Why migrations go wrong
Switching tools sounds simple: export from the old one, import into the new one. In practice, the data rarely moves cleanly. Fields have different names or types, attachments are left behind, dates change format, relationships between items vanish, and comments or history are dropped. The problem is that these losses are often silent. Everything looks fine until someone needs a record that is no longer there.
A careful migration is mostly planning and checking, with the actual transfer being a small part of the job. The approach below works for moving tasks, notes, contacts, documents and similar information, whether you are moving a handful of items or thousands.
Step 1: Decide what to move
Not everything deserves to be moved. List what the old tool holds and sort it into groups:
- Needed and active: goes into the new tool.
- Needed for reference only: may be better as an archive, such as a set of exported files or a read-only copy.
- Obsolete: do not carry it over. A migration is a good time to clear out old clutter.
Also identify legal or business reasons to keep certain records. Rules vary by place and industry, so check what applies to you. If the data includes personal information about customers or staff, think about whether it should move at all and how it will be protected, as covered in handling customer data.
Choose a timing that avoids your busiest period, and decide whether the old tool will stay in use until the switch or be frozen on a particular date.
Step 2: Check what the old tool can export
Look at the export options before you commit to the new tool, if you still can. Questions to answer:
- Which formats are offered? Common choices include spreadsheet-style files, plain text, and structured formats designed for exchange.
- Does the export include everything: attachments, comments, tags, links between items, timestamps and authorship?
- Are there limits on size or on how often you can export?
- Does the new tool have an import feature for the format you will have, or for the old tool specifically?
Gaps here may mean you need a workaround, such as downloading attachments separately. If the old tool offers a poor export, that is a lesson for next time, and it relates to why you should look at vendor lock-in before you choose.
Step 3: Back up before touching anything
Take a complete export and store it somewhere safe and separate, before you change a single thing. This is your fallback. Following the general principle of backup basics, keep it in a place that is not the tool itself, and note the date. Avoid relying on one copy, particularly if it lives only in the application you are about to leave. A restore you have never tried is an assumption, not a plan, so open the exported files and confirm they are readable.
Step 4: Map the fields
Mapping is deciding where each piece of old information goes in the new structure. Make a simple table with three columns: old field, new field, and notes on any transformation.
Typical differences to expect:
- Different names. “Owner” in one tool may be “Assignee” in another.
- Different types. A free-text status may need to become a fixed list of options.
- Dates and time zones. Formats and time zone handling can shift, so check how dates are interpreted.
- Names and identities. Users in the old tool may not exist in the new one, so decide how to attribute items.
- Statuses and categories. Two systems often have different ways to describe progress, so decide how to translate.
- Relationships. Links between items, parent-child structures and shared labels may not carry over automatically.
- Special characters. Accented letters, symbols and line breaks can be damaged by file conversions.
Cleaning the data in the exported file before import is often easier than fixing it afterward. Many of the same techniques used for data cleaning and data validation apply: remove duplicates, standardize formats and fill obvious gaps.
Step 5: Test with a small sample
Never run the full import first. Pick a small but varied sample, including a few complicated items, ones with attachments, and some with unusual characters. Import them into the new tool, or into a test area if one exists, and look at the results closely.
Check that:
- Titles, descriptions and notes are complete
- Dates and owners are correct
- Attachments open
- Links and relationships are intact
- Nothing is duplicated or truncated
Adjust the mapping and repeat until the sample looks right. It is much cheaper to discover problems with twenty items than twenty thousand.
Step 6: Run the full migration
When the sample works, run the main import. If possible, do it in stages, perhaps one project or category at a time, so that errors are easier to trace. Pause changes in the old tool during the transfer, or record what changes so you can re-apply them. Keep a log of what you imported, when and by whom.
Step 7: Verify
Verification is the step most often skipped. Compare old and new using more than a casual glance:
- Counts. Does the number of items in the new tool match the number exported, allowing for those you intentionally left out? For example, if you exported 1,200 records and deliberately excluded 150 obsolete ones, you should expect 1,050 in the new tool.
- Spot checks. Randomly choose a set of items and compare them field by field.
- Edge cases. Check the oldest items, the largest, and those with unusual content.
- Totals. For numeric data, compare sums or other totals if relevant.
- Real use. Ask a few daily users to look for missing items and confirm they can find what they need.
Record any discrepancies and decide whether to fix them or accept them.
Step 8: Keep the old copy for a while
Do not delete the old data or cancel the subscription immediately. Keep read-only access, or at least the full export, for a reasonable period so you can recover anything missed. Then, when you are confident, wind down the old tool properly as described in tool retirement, including removing access and following the vendor’s deletion process where personal data is involved.
Communicate and support
Tell people the date, what changes for them, and where to go for help. Also check connected automations and integrations that pointed to the old tool, since they will need to be redirected or recreated. A short note after the switch explaining what was and was not moved prevents confusion.
Careful migration takes patience, but the rule is simple: back up first, test small, verify afterward and do not burn the old bridge until you have crossed the new one.