If you are planning ERP data migration, this is the phase where projects lose weeks and trust. It is also the part clients are least equipped to judge, because the work is invisible until something is wrong.
This guide explains what to move and what to leave behind, how to clean your data first, how to validate the result with numbers, and the sign-off that protects you if figures do not match later.
Decide what actually needs to move
Not everything should. A workable split for most businesses:
| Data | What to do | Why |
| Masters | Migrate all: customers, suppliers, items, tax rates, employees | The new system cannot run without them |
| Opening balances | Migrate as of the cutover date: receivables, payables, stock on hand | Gives a clean starting point |
| Transactions | Migrate one to two years | Enough for comparison reporting |
| Older history | Archive, do not migrate | Keep it readable without bloating the new system |
For older history, keep the old system readable for a year, or export it to PDF and CSV.
Clean before you move
Duplicate masters are the most common defect. The same customer appears four times with slightly different spellings, and each copy carries part of the balance. De-duplicate in the old system, where staff recognise the names, not in the new one where nobody does.
- Merge duplicate customers, suppliers and items.
- Fix missing GSTIN, address and contact details.
- Remove items that have not sold for years.
- Correct negative stock and unmatched credit notes.
Validate with numbers, not impressions
- Record counts. Customers, suppliers, items and open invoices: old versus new.
- Financial totals. Total receivables, total payables and closing stock value must match to the rupee.
- Spot checks. Pick twenty accounts across the range and verify each ledger line by line.
- Edge cases. The customer with a credit balance, the item with negative stock, the invoice with a partial credit note.
Do a trial migration first
Run the migration at least once on a copy before the real cutover. The first run always finds problems: a date format, a tax code that does not map, a unit of measure that differs. Finding them in a trial costs hours. Finding them after go-live costs trust.
The sign-off that protects you
Ask for a written migration report listing record counts and financial totals on both sides, and have your accounts team sign it before the old system is switched off. If a figure is questioned months later, that report is your reference point.
A simple migration plan
- Agree what moves, what is archived and what is dropped.
- Clean duplicates and gaps in the old system.
- Run a trial migration and fix what it finds.
- Validate counts, totals and twenty spot-checked accounts.
- Sign the migration report.
- Cut over at a period boundary and keep the old system readable.
Common data migration mistakes
- Migrating ten years of history because it is possible.
- Cleaning data inside the new system instead of the old one.
- Accepting a migration with no reconciliation report.
- Switching off the old system on go-live day.
Frequently asked questions
How much old data should I migrate to a new ERP?
Masters, opening balances and one to two years of transactions are enough for most businesses. Archive the rest.
How long does ERP data migration take?
It usually runs for about two to three weeks inside a ten-week project, including cleaning, a trial run and validation.
What is the most common migration problem?
Duplicate customers, suppliers and items, each carrying part of a balance.
How do I know the migration is correct?
Compare record counts and financial totals between old and new, spot-check about twenty accounts line by line, and sign a reconciliation report.
Should I keep the old system after go-live?
Yes, readable, for about a year, or export its records to PDF and CSV.
How ORVIA helps
ORVIA handles migration with structured validation: clean masters, a trial run, a reconciliation report your accounts team signs, and a readable archive of older history. Your data moves without a fresh start.
Read about our custom ERP software and inventory and billing software.
Final thoughts
Migration succeeds when it is planned like accounting work: decide what moves, clean it at the source, prove it with numbers and get it signed. It is not glamorous, but it protects every report you run afterwards.
Want a safe migration plan for your records? Talk to ORVIA, call +91 91225 05250 or email hello@orviaerp.com.