How to Prepare Data for ERP Migration

Moving to a new ERP system? Proper data preparation can save you time, money, and headaches. Here’s a quick guide to ensure a smooth migration:

1. Review Your Data
   • Inventory all data sources (legacy systems, spreadsheets, cloud apps).
   • Identify missing or duplicate data.
   • Perform gap analysis to address critical issues.
2. Clean and Format Data
   • Remove duplicates, fill gaps, and standardize formats (e.g., dates as MM/DD/YYYY).
   • Validate accuracy using automated tools.
3. Map Your Data
   • Create a field mapping guide to align old data fields with the new system.
   • Document transformation rules and validation checks.
4. Test the Process
   • Run test migrations in a controlled environment.
   • Check data completeness, accuracy, and relationships post-migration.
5. Finalize and Govern
   • Set clear data management rules (quality standards, access controls).
   • Freeze legacy systems, execute migration, and validate results.

Key Benefits:

• Cost Control: Avoid expensive post-migration fixes.
• Time Efficiency: Minimize downtime.
• Data Accuracy: Ensure reliable decision-making.
• Operational Continuity: Keep processes running smoothly.

Proper preparation ensures your ERP system delivers value from day one. Ready to start? Let’s dive into the details!

Step 1: Review Current Data Status

Before diving into ERP migration, take a close look at your existing data setup. Why? Because unexpected costs can eat up as much as 30% of your total cloud migration budget. A thorough review helps keep expenses in check while ensuring your data is accurate and ready for the move.

Create a Data Inventory List

Start by building a detailed inventory of all your data. This isn’t just an IT task – every department has a role to play. As Tom Miller from ERP Focus points out:

"ERP data migration is not a management project, it’s also not an IT project. It is an enterprise project, and everyone is involved, whether they are a user or not. Let everyone know why the business is migrating to a new ERP system and what the expectations for the business are."

To create a solid inventory, focus on these primary data sources:

Once your inventory is complete, make sure to identify any gaps or duplicates in the data.

Find Missing and Duplicate Data

Inconsistent or messy data can derail your migration efforts. Kamesh Kesavarapu, Senior Manager at PwC, warns:

"The common mistake in majority of the ERP programs is to dump all the data as-is from legacy applications to the new ERP system and expect magic to happen. But that’s not how it works."

Here’s how to tackle data issues effectively:

• Data Profiling
  Examine the structure and quality of your data to understand what you’re working with.
• Duplicate Detection
  Use automated tools to find and remove duplicates. Pay close attention to areas like:
  • Customer contact details
  • Product codes
  • Transaction records
  • Vendor lists
• Gap Analysis
  Zero in on critical business data first. Testing your ERP migration thoroughly can cut rework costs by up to 30%. As part of this process, validate key data categories to spot and fix common issues:

Step 2: Clean and Format Data

Once you’ve reviewed your data, the next step is to clean and format it properly for migration. This is a crucial process because poor data quality can drive up migration costs by as much as 40%. Taking a systematic approach to this step can save time, money, and headaches down the road.

How to Clean Your Data

Cleaning your data ensures that only accurate, relevant, and up-to-date information makes it into your new system. Here’s a breakdown of common data issues and how to resolve them:

When cleaning your data, focus on these key areas:

• Data Standardization: Consistency is key. Make sure to:
  • Convert all dates to the MM/DD/YYYY format.
  • Standardize phone numbers to (XXX) XXX-XXXX.
  • Use uniform product codes and measurement units.
• Data Validation: Use automated tools to verify the accuracy of your data. For example, Victor Distributing Company successfully integrated Epicor Eclipse with BigCommerce in January 2025 using the DCKAP Integrator, which improved customer interactions.

Formatting Data for the New System

After cleaning, your data must be formatted to meet the requirements of the new system. Below are some common formatting specifications:

To maintain consistency and quality during this process, assign process owners to oversee the work, automate quality checks, and schedule regular validation reviews. Finally, document all standards and procedures to ensure smooth governance and accountability.

