Salesforce Data Migration Checklist for 2021

By Robert Ulrich 16 Nov 2022

Modern-day businesses have become dependent on a variety of software tools that help them collect, process, and use data. The business world has become exceedingly data-driven. One of the most useful software tools that a business can invest in is a CRM system. CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and it’s an incredibly important aspect of doing business. A lot of companies develop and sell CRM systems, this means that businesses have a variety of platforms to choose from. One of the most popular CRM platforms out there right now is Salesforce. Our Salesforce data migration checklist for 2021 will tell you everything you need to know in order to switch to Salesforce.

In order to switch to Salesforce, you need to migrate all your customer data from your current platform to your new one. Fortunately, the data migration process in salesforce is quite straightforward. Before we get into the data migration process in Salesforce CRM software, let’s familiarized ourselves with this CRM platform.

What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is a CRM software that provides businesses with a suite of sophisticated tools. These tools help businesses enhance their CRM activities and improve their chances of turning new leads into customers and retaining existing customers.

What makes Salesforce so popular is the fact that this CRM software is highly customizable. You can customize Salesforce in order to meet your specific needs. Salesforce is also quite up-to-date. Recently, Salesforce has made its CRM capabilities more accessible with the introduction of Salesforce Lightning. Salesforce lightning is a simplified version of their CRM software that is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses. You can learn more about Salesforce Lightning migration from our website.

What is CRM Data Migration?

In order to work, any CRM system needs data. When you’re about to switch to a new CRM, you need to migrate all your existing data from your previous platform. CRM data migration involves transferring data from your old CRM to your new one as efficiently as possible. Every CRM software comes with its own migration tools. Since we’re talking about Salesforce, we’ll be talking about Salesforce migration tools and how can you use them to transfer your data.

The Data Migration Process in Salesforce

The data migration process in Salesforce can be simple or complicated. It depends on the volume and quality of your data. In order to minimize data loss and preserve your data, you need to follow certain practices. This is where your data migration project plan comes into place. In order to migrate your data to Salesforce, you need a migration project plan that follows best practices in CRM data migration. The amount of effort you’ll have to put in your data migration process for Salesforce will depend on your data.

If your data volume is low and it is not too complicated, you can simply rely on Salesforce migration tools that automate the process. While automated tools offer an easy way to migrate data, they aren’t that reliable. Automated Salesforce migration tools only work well when you’re transferring data between CRM platforms that are very similar in nature.
Data can also be migrated by simply uploading your exported data through Salesforce’s user interface. This method offers a decent solution to migrating data, but it often results in data loss.
The best way to migrate data is to have custom Salesforce migration tools developed for your migration project plan. This method ensures that your Salesforce migration tools handle your data without any trouble. Designing custom Salesforce migration tools isn’t easy, which is why you should hire experts for this job.

In order to successfully execute your Salesforce migration project, you need to plan it out well. And one of the most crucial parts of planning your Salesforce migration project is to select a migration tool that you can rely on.

Salesforce Data Migration Checklist

The key to a successful migration process is to plan it out well. Our Salesforce data migration checklist will provide you with a framework that you can follow while devising your migration project plan.

Get Everyone On-board

It’s important to make sure everyone is on-board and kept in the loop as you switch to a new CRM software. Changing your CRM platform will bring about change that may disrupt your workflow if your team is not ready for it. Getting your team ready for change is really important, that’s why it’s the first step in our Salesforce data migration checklist.

Analyse Your Old CRM

An in-depth analysis of your current CRM solution will help you figure out how to transition to the new one. You’ll be able to identify features that you want to carry over and features that you want to get rid of. Analysing your old CRM solution will also help make the data migration process easier. You will have an easier time figuring out what kind of migration tool will work best for you.

Map Your Data

Data mapping is by far the most complicated part of migrating your data. Data mapping should be a priority in your Salesforce migration project plan as it determines how efficient your migration process will be. Involving an expert in this part of your Salesforce data migration is a good idea. The key to successfully mapping your data is to ensure that the surrounding data for every record in your data remains attached to the record after your data has been transferred.

Compare Your Old and New CRM Platforms

Matching the structure of your old CRM data with your new ones is really important. This helps minimize the chances of data not being migrated properly to your new CRM. During this part of your Salesforce data migration checklist, you should pay extra attention to your custom fields and figure out how you want them to transition to your new platform.

