Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM data migration is a bit like moving your stuff into a new apartment. The more stuff (data) you have, the longer it takes. But, after you’ve transferred everything to your new location, you’ll be glad you made the move. A lot can go wrong when migrating data to Dynamics 365 CRM. Some companies experience downtime as data moves from one system to another, or lose data during the migration process. Don’t make the same mistakes as these companies. In this guide, learn some Dynamics 365 CRM data migration strategies, best practices, and why working with an experienced partner can make your transfer a more successful one.
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Whether your organization is ready for Dynamics 365 CRM migration, you need help prepping for a migration, or you are just getting started, feel free to schedule a meeting. Dynamic Consultants Group can help you throughout the whole process. Read more: Don’t Get Left Behind With Microsoft Dynamics GP.
Key Steps to the Dynamics 365 CRM Data Migration Process
1. Plan Your Migration
Choose a date and time to start migration and delegate roles and responsibilities to all those involved in the data transfer process. Make sure everyone’s on board with the migration, including senior managers. Data migration is always a team effort.
2. Choose the Data You Want to Migrate to Dynamics 365 CRM
Sit down with your team and establish what you want to transfer to Dynamics 365 CRM. Do you want to migrate all customer data? Or just data from the previous five or six years? What will you do with data you no longer need? What about duplicated data sets? Create data strategies that answer questions such as these to increase the chances of a successful migration.
3. Map Your Data
Data mapping is one of the most important processes of data migration. It involves matching data fields from your current CRM system to Dynamics 365 CRM. If data fields don’t match with Dynamics, your migration will be a waste of time.
4. Make Sure Data is in the Correct Format
Data cleansing and validation — removing incorrect and incorrectly formatted data from your current CRM before migration — depends on the tool you use. When using Microsoft’s Data Import Wizard, you need to convert data in your existing CRM into a flattened file type so it syncs correctly with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM.
5. Test Your Migration
It’s essential you test the data migration before you do it for real. This helps you determine how long your data transfer will take and whether you will experience much downtime. You can also identify any problems that might occur during migration, such as incorrect formatting and mismatched data sets. Read more: Improve Business Value When You Migrate from Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.
Dynamics 365 CRM Data Migration Best Practices
Here are some best practices for Dynamics 365 data migration:
- Make sure your data transfer complies with data governance frameworks like GDPR and CCPA.
- Back up the data in your current CRM before migration so you don’t lose it during the transfer process.
- Determine the cut-off date for data transfer.
- Create scripts for testing that determine identifiers for the data in your current system before you migrate for real.
- Have real business users review your data during the testing stage.
- Consider a third-party platform like Scribe or KingswaySoft that migrates data from your existing system to Dynamics 365 CRM. These platforms can extract source data, transform it into the correct format and move it to 365.
Read more: 2021 Wave 2 Release: Business Central.
Checklist for Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM Data Migration
Choose a date for migration
Consult with your team and delegate roles and responsibilities for migration
Review the source data in your existing CRM system
Start the data mapping process
Cleanse and validate data so it migrates to Dynamics 365 correctly
Choose your migration tool (Microsoft’s Data Import Wizard or a third-party platform)
Test your migration
Ask business users to review your data transfer
Comply with data governance frameworks and legislation
Final Word
Data migration can be a challenging process. It’s no wonder, then, that 83 percent of data migration projects exceed their budget or deadline or fail completely. Follow the tips above before moving data to Dynamics 365 CRM or work with a partner to guarantee migration success.
Are you ready for Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM migration? Do you need help preparing for a migration? Perhaps you are just getting started. Wherever you are in the migration process, schedule a meeting and let Dynamic Consultants Group do all the hard work for you.