Step 3: Create Data Maps

Now that your data is clean and well-organized, it’s time to align it with your new ERP system. This step – data mapping – is all about figuring out how your current data fits into the structure of the new system. For businesses moving to modern ERP platforms like Procuzy, creating detailed data maps acts as a critical guide for ensuring legacy data integrates smoothly. In fact, research shows that about 41% of business users find data integration technologies challenging to use. Proper mapping not only ensures your data is compatible but also helps avoid headaches after migration.

Build a Field Mapping Guide

Think of a field mapping guide as your playbook for data migration. It lays out how each data field in your current system connects to the new ERP setup.

"Data mapping provides the roadmap for where your data is supposed to go to be of value." – Nida Fatima, Raza Ahmed Khan, Astera

When building your guide, focus on these key elements:

• Field Relationships: Document how source fields correspond to the destination fields, including any splits or combinations.
• Business Rules: Clearly outline any conditions or calculations that need to happen during the migration.
• Validation Criteria: Set rules to verify that the data remains accurate after it’s transferred.

Once you’ve mapped the standard fields, shift your attention to special data types that may need custom handling.

Manage Special Data Types

Special data types, like custom fields or legacy configurations, often require extra care. These are the unique bits of information that might not have a direct match in the new system.

Here’s how to handle them effectively:

• Identify Common Elements: Develop a standardized template for shared data elements across different modules.
• Set Up Validation Rules: Create specific checks for these special data types to ensure their accuracy during and after the migration. This is especially important for data tied to industry regulations or company-specific needs.

"Successful integrations depend on correctly mapping source to target data." – elastic.io

A helpful tool in this process is automated mapping software. For example, AI-assisted mapping features can automatically match similar fields, like linking "ShipCountry" to "ShipNation". This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of errors, giving you a smoother migration experience.

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Step 4: Test Migration Process

With your data now cleaned, formatted, and properly mapped, it’s time to move into one of the most critical phases: testing.

Run Test Migrations

Start by creating a test environment that mirrors your production setup. When transitioning to modern ERP systems, begin with small data samples and gradually scale up to larger volumes. This step-by-step approach allows you to identify and resolve issues early, minimizing risks.

Here’s how you can structure your test migrations:

For example, a healthcare provider recently highlighted the value of systematic testing during their ERP migration. They set up a dedicated data governance committee to oversee the process and implemented strict validation rules for patient records. This structured method ensured data integrity at every stage of the migration.

"Testing, before, during, and after, your data migrations gives you greater control and predictability over the data migration process, while preventing disruption and data loss or damage."

Check Data Quality

Ensuring data quality is essential for a smooth migration. The goal is to verify that the migrated data is accurate, complete, and ready to support your business operations. By closely monitoring the transfer process, you can catch and address issues early. Once the migration is complete, perform thorough checks to confirm data integrity.

Here are some key quality checks to include:

• Data Completeness: Compare record counts between the source and target systems to ensure nothing is missing.
• Accuracy Validation: Verify that critical field values, such as customer IDs or product codes, are correct.
• Relationship Integrity: Confirm that all data relationships (e.g., between customers and their orders) remain intact.

A technology company recently demonstrated the impact of robust quality checks. By implementing specific validation rules for product codes in sales orders, they drastically reduced data entry errors. The process also included training for their sales team, which further improved the accuracy of their migration.

Involving business users in the testing phase is crucial. Their hands-on experience with daily operations provides valuable insights, ensuring that the migrated data aligns with real-world business needs.

Step 5: Set Rules and Complete Migration

Create Data Management Rules

To ensure a smooth and efficient migration, it’s essential to establish clear data management rules. Start by defining ownership roles and responsibilities for various data sets. Assign dedicated data stewards to oversee specific categories, ensuring accountability and consistency.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how to set up effective data management rules:

Once these rules are in place, you’ll have a solid foundation to move forward with the data transfer while minimizing operational hiccups.

