Data migration can make or break an ERP implementation. When data is inconsistent, incomplete, or incorrectly mapped, even a well-configured ERP delivers unreliable reports, inaccurate inventory counts, and confused users. For manufacturers, where production schedules, bill of materials, inventory records, and customer histories are all interconnected, getting data migration right is essential to a successful system launch.
The Stakes Are High
ERP data migration determines the reliability of your system after go-live. Reporting accuracy, opening balances, inventory valuation, and historical visibility all depend on how well this process is handled. Rushing through data migration or treating it as a last-minute task almost always results in post-go-live problems that erode user confidence and delay the realization of your ERP investment's benefits.
Best Practices for Manufacturing Data Migration
Start with a Thorough Data Assessment
Before migrating anything, analyze the amount, quality, types, and formats of your source data. Not all legacy data needs to move to the new system. A manufacturing company migrating to a new ERP might choose to migrate only operationally active data while archiving ten years of closed transactions separately. Finalizing scoping decisions early prevents rushed compromises later in the project.
Clean Before You Move
Legacy ERP systems accumulate errors, inconsistencies, duplicate records, and outdated information over years of use. Migration is your opportunity to clean house. Standardize naming conventions, merge duplicate customer and vendor records, remove obsolete inventory items, and correct data entry errors. This effort is time-consuming but pays dividends in the accuracy and usability of your new system.
Map Data Carefully
Data mapping defines how information from your legacy system translates to the new ERP's structure. This involves understanding how data within business processes relates to each other, mapping fields between old and new systems, and handling cases where the new system structures data differently. For manufacturers, critical mappings include bills of materials, production routings, inventory locations, customer pricing, and vendor agreements.
Choose the Right Migration Strategy
For smaller datasets that do not require heavy restructuring and where you can afford a brief system downtime, a big bang migration, moving everything at once, may be appropriate. For large data volumes or complex dependencies, phased migration spreads the work over time and reduces risk. Some manufacturers run both old and new systems in parallel during the transition, minimizing the risk of data loss but requiring additional effort to maintain synchronization.
Test with Real Business Scenarios
Testing must be scenario-driven, not system-driven. Instead of validating random records, test real business workflows: can you create a production order from a sales order? Does the bill of materials resolve correctly? Are inventory counts accurate? Only business users can catch the subtle issues that arise when migrated data meets actual manufacturing processes.
Engage Stakeholders Across the Organization
Data migration