8 Tips For A Smooth NetSuite Data Migration Process

Are you looking to migrate over to NetSuite? If so, great news – you’ll soon experience the long-term benefits it’ll have on your business. It’s a reliable, scalable, and customisable solution that will help your business make better, data-driven decisions.

But in order to reach this point, your data migration process must be taken seriously, as a misstep could lead to a permanent loss or damage of valuable data.

While data migration in NetSuite has been engineered to be as straightforward as possible, it may cause headaches at times. So, to ensure your process goes as seamlessly as possible, we’ve put together a list of 8 tips for you to follow during your NetSuite data migration.

1. Organise your team for NetSuite data migration

While caught up in the process of migrating over to NetSuite, it can be easy to forget that your staff need to know exactly what’s happening. To achieve a smooth data migration process, clear communication is vital, and regular updates will allow everyone to know if and how their work schedules may be affected.

For a systematic approach, you should look to organise a specialist migration team, ideally made up of internal department heads and external resources. For this project, a specialist implementation partner is highly recommended.

2. Distinguish the data being migrated to NetSuite

Thanks to NetSuite’s migration tools, data mapping isn’t as painful as you think. It’s quite straight forward actually. But before you begin this task, you’ll need to work as a team to identify exactly what data you’d like to migrate.

Once everyone is on the same page and the data you’re looking to migrate over is clear, you need to make sure the upload file contains everything you have agreed on. The most efficient method of importing data to NetSuite is with the use of a CSV file.

You should also double check the required fields have been identified and included in the CSV file. Attempting to start the data migration in NetSuite without this information will cause an error that could cost your project time. Fortunately, NetSuite highlights mandatory fields with a red asterisk for quick and easy identification.

3. Complete an audit of your data

There’s not much benefit in migrating over historical data. Abandoning old, complex data will speed up loading times and can even save time and money on your project. In most cases, previous years orders, payments, bills, etc. can all be left in your old system.

Most businesses can easily move ahead with NetSuite by only migrating open orders and invoices, leaving years of nonessential data behind.

This also offers a great opportunity to do a wider clean-up of your data. Be sure to remove inactive records and ensure all duplicates are properly removed.

4. Consider NetSuite costs

Each and every record you decide to carry over from your existing system adds to the cost of your NetSuite data migration. A single migrated record will cost your business anywhere between 8 and 40 pence. While this may not seem like much when looking at hundreds of records, some may need thousands or even millions of records, and that’s when costs can add up quickly.

To avoid overspending, be sure to streamline your fields before starting your NetSuite data migration.

5. Familiarise yourself with default NetSuite fields

To make your migration over to NetSuite is smooth as possible, be sure to assess the default NetSuite fields to really understand how they’re designed to work. Creating custom fields to fit your data while ignoring default functionality is just unnecessary and will increase time needed to complete the project.

6. Perform small data tests as you go

Performing smaller tests before a full migration over to NetSuite is key for a smooth and painless process. Once you start loading, it’s a good idea to upload small batches of data to begin end-user testing for set records. This way, any errors can be caught and troubleshooted on subsequent uploads, rather than loading everything at once and attempting to fix all in one go. Completing your migration this way will create a much more manageable solution.

7. Resolve any problems as they emerge

Once your NetSuite data upload is complete, you should look to resolve any issues or errors that emerge as quickly as possible. This can be found using the NetSuite error logs, which will highlight what needs to be solved in the event of a failed upload. From there, you can reload the correct data, replacing the incorrect data to fix the problem.

8. Document your NetSuite integration process

For a project as a big as migrating over to NetSuite, keeping detailed records and documentation is essential. It simply must be done.

If there are any changes to the team responsible for the project during or after the migration, documentation will save valuable time, providing a much-needed insight to the new team. On top of this, if you ever decide to move data again in the future, you’ll have the details to do so efficiently.

To conclude

The process of migrating data over to NetSuite isn’t quick, and you shouldn’t look to cut any corners. In order to achieve a smooth migration, be sure to follow these tips and consult with an implementation partner.

At Nolan Business Solutions, we’re proud to be an award-wining 5 star NetSuite Partner and an accredited NetSuite Solution Provider. If you’re looking for an experienced team to help with your migration, contact us today and speak to one of our experts.