6 Common Mistakes To Avoid During Salesforce Migration

In the past few decades, Salesforce has evolved beyond just a cloud-based CRM. Remarkably, over 90% of the world's data has been created in just the last two years, and much of it is managed and processed by sophisticated software systems.

With more organizations adopting Salesforce each day, the demand for data migration into the platform has skyrocketed.

This has put architects in the hot seat, requiring them to create intricate and scalable data models to facilitate this data influx.

This article will guide you on seamlessly performing Salesforce data migration and avoiding mistakes during migration.

7 Tips On How To Do Salesforce Data Migration

Salesforce data migration involves transferring data from one system (like a CRM, ERP, or another Salesforce org) into Salesforce.

It's a complex, critical process requiring careful planning and execution to ensure data integrity and minimize disruption to business operations.

Here's a general guide on how to approach Salesforce data migration:

1. Planning And Analysis

• Understand the Data: Analyze the data type, volume, and complexity you need to migrate. This includes understanding the source data's structure, quality, and dependencies.
• Define Objectives: Clearly define what you want to achieve with the migration (e.g., consolidating multiple systems, upgrading to Salesforce, etc.).
• Map Data: Determine how data from the source system will map to Salesforce objects and fields. Pay attention to custom fields and objects in Salesforce.

2. Preparation

• Cleanse Data: Clean the source data to ensure accuracy and consistency. This might involve deduplicating records, standardizing formats, and correcting errors.
• Backup Data: Before starting the migration process, always back up your data to prevent loss.
• Prepare Salesforce Environment: Set up the necessary fields, objects, and record types in Salesforce. Ensure that validation rules and workflows won’t interfere with the imported data.

3. Choose A Migration Tool

• Data Loader: Salesforce provides tools like Data Loader for bulk importing, exporting, updating, and deleting Salesforce records.
• ETL Tools: For more complex migrations, consider using an ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tool to handle large volumes of data and complex transformations.

4. Data Migration Execution

• Test Migration: Conduct a test migration with a subset of your data. This helps identify issues before the entire migration.
• Perform Migration: Migrate your data to Salesforce. This might be done in stages, especially for large datasets or complex environments.
• Monitor and Troubleshoot: Monitor the migration process for errors or issues and troubleshoot as needed.

5. Post-Migration

• Data Validation: Check if the data in Salesforce aligns with the source data. Validate the accuracy and integrity of the migrated data.
• User Training: Train your team on the new system and migrated data to ensure smooth adoption.
• Iterate: You might need adjustments or additional migrations based on feedback and initial usage.

6. Maintenance

• Regular Audits: Regularly review data quality and system performance.
• Update as Needed: As your business evolves, you may need to update your Salesforce setup and migrate additional data.

Tips:

• Understand Salesforce Limits: Be aware of Salesforce governor limits and bulk API limits to avoid interruptions.
• Documentation: Keep detailed documentation throughout the migration process for reference and compliance.
• Seek Expertise: If the migration is particularly complex, consider consulting with a Salesforce migration expert or partner.

7 Benefits Of Data Migration

Knowing the advantages of Salesforce Data Migration in more detail can help you understand how it can benefit your team.

Here are the following advantages:

1. Data Integrity: Ensuring Trustworthy Information

Data integrity is the foundation of reliable decision-making and customer trust.

When you migrate data to Salesforce, you set up a secure vault for your information.

This process eliminates inaccuracies, redundancies, and inconsistencies, leaving you with a treasure trove of dependable data.

2. Data Governance: Rule-Driven Data Management

Think of data governance as the rulebook for your data. With Salesforce Data Migration, you establish clear rules and controls for accessing, maintaining, and protecting your data.

3. Better Insights: Illuminating Hidden Treasures

Data migration can unlock valuable insights within your data, turning it into a goldmine of information. It's akin to having a professional archaeologist reveal hidden treasures in an ancient tomb.

By organizing and centralizing your data within Salesforce, you gain the ability to dig deep, extract meaningful patterns, and discover actionable intelligence that can drive strategic decisions.

4. Proper Storage: A Neat And Tidy Data Closet

As you would arrange your clothes in an organized closet, data migration neatly stores your information. Your data is categorized, labeled, and filed away in a structured manner within Salesforce.

