In this day of age, data migration has become an everyday thing. The variety of data platforms encourages users to try new systems for their business needs. Many choose Salesforce to improve relationships with their clients. If you’re one of Salesforce users and thinking about migrating data, this article is just for you.
It can be hard to find a reliable Salesforce migration plan. With so many iterations, opinions, and methodologies picking the right strategy can be a real challenge for business owners. Yet, if you have already decided to move your stuff to a new platform, you probably don’t have time to waste on lengthy searches.
You may ask, what is a migrating plan? It is a detailed to-do list to stick to during your Salesforce data migration. It should comprise each aspect of the process and serve as instructions to facilitate successful results.
Each data center migration plan is different due to the individual data frameworks of the company's customer support system and its business goals. Hence, we decided why we decided to create a universal, functional Salesforce migration plan. With it, you will not only manage to migrate your stuff in a timely manner but won’t have to do much. So, without any further ado, let’s look at how you can migrate your data.
Prep Work
Data migration best practices include getting through a checklist with the preparation activities. This will prevent you from facing unexpected errors and spending extra time and money on fixing them. In this article, we’ll enlist the most important pre-migration things to do.
To ensure the accuracy of the process, back yourself up by creating a Salesforce migration project plan on how to import data and system settings to another system. It can be too hard to keep all the steps in mind and remember the right order. Make sure your Salesforce data migration strategy covers:
- data transfer process including entry selection, fields mapping, and the configuration settings
- possible risks connected with server malfunction and data corruption
- ways to prevent or address these risks
This step shouldn’t be skipped since it makes the basis for the whole migration process. The data migration plan is a long-lived document that can be improved and adjusted for the next Salesforce data migration. You can record the issues and measures to solve them to avoid them during further data import.
Filter Your Records
Firstly, you need to prepare your data. Point out the records you want to migrate to or from your Salesforce platform. These can be tickets, users, client databases, page layouts, attachments, and so on. Then separate the data you need and the data you don’t use. And while you are at it, make sure that your account doesn’t have empty contacts and duplicate items. Also, delete the irrelevant workflows and incorrect entries. This will allow you to save money and help you cut the time it would take to move everything.
Prepare the Platforms
Now we need to prepare the migrating platforms. In your new system, you need to replicate the same custom fields, the same amount of agent profiles to ensure a smooth data mapping process (more on this in a bit). You also need to turn off all notifications and automations to avoid Delta Transfers (when you update your new tool cause the old one updated data). If you activated validation rules in your Salesforce system, make sure they comply with the target platform or deactivate them before migrating data.
Notify Staff & Customers
Finally, you need to notify all involved staff about the upcoming changes. We suggest that you settle on the “blackout” date and announce it as soon as possible so that your agent staff can start closing tickets as soon as they can. Do not forget to share the Salesforce data migration plan with your team to keep them on the same page. Also, make sure that you have a similar notification on your website for your customers.
Migration Work
And for the meat and bones of the migration project, the migration itself. There are three ways to migrate Salesforce data: manually, using Salesforce API, or with the help of professional data migration tools. In the first case, you will have to manually copy and paste every data entry from one platform into another. This method is free but unsafe and tedious. Plus, it requires knowledge of data migration basics at least. In the second case, you use a third-party API within the Salesforce Environment to execute the migration for you. However, consulting a technical expert to control this complex process can cost a lot of money.
Your best and fastest course of action would be to use a Salesforce migrating tool. Compared to the previous two methods, this one protects you from risks like incorrect mapping, insecure data transfer, or data loss.
To take advantage of Salesforce data migration best practices, check our migration wizard system that can be tailored to your organization's specific needs. Your task will be as simple as it could be. No technical knowledge is required. Just select the source and the target platforms and specify the credentials for both instances.There is no need to be alarmed as we provide data backup and comply with privacy regulations.
Once you give the details, the tool will fetch the data you’d like to move. Then, you'll have to map that you deem necessary and proceed with the on-screen prompts.
You should in way skip on a demo migration as it will allow you to identify all potential errors. Essentially, our system will copy a bit of your data and will try to migrate it to see if anything goes wrong. It is fast, it doesn’t cost anything, and will help you identify errors in advance.
After the demo migration is complete, you can proceed to move the rest of your data. Typically, it takes upwards of a single business day to accomplish the production migration but it all depends on the case. If you have a ton of records, it can take a bit longer. When you’re done with the import, make sure it went well by checking the migrated data for mismatches. Read on and find out why you should choose our tool over the other Salesforce data migration services.
If you're looking for an in-depth Salesforce data migration checklist - feel free to check out this article.
Why Use Our Solution
Each system has its set of pros and cons and ours is no different. But what separates us from the competition is experience. We have been on the market for years now; our tools are being used by many and we continue to work on them every single day. We want you to have a hassle-free experience that is why we constantly add more and more platforms to the list of supported systems.
We also made our pricing more compelling. We don’t charge you for work, only for the records you’ve moved. No hidden fees, no nothing. It is cheaper to move with us than hiring a software developer. It is also faster as we have everything ready to boot, unlike hiring a person to develop things from scratch.
Finally, our technicians will be right there to support you throughout the entire migration process. Whenever there’s a bug or an error, or some other inconsistency, you won’t be left alone to deal with it. Over the years, we’ve smashed many problems and helped hundreds of companies move their stuff.
Let’s Migrate Together
Whether you want to migrate to or from Salesforce, our system will get the job done. It will not only be fast but affordable as well. With us, you can rest assured knowing that your records won’t be mixed up, corrupted, or outright broken.
If you need more details or have some questions that we didn’t cover here, be sure to let us know. Our people will help you out in any way possible but for now, we hope that our Salesforce migration guide was of some use to you. Thanks for joining!
