Data Migration Process Overview
This article will describe Shop Manager's standard process for migrating data from your current management system. This will cover the majority of the systems we support; if your current system requires any additional steps, changes, or exceptions, our Data Migration team will notify you.
Table of Contents
- Process Overview
- Your Shop's Involvement
- Preparing Your Account
- Scheduling
- FAQs
Process Overview
There are 3 distinct components to every Data Migration:
- Extraction
- Conversion
- Data Load
The majority of the extractions and conversions for data migrations are facilitated by a US-based company called “The Back Office”. You may have already worked with this company in the past through their “Accounting Link” product.
They will extract a copy of your database, convert it to our data format, then present it to us when the conversion is complete.
From here, our Engineering team will load this converted data into your account. This process typically takes 2 business days to complete.
We typically take a two-pass approach to converting your data; a First Pass, and a Final Pass.
There are exceptions if your current SMS doesn't fit this strategy.
Benefits of First Pass
- Provides you and your staff with recognizable data loaded to your account while you train.
- Allows you and your staff to familiarize with the converted format in advance of the Go Live transition.
- Tests the migration to identify and potentially correct any conversion errors in advance of the Final Pass.
- Please note: Estimates and Work Orders, Invoices, Customers, Vehicles, Parts, Past Services, Time clocks, and Appointments will be overwritten and lost during the final data migration pass. Please use your account for training only at this time.
Benefits of Final Pass
- Overwrites all training data on your account giving you a clean slate when you “Go Live”
- Closes the gap on missing invoices created in your current SMS during the training process.
Once the converted data is received and our Engineering team has loaded the data to your account, our Migration team will notify you that the conversion is complete.
You are welcome to reach out to us at any time during the process if you have questions or concerns.
Your Shop’s Involvement
If your shop runs on a management system installed on a server locally, our partner needs someone in your shop to participate in the extraction process. This involvement is minimal but required.
Typically, this effort is limited to admin level server access to install a partner provided utility, downloaded from the internet at the time of the extract. This utility will be used to capture a copy of your management system’s database.
You will elect an individual to be the main contact to our partner and the person who carries out these tasks on the extraction date for both the First and Final passes. Our migration team will work with you to identify and forward this person's details to our partner.
Note: If your current SMS is cloud based, you may need to be involved in requesting the data from them directly and sharing that information with our Data Migration Team. You will be advised of this during the initial Kickoff Call with your Customer Success Specialist.
Once the data load is complete and the results pass quality control, we will notify your shop's contact person. You will have 48 hours to review the results of the migration (including our quality control checklist) and raise any concerns.
Absent any concerns the migration will be finished and no additional revisions will be considered.
Preparing your Account
Once we receive the converted files from our partner, we must prepare your account in order to load them. In advance an Engineer will clear the account of all details with the exception of:
- Account Settings
- Shop Settings
- Staff
- Parts Vendors with eCommerce Integrators selected
- Canned Jobs
All other details on the account will be erased, including but not limited to:
- Estimates and Work Orders
- Invoices
- Customers
- Vehicles
- Parts
- Past Services
- Time clocks
- Appointments
Preparing the account this way is necessary to ensure data integrity and provide a clean platform for a successful load. Be prepared that any data entered prior to the migration will be lost.
We encourage you to practice and familiarize yourself with your data after the First Pass, but do not invest the time to audit and update your parts inventory during the training period.
If, during your training period, you serve a customer in your account, set calendar appointments, or edit your parts inventory, all of those adjustments and entries will be lost in preparation for the First Pass and the Final Pass.
If you do serve a customer during the training period, be sure to duplicate the invoice in your current SMS before the Final Pass extract date, so it is retained and copied back over. Otherwise it will no longer exist.
Scheduling
The Data Migration process typically takes 2-3 business days to complete. The timing for each phase is:
Data Migrations are scheduled Monday through Friday during business hours. This includes scheduling the extract and for our Engineering team to load the data. We do not currently offer after-hours or weekend Migration services.
We enlist the help of a 3rd party to facilitate the data extraction whose availability we cannot control. Scheduling your Data Migration’s extract dates requires 1-week minimum advance notice.
Our Migration team will work with you to schedule these extracts. Our Partner will contact you on the day you request between 9am-12pm Local time. (if you would like to be contacted at a specific time, please discuss with your Customer Success Specialist)
*All conversions are done on a best efforts basis. Although every attempt is made to have the Data Migration be as accurate as possible, Shop Manager and its partners make no warranties implied or otherwise regarding its completeness or accuracy. The primary purpose of a Data Migration is to provide your shop with the ability to access prior services performed and is not intended to be used for financial reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What details can I expect to be converted?
- Customers
- Vehicles
- Invoices
- Parts Inventory
- Parts Vendors
**Refer to the Data Migration Checklist for specific fields.
Some management systems may vary; contact our Data Migration team if you have questions.
What details are NOT converted?
- Estimates
- Open Work Orders
- Recommendations or Revisions (unsold work)
- Accounts Receivable
- Canned Jobs or Kits (service templates)
How will I know the process is complete?
Our Data Migration team will contact you once the load is complete and the data has been reviewed, at which point the application is ready for use.
DO NOT use the application until you have been notified it is ready.
There is a gap between when you extract and load my data. What happens to the invoices created in my current SMS during that gap?
Invoices created in your current SMS after the extract will need to be manually entered in after the Final Pass data migration is complete.
Something doesn’t look right, what do I do?
While errors in the conversion process are rare, they can happen. Once you have been notified that the conversion is complete, you will have 48 hours to review your data (including the quality control checklist). If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact our Data Migration team and we will make any necessary corrections.