This systematic arrangement ensures that your data is easily accessible, making it a breeze to locate and use what you need when you need it.

5. Fast And Efficient: The Data Expressway

Data migration acts as a well-designed GPS system for your data, transforming the process of data retrieval from a winding, time-consuming journey into a fast and efficient expressway.

You no longer have to navigate the tangled web of disparate files and systems. Instead, you enjoy a streamlined route to your data, saving time and increasing overall efficiency.

6. Improves Sales Process: Empowering Your Sales Force

For businesses, data migration to Salesforce significantly enhances the sales process. It centralizes vital customer information, sales history, and leads.

This wealth of information empowers your sales team to offer personalized services.

7. Digital Solution: Adapting To The Modern Landscape

Data migration is the bridge between the past and the future. It transforms your data into a digital format, aligning it with modern business needs.

This transition enables remote access, collaborative teamwork, and real-time updates.

6 Common Mistakes To Avoid During Salesforce Migration

Certainly, Salesforce Data Migration can be complex, and avoiding common mistakes is crucial to ensuring a successful migration.

Here are the most common pitfalls and why they should be avoided in detail:

1. Neglecting To Engage Stakeholders

Failing to involve critical stakeholders in the migration process is a recipe for disaster. Stakeholders, including end-users, managers, and IT teams, can provide valuable insights into what data is critical, what should be left out, and how the migration can best serve the organization.

Without their input, you risk migrating data that is irrelevant or missing essential information.

2. Importing Custom Objects In The Wrong Order

Custom objects in Salesforce often have relationships and dependencies. Importing them in the wrong sequence can lead to data mismatches and errors.

Prioritize a well-thought-out order to ensure a smooth migration.

3. Importing All Data Into The Production Environment At Once

Importing all your data into the production environment simultaneously can disrupt ongoing operations.

It's essential to consider a phased approach, migrating data incrementally and thoroughly testing each phase to avoid disruptions.

4. Including Unnecessary Data Fields In Mapping

Mapping data fields is a critical aspect of migration. Including unnecessary or redundant fields clutters your system, making it harder to manage and use.

Ensure your mapping is lean and efficient, focusing only on what's essential for your business processes.

5. Neglecting To Review Active Workflows And Triggers

Failing to assess and adapt active workflows and triggers before migration can lead to issues. These automated processes may need adjustments to align with the new data structure.

Review and adjust workflows and triggers to match your updated Salesforce environment.

6. Skipping Post-Migration Testing

After migrating data, some might think the job is done. However, neglecting post-migration testing and API integration is a critical mistake.

Thorough testing is essential to verify data accuracy, functionality, and integration with other systems. It helps catch any issues early on and ensures your Salesforce instance operates as expected.

Best Practices For The Migration Process

When migrating to Salesforce CRM, the process can be complex and time-consuming. However, with careful planning and the right implementation partner, you can avoid common pitfalls and ensure a successful implementation.

Developing Validation Rules For Data Quality Assurance

While migrating data to Salesforce or any other system, ensuring data quality is paramount. Validation rules are crucial in ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and integrity.

Here are steps to help the validation rules for data quality assurance:

• Identify the necessary fields that must be filled out for each record. This is crucial to ensure that all required information is migrated and no critical data is missed.
• Define validation rules using Salesforce's built-in rules engine. These rules can include checks for data type, format, range, or any other specific criteria. Error messages can also be customized to guide users in correcting data input errors.
• Regular testing and validation are essential during the development of validation rules. This helps identify and rectify any errors or issues during the migration process. It is essential to involve the sales team and other stakeholders in testing the rules to ensure they meet the required standards.
• Validating the data before migration is crucial to avoid transferring incorrect or incomplete data to the new system. By thoroughly validating the data, you can ensure data accuracy, maintain customer relationships, and provide a seamless customer experience.

Evaluating Migration Tool Options And Choosing The Best Fit Solution

Evaluating migration tool options and choosing the best-fit solution is a critical step in ensuring a successful Salesforce migration. It involves carefully considering several factors to select a tool that can handle the specific needs of the data migration process.