Decide on Your Salesforce Migration Tools

After you have mapped out your data and compared your CRM platforms, you can now decide on your Salesforce migration tools. This part of your Salesforce data migration checklist will make or break your project, so plan carefully. In most cases, it is recommended that you have a custom migration tool designed for your business. If you don’t have the in-house capabilities needed to develop one, you can hire Salesforce development experts.

Backup Your Data

Once your migration tool is ready, make a backup of your data before you proceed. This is an important step since it safeguards your data.

Execute Your Salesforce Migration Project Plan

With everything ready and your data safely backed up, you can now begin transferring your data. Even in the best-case scenario, your data migration won’t be 100% smooth. You will run into some hiccups that must be addressed after the migration process has been completed.

If you feel unsure about the migration process, you can always hire experts such as ourselves. RT Labs is a certified Salesforce partner with expertise in planning and executing Salesforce data migration projects. Our team can help you pick the best Salesforce migration tools and make sure that your data migration goes smoothly.

Salesforce Data Migration Checklist for 2021: Conclusion

Migrating your data is one of the most frustrating parts of switching to a new CRM. However, you shouldn’t let this stop you from switching to better CRM software. Our Salesforce data migration checklist has laid out a solid framework that you can follow. And if you still feel unsure, you can always get in touch with our team.

RT Labs, being an Official Salesforce Partner firm, is an expert provider of services including Salesforce Migration, Integration,Contact Us today by filling out our contact form. We will be glad to assist you!

Need Help? Get Free Consultation

What People Say About Us

I have utilised the services of RTLabs for customizations related to a company project. Their team is well equipped with sharp and talented developers. Along with that, the support team is always readily available making sure that any issues are resolved quickly.
Ian Hastings , Director

I’ve been working with RTLabs for quite some time, and have been consistently impressed by the work that they deliver. Always worth the investment. Their attitude is great, they deliver on time, and the quality is superb. What more could you ask for?
Ivan Sutja

I had the pleasure of working with RTLabs in a development project for my company. They were easy to work with, the progress was as planned, and the results were above my expectation. Would be happy to work with them again.
Jean-Michelle Maudet

RTLabs and Shahrukh Riaz in particular, has been an absolute pleasure to work with over the past few months. We initially engaged with RTLabs for some expert SugarCRM development and consultancy; it was quickly apparent that they have exceptional command in all LAMP technologies. Their hard work ethics, backed up by uncompromising support should be a textbook example to the rest of the outsourcing community. Six months in and we’re sending more work their way all the time.
Niki Dinsey, Managing Director

Hussain and the team at RTLabs were excellent to work with! Very professional, communicative, answered all my questions and they completed the work early! I would recommend them again and will definitely be working with them again!
Jon Paul, Haro Street Media

Quality provider for Sugar work, will be using him again for further iterations of the project and any other work I have. Would thoroughly recommend RTLabs to anyone doing SugarCRM development.
Nick Dunin, Click Pursuits

RTLabs is a great provider. They are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to PHP and SugarCRM. They also remained very much on schedule throughout the whole project. I would highly recommend them and wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.
Justin Weber, Sourcetoad LLC

The RTLabs team was quick at grasping my requirements and extremely professional in implementing and delivering all the tasks. I look forward to working with them on further projects.
Matthew Baugh, Rainmaker Appointments

I had some urgent tasks that needed to be delivered. RTLabs hit the ground running. They were incredibly fast at getting to grips with systems they had no prior knowledge of and began delivering the very same day the tasks were defined. Very much looking forward to involving RTLabs with many other projects both now and in the future. The communication has been fantastic and our RTLabs point of contact, Hussain, has been patient, helpful, professional and respectful. RTLabs are a perfect fit for the work here at FlatCoder.
Gary Rigg, Flatcoder

I have been working with RTLabs for several months on a complicated and challenging installation of Sugar CRM. Their technical capabilities, combined with a great attention to detail, has resulted in a comprehensive solution, custom tailored to our exact needs. I recommend them highly and look forward to working with them on future projects.
Alan Geer, President

RTLabs is a very professional organization. Their knowledge of the Sugar environment is very strong. They were able to help me quickly decide on our strategic direction based on the information they gathered for me. I will use them again on future SugarCRM projects.
Chainrai Waney, PCM Savings

Efficient. To the point. No fuss.
Rudi Haarhoff, Hemisphere Solutions

Excellent responsiveness, quick to fix bugs, excellent communication.
Richard Metcalfe, ARKK Solutions