Data migration is a critical phase to implement Dynamics 365, which involves transferring data from legacy systems, spreadsheets, or other databases.
But data migration is often a complex process that requires careful planning and execution.
In this post, we explore best practices for smooth data migration. By following these recommendation, you can ensure data integrity, minimise disruption, and set a solid foundation to achieve rapid value from your Dynamics system.
Assessing Data Quality and Completeness
You get out what you put in, so before embarking on data migration, assess the quality and completeness of your data.
Conduct a data audit to identify any issues such as duplicate records, missing data, inconsistencies, or outdated information.
This evaluation will help determine the scope and complexity of your migration process. It is also an opportunity to establish data cleansing and normalisation procedures to improve data quality.
The process should include removing duplicates, standardising data formats, and verifying data accuracy. Additionally, ensure that data privacy and compliance requirements are met during the migration process.
Understand the state of your data to identify potential challenges, and plan accordingly.
Assessing data quality ensures a proactive approach, where issues are addressed upfront, simplifying the migration process and ensuring accurate and reliable data in your new system.
Avoid the classic mistake of rubbish in, rubbish out. Despite its many qualities, Dynamics 365 won’t magically fix bad data.
Mapping Data Fields and Relationships
Start by identifying the data fields in your source system and mapping them to corresponding columns Dynamics 365.
Consider differences in data structure, naming conventions, and data types between systems. Also, define relationships between different data entities and ensure that these relationships are accurately mapped during migration.
This requires collaboration between stakeholders, including IT teams and migration specialists to ensure a comprehensive and accurate mapping.
They can provide insights into how data should be organised and related within the system. Additionally, the expertise of our migration specialists will help ensure a smooth transition and minimise the risk of data misalignment.
Data Extraction and Transformation
Once the mapping is complete, the next step is to extract data from your source system and transform it into a format compatible with Dynamics 365.
This includes extracting data using tools or scripts that can handle the specific data sources.
During the transformation process, clean and normalise data, ensuring consistency and adherence to data models. Convert data formats, such as dates or currencies, to match the system requirements. Validation rules should also be implemented to identify and address data inconsistencies or errors.
It is essential to perform thorough testing during this stage to validate the transformed data and ensure its integrity.
Additionally, consider using data migration tools and services provided by Microsoft or third-party vendors to streamline the extraction and transformation process.
Data extraction and transformation require a detailed understanding of the source system’s data structure and the target system’s requirements.
We recommend automated tools and scripts to accelerate the extraction and transformation process while minimising the risk of data corruption or loss. Performing extensive testing will help identify and rectify any issues or discrepancies before the final migration.
Data Load and Validation
Before loading data into Dynamics 365, prepare a test environment to validate your data.
- Create test records and scenarios to simulate real-life usage and verify data accuracy.
- Load the transformed data into the system, adhering to the defined data load sequence.
- Ensure that relationships between entities are maintained during the data load process.
- Validate data integrity by comparing migrated data against the source system data and perform reconciliations where necessary.
- Conduct extensive testing to verify the functionality of the system, including data validation rules, workflows, and integrations.
- Utilise migration tools or APIs provided by Dynamics 365 to streamline the data load process and automate data validation checks.
During the data load and validation phase, it is crucial to perform end-to-end testing to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the migrated data. This involves testing various functionalities, such as data validations, business rules, workflows, and integrations, to ensure that the system operates as expected with the migrated data.
Incremental Data Migration
In some cases, organisations may choose to adopt an incremental migration approach.
This approach allows a focus on key data elements and gradually migrate further data over time. An incremental approach means you can minimise disruption and manage the migration process in manageable stages.
It is essential to define clear criteria and rules when selecting data to be migrated incrementally and establish a roadmap for future migration phases.
Incremental migrations offer several advantages, including faster implementation, reduced risk, and the ability to prioritise critical data.
Post-Migration Data Validation and Cleansing
Once your initial migration is complete, perform a thorough post-migration validation process to ensure data accuracy and completeness.
This should include conducting data integrity checks, including field-level validations, relationships between entities, and data consistency across different modules. Identify any data gaps or discrepancies and address them promptly.
Additionally, establish data governance policies and procedures to maintain data quality over time. Regularly monitor and clean up data, removing duplicates, updating outdated information, and conducting regular data audits.
Consider using data quality tools or services that integrate with Dynamics 365 to automate data validation and cleansing processes.
Next Steps
Following these best practices will help you plan a successful data migration. This sets a solid foundation for using Dynamics 365 effectively and ensures data integrity, accuracy, and usability.
Investing time and effort into this process will simplify user adoption as people will trust the data from the outset.
ServerSys are here to support you. Please contact us us to discuss your project and receive advice from our consultants.
Updated: July 31, 2025
