What is a data migration?

A data migration is the structured transfer of existing data from a legacy system into a new one. That covers master data such as customers and items, transactional data such as jobs and invoices, plus documents and history. The decisive part is not the copying but the mapping: every field has to land in the functionally correct place in the target system.

How does a data migration work?

In eight steps: assessment of the legacy system, field mapping, data cleansing, test migration into a test tenant, customer sign-off based on samples, live migration on a fixed date, staff training and follow-up support. Test migration and sign-off are the two steps most often skipped and the two that most often cause problems.

How long does a data migration take?

For a business with 5 to 25 employees the usual range is two to six weeks from assessment to going live. The cut-over itself normally takes one weekend. It takes longer if the legacy system offers no usable exports or if data quality requires extensive cleansing.

What does a data migration cost?

The effort depends almost entirely on the legacy system: a clean export costs a fraction of what a system without an export function costs. That is why we always start with a free migration check and only name a fixed price afterwards. Packages range from master data only to a full transfer including document archive and interfaces.

Can our business keep working during the migration?

Yes. Preparation, field mapping, cleansing and test migration all run alongside day-to-day operations. Only the live migration needs a clearly defined time window, which we usually place on a weekend. From Monday you work in the new system.

What happens to the old system after the move?

It stays available in read-only mode at first. Tax-relevant records are subject to statutory retention periods, and you meet those most safely if the legacy system is still accessible or an audit-proof export exists. Only then do you cancel the old licences. The binding assessment is made by your tax advisor.

What should you watch out for in a data migration?

Three things. First data quality, because a move is the best moment for cleansing and the worst moment to carry legacy clutter across. Second responsibilities, because only your team can perform the functional sign-off, not the service provider. Third the date: a cut-over in peak season or shortly before the annual accounts is avoidable stress.

Data migration & software switch

Your data
moves with you

Choosing the new software is usually the quick part. The real problem is the years of customer history sitting in the old system. We move customers, jobs, documents and invoices into your new solution in full, with a test migration, a sign-off protocol and a fixed cut-over date.

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Data migration in detail

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What we migrate

A migration is more than a CSV export. These are the data types we pull out of the legacy system and load into the new one in a structured way.

Customer master data

Business and private customers, addresses, contacts, phone numbers, email addresses, customer numbers, notes and tags.

Sites and equipment

Properties, units, installed equipment, meter and serial numbers, maintenance objects including their link to the customer.

Jobs

Open and completed jobs, job numbers, status, dates plus the assigned staff and sites.

Business documents

Quotes, order confirmations, delivery notes, invoices and credit notes, on request as a searchable PDF archive.

Items and services

Service catalogues, text blocks, material master data, prices, supplier items and costing templates.

History and documentation

Service visits, maintenance history, inspection records, photos, signatures and attachments, each on the correct record.

Time tracking

Recorded working and project hours, linked to the right staff member and job.

Accounting handover

Open items, payment status and the connection to DATEV or your accounting software.

Which of these are technically possible depends on both the legacy and the target system. That is exactly what the migration check clarifies before you commission anything.

Why nothing gets lost

The most common worry before a software switch is not the price, it is data loss. We counter that with fixed safeguards rather than promises.

Full backup of the legacy data set before any write operation
Test migration in a separate tenant, never directly in the production system
Record count reconciliation old against new, documented in the sign-off protocol
Sample verification by you before the live migration starts
A fixed fallback plan in case something goes wrong on cut-over day
Read access to the legacy system for statutory retention
GDPR data processing agreement, processing within the EU
Deletion plan for legacy data and intermediate files after the project ends

Your business keeps running normally throughout the preparation. Only cut-over day involves a clearly defined time window.

What a data migration costs

There are no flat rates, because the effort depends almost entirely on the legacy system. So that you can still judge what we are talking about, here is our package structure.

Migration check

Analysis of the legacy system, review of the export routes, a draft field mapping and a reliable effort estimate. Free as part of the first consultation.

Basic

Customer and item master data, test migration, live migration and one training session. For small businesses with a manageable data set.

Complete

Additionally jobs, document archive, sites, history and files, two training sessions and 30 days of follow-up support.

Complete plus interfaces

Additionally accounting integration, website forms into the new software, time tracking and custom API connections.

We name the fixed price after the migration check, not before. Anything else would be guesswork.

Systems and routes

We work on the source side just as much as on the target side. These routes have their own pages.

Switching trade software

From the old office program to a modern solution: selection, migration and rollout for trade and service businesses. To trade software migration

Moving to Meisterwerk

Setup, data migration and training for the switch to the trade software Meisterwerk. To the Meisterwerk switch

Moving away from TAIFUN

Working with TAIFUN today and considering a change? This is how your data gets out safely. To the TAIFUN migration

Software selection

Still undecided which system fits? We assess requirements, vendors and follow-up costs neutrally. To software consulting

Interfaces and automation

After the move: connect website forms, accounting and time tracking properly to the new software. To AI automation

IT consulting

Servers, cloud, backup and permissions around the system change. To IT consulting

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How the move works

A software switch rarely fails because of the new software. It fails because of unclear data and a cut-over date nobody planned. That is why we work in fixed steps. For a business with 5 to 25 employees, the usual range is two to six weeks from assessment to going live.

01.

Assessment

What is inside the legacy system?

We look at your legacy system and check how the data gets out: via an export, database access, an interface or, if need be, report output. The result is a reliable list of what can be migrated.

02.

Mapping and cleansing

Every field gets a place

Every field from the old system gets its place in the new one, and fields without a counterpart are discussed with you. In parallel, duplicates, inactive customers and broken addresses go onto a list for you to decide on.

03.

Test migration and sign-off

Verify first, then switch

The full data set is loaded into a test tenant first. You verify selected customers, jobs and documents against a sampling protocol, old against new. Only your approval starts the next step.

04.

Cut-over and rollout

Fixed date, clear fallback

The live migration runs on a fixed date, usually over a weekend, with an agreed fallback plan. Separate training for office and field staff and 30 days of follow-up support come next.

Frequently asked questions about data migration

This happens more often than people expect, and it is not a reason to stay with the old vendor. There are several routes: direct database access, output via the reporting function, vendor interfaces or automated extraction from the user interface. Which route is viable is what the migration check determines. Your operational data belongs to you, even when the software is reluctant to hand it over.

Get in touch

Free migration check

20 minutes on the phone. Afterwards you know which customers, jobs and documents carry over, which do not and what the move costs.

kontakt@ivis.media

Request a quote +49 30 343 490 42

Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:00 (German time)

Product and company names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners. We name them descriptively only, to identify the systems we migrate from or to. No business relationship or certification is implied.

Anatoli Wolf, owner and managing director of IVIS MEDIA — Anatoli WolfOwner, Managing Director

References

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COACHDAY: coaching marketplace platform development – project image

Data migration & software switch

Your data
moves with you