Data migration is often the riskiest part of a Salesforce implementation. Get it wrong, and you start with a mess that undermines adoption. Get it right, and you hit the ground running with clean, reliable data.
After migrating data for dozens of clients, we've learned what works. Here are the 7 practices that separate smooth migrations from disaster stories.
Audit Your Data Before You Migrate
Don't just move bad data to a new system. Review your source data for duplicates, incomplete records, outdated information, and data quality issues. This is your chance for a fresh start.
Map Fields Carefully
Document exactly which source fields map to which Salesforce fields. Pay attention to data types, picklist values, and required fields. Mismatched mappings cause the most migration failures.
Clean Before You Load
Standardize formats (phone numbers, addresses), remove duplicates, and fill in missing required fields in your source data. It's 10x easier to clean data in Excel than in Salesforce.
Load in the Right Order
Salesforce has dependencies between objects. Load Accounts before Contacts, Contacts before Opportunities. Get the order wrong, and lookups will fail.
Do a Test Migration First
Never migrate directly to production. Load data into a sandbox first, validate it thoroughly, and fix any issues before touching your production org.
Preserve External IDs
Maintain IDs from your legacy system as external IDs in Salesforce. This makes it possible to update records later and trace data back to its source.
Validate After Loading
Run reports to verify record counts, check for broken lookups, and spot-check key records. Users should validate their own data before you declare success.
Common Migration Mistakes
- Migrating “everything” instead of what you actually need
- Not involving end users in data validation
- Skipping the test migration to save time
- Forgetting about attachments, notes, and activity history
- Not planning for cutover timing and data freeze
Tools We Recommend
- Data Loader – Free, powerful, good for most migrations
- Dataloader.io – Web-based, easier for non-technical users
- Jitterbit – For complex transformations and integrations
- MuleSoft – Enterprise-grade for ongoing integration needs
Key Takeaways
- Clean data before you migrate, not after
- Always do a test migration first
- Map fields carefully and document everything
- Preserve external IDs for future reference
- Validate thoroughly with end users