Here are the factors you should consider:

• Evaluate the volume of data. Consider the size of your database and the number of records that need to be transferred. Some migration tools may have limitations on how much data they can handle, so choosing a tool that can accommodate your data volume is essential.
• The complexity of the data. This includes factors such as the number of custom objects, custom fields, and validation rules in your Salesforce instance. A robust migration tool should be able to handle the migration of these complex data structures without any issues.
• Automation requirements are another essential factor to consider. Look for a tool with automation features like scheduled migrations, data transformation, and bulk data loading. These automation capabilities can significantly reduce manual effort and speed up migration.
• The source data's type and format should also be considered. If your source data is stored in multiple systems or formats (e.g., CSV, Excel, or legacy databases), choose a migration tool to College of Law's challenges to handle these variations and seamlessly transfer the data into Salesforce.

Executing The Migration Of Standard Objects And Custom Objects/Fields

Executing the migration of standard objects and custom objects/fields in Salesforce requires careful planning and organization.

Here are the crucial steps to successfully carry out this process:

• Assess the migration process: Before proceeding, thoroughly evaluate the existing standard objects and custom objects/fields in your Salesforce instance. Identify any unnecessary fields or complex customizations that may hinder the migration process.
• Organize custom objects: Organizing your custom objects effectively is essential. This involves categorizing and grouping related custom objects together based on their purpose and functionality. This organization will help streamline the migration and ensure a smooth transition to the new environment.
• Establish relationships: Establishing relationships between custom objects and fields is crucial for maintaining data integrity and ensuring the smooth flow of information. Determine the type of relationships (e.g., lookup or master-detail) that must be set up between objects, and map out these relationships before starting the migration.
• Order custom objects: When migrating custom objects, ensure they are ordered correctly based on their relationships. Start with the parent objects and gradually migrate the child objects. This ensures that all the necessary data and relationships are transferred in the correct sequence.
• Set up lookup relationships: Properly setting up lookup relationships between objects is essential. This involves linking the related custom fields in different objects to establish a logical connection. Take the time to carefully configure these relationships to avoid any future issues or data inconsistencies.

Unlocking The Potential Of Data Migration: Real-World Case Studies

Explore how our real-world case studies illuminate the transformative power and practical approaches of data migration.

Case 1: Streamlining Student Enrollment At The College Of Law

The first case study delves into the College of Law's challenges and the ingenious solution they implemented to transform their student enrollment process.

Key Challenges:

Data Realignment: The College of Law faced the daunting task of re-mapping their existing reports and dashboards to a new Salesforce object.

Form Transformation: Besides re-mapping reports, they needed to transform enrollment forms into a new object.

Data Migration: With over 70,000 existing data records, the College of Law had to ensure a seamless migration without disrupting its current setup.

The Solution:

The College of Law's solution was as innovative as it was effective. They designed a custom object in Salesforce, exclusively tailored to manage student enrollments, leaving their Opportunity object intact for the sales process.

The migration process involved transferring the massive dataset, including enrollment forms, and meticulously mapping all validation rules, triggers, notifications, reports, and dashboards from their previous system.

The result? A seamless, pain-free transition to a more streamlined and efficient process.

Case 2: Enhancing Data Visibility With Expert360

In the second case study, you'll explore how Expert360 overcame data integration challenges with Salesforce and harnessed the power of the Lightning platform to transform its data landscape.

Key Challenges:

Data Quality: Expert360 faced data quality issues, including incomplete and duplicate records, due to their uni-directional integration with Salesforce.

Limited Data Visibility: The limited data visibility was hampering their operations, making it challenging to derive meaningful insights from their data.

The Solution:

To tackle the data quality challenges, Expert360 implemented duplicate rules, ensuring that their data remained clean and reliable.

The transformative step, however, was the migration to Salesforce's 'Lightning' platform, which enabled Expert360 to harness the latest features and functionalities.

This migration improved data visibility and opened up new possibilities for the client, allowing them to make more informed decisions and drive their business forward.

Final Word

Salesforce Data Migration is the bridge that connects the past and the future of business operations. As Salesforce has evolved into a vital hub for customer data, the need to migrate this information efficiently has never been greater.

This exploration has highlighted the remarkable benefits of Salesforce Data Migration, from ensuring data integrity to unveiling hidden insights and adapting to the digital age.

However, it's equally crucial to avoid common pitfalls during migration.

Engaging stakeholders, maintaining order, and thorough testing are essential to a successful transition. These principles can help businesses fully harness the potential of Salesforce and stay competitive.