Complete Data Transfer

The final stage of migration requires precision and careful planning to avoid disrupting daily operations. Here’s how to manage this critical phase:

• System Freeze Implementation: Schedule a specific time to halt transactions in legacy systems. Before migration begins, switch the old system to read-only mode to prevent new data from being added.
• Execute Migration: Carry out the data transfer according to the migration plan. Keep a close eye on the process and maintain detailed logs of all activities.
• Validation and Verification: Post-migration, verify key data points such as balances, customer records, and transaction histories. For example, Fresh Frontiers identified up to eight critical checkpoints within its order processing system that required meticulous attention during verification.

To ease the transition, set up a dedicated support system that can promptly address any issues during the first few weeks of the new system’s operation. This support will help your team adapt quickly and ensure the migration’s success.

Next Steps

Let’s dive deeper into the structured steps we’ve covered so far:

Main Points Review

ERP data migration requires meticulous planning. A study by Panorama Consulting found that 33% of ERP projects exceed their budget, with 35% of these overruns linked to data issues. To avoid falling into these traps, focus on these key phases and their success factors:

With these steps in place, the next priority is maintaining data quality after migration.

Ongoing Data Management

Managing data after migration is essential to ensure the system performs as intended. Baker Tilly emphasizes:

"Effective data governance ensures that the right data is available to the right people at the right time, enabling informed decision-making and maximizing the benefits of an ERP adoption".

Here are strategies to keep your data in top shape:

• Set Clear Data Quality Standards
  Develop robust protocols that prioritize accuracy, completeness, and consistency. According to Gartner, poor data quality costs companies around $15 million annually in lost opportunities and inefficiencies.
• Automate Monitoring Processes
  Use automated tools to uphold data integrity. Features like real-time validation checks and scheduled maintenance routines can help prevent data from degrading over time.
• Invest in Ongoing Training
  Equip your team with the skills needed to maintain data quality. Training should include:
  • Best practices for data entry
  • Quality control techniques
  • System usage guidelines
  • Regular refresher courses

As Michele Marotz, MBA-MIS from Decision Resources, aptly puts it:

"Data governance is not just an IT priority, it is the priority of all stakeholders".

FAQs

What are the common data quality issues during ERP migration, and how can they be fixed?

During an ERP migration, several data quality issues often crop up. These include missing information, inconsistent formatting, outdated or incorrect records, and duplicate entries. Such problems can throw a wrench into operations, cause errors across different modules, and drag down the overall efficiency of the system.

To tackle these hurdles, it’s crucial to establish a strong data governance framework. Start with detailed data audits to identify any gaps or inconsistencies. Follow this up by cleansing and validating the data, ensuring it’s accurate and reliable. Standardizing formats is another key step to maintain uniformity. Tools like data mapping software can help align your existing data with the structure of the new ERP system. Finally, regular updates and checks will keep your data accurate and relevant over time. By addressing these issues early in the process, you’ll set the stage for a smoother migration and a more effective ERP system.

How can businesses ensure their data mapping meets the specific needs of a new ERP system?

To make sure your data mapping works seamlessly with your new ERP system, start by fully understanding how the new platform organizes and handles data. Take a close look at the key data fields, formats, and relationships in both your current system and the new one. From there, create a detailed mapping document that matches your existing data fields to the structure of the new system.

Data validation is a critical step in this process. Testing the mapping with sample data before moving everything over can help catch and fix any issues early. Partnering with your ERP provider, such as Procuzy, can make things easier. Their expertise and tools can help ensure compatibility and make the transition as smooth as possible.

How can we involve all departments in preparing data for a smooth ERP migration?

To make an ERP migration as seamless as possible, it’s crucial to get all departments involved early in the data preparation phase. Start by assembling a migration team that includes representatives from essential areas like IT, finance, operations, and data management. This team will work together to develop a clear migration plan, outlining which data will be moved, how it will be cleaned and validated, and the timeline for each stage of the process.

Bring in stakeholders from every department to help pinpoint key data sources, ensure data is accurately mapped to the new system, and eliminate outdated or duplicate information. This collaborative effort not only enhances data quality but also fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility among teams, paving the way for a smoother and more effective migration.

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