How to switch software without losing your data

You switch software without losing data by finding out exactly what you have, testing the move on a small sample, checking the results with counts and spot checks, and keeping the old system available, read-only, until you're sure. Most data loss doesn't happen during the import. It happens because nobody noticed what the export left out, and the old account was cancelled before anyone checked.

Read your contract first

Before you plan anything, find out what your current vendor owes you on the way out:

• Can you export all your data, including files and history, or only some of it?
• In what formats?
• How long after cancellation can you still log in or request an export?
• Are there fees for exports, early termination or bulk data requests?
• Does your plan level limit exports? Some features sit behind higher tiers.

If you're in the EU or serve EU customers through EU cloud providers, the EU Data Act now gives cloud and other data processing customers switching rights. It has applied since 12 September 2025, providers must make switching possible without obstruction, and from 12 January 2027 they can no longer charge switching fees. Check how it applies to your contract with someone qualified. Elsewhere, your contract is what you've got, so read it while you still have leverage, ideally before signing with the new vendor too.

Inventory what you actually have

List everything the old system holds, not just the obvious records:

• Core records: customers, contacts, products, jobs, invoices, appointments.
• Custom fields you or a past employee added.
• Notes, call logs, emails and activity history.
• Attachments: contracts, photos, signed forms, PDFs.
• Links between records (this contact belongs to that company, this invoice to that job).
• Settings that hold real knowledge: price lists, templates, tax rates, automations, user permissions.

Count each type. "About 3,000 customers" isn't good enough; you'll need the exact number later to verify the move.

Know what the export really gives you

Exports are usually CSV or Excel files, sometimes with a zip of attachments. Read the vendor's export documentation carefully, because a "full export" often isn't. HubSpot's own help article, for example, explains that a standard record export downloads the current property values and associations, and that activities like calls and notes are exported separately. Many systems work like this: the main table comes out easily, and history and files take extra steps or aren't offered at all.

Do a trial export early, open the files and look at them. Check for cut-off text, dates in odd formats, missing columns and special characters that turned into gibberish.

Clean up before the move, not after

Moving junk into a new system just gives you expensive junk. Before migrating:

• Merge duplicate customers.
• Delete or archive records you're truly done with (and are allowed to delete).
• Standardize formats: phone numbers, states, dates, naming.
• Fill in or flag records missing required fields.

Cleaning is easier in a spreadsheet than in either system. Keep an untouched copy of the original export, always.

Map every field

Build a simple mapping list: old field name, new field name, and any change needed along the way. Watch for:

• Fields with no home in the new system. Create a custom field, combine them into a note, or consciously drop them.
• Dropdown values that don't match ("NY" vs. "New York").
• One field that needs splitting (full name into first and last) or several that need merging.
• IDs. Keep the old system's record ID in a field in the new one. It's how you'll trace problems and reconnect related records.

Run a test migration with a sample

Import a small, deliberately messy sample: a few normal records, some with attachments, some with long notes, some with odd characters, a customer with many linked jobs. Then open each one in the new system and compare it with the original side by side. Fix the mapping, run the sample again, and repeat until it's clean. This is the step people skip, and it's the one that saves you.

Plan cutover day

Pick a quiet day and tell everyone. The order:

1. Freeze changes in the old system, or record exactly when you took the final export.
2. Export everything.
3. Import into the new system using the tested mapping.
4. Verify (next section).
5. Switch over: new bookings, new invoices and new records go into the new system only.

For anything where a mistake costs money, like invoicing or scheduling, a short parallel run helps: do the work in both for a few days and compare. Keep it short and decide ahead of time which system is the official record, or you'll end up with two half-right systems.

Verify: counts and spot checks

• Counts: compare record totals for every type against your inventory. If there were 3,112 customers, there should be 3,112.
• Totals: for money, compare sums, such as open invoice balance and year-to-date revenue.
• Spot checks: open a random handful of records, plus your biggest customers and your oldest records, and check every field, attachment and link.
• Have your team test real tasks: finding a customer, booking a job, sending an invoice. They'll notice things you won't.

Keep the old system read-only

Don't cancel the old system the day after cutover. Downgrade to read-only access if the vendor allows it, and keep it until you're confident nothing's missing. Before you finally cancel, take one last complete export, attachments included, and store it somewhere you control. Your accountant may also have opinions on how long certain records need to be kept.

What to do next

Once the data is across, people still have to use the new system, and that's its own project. See how to train your staff on new software. Also make sure the new accounts are registered in your business's name, the same principle as owning your domain.

A migration done carefully is boring, and boring is the goal. If you'd rather have someone plan and run it with you, write to [email protected] or see our systems and training service.

Sources

• The Data Act (Malta Communications Authority)
• Export records (HubSpot Knowledge Base, Spanish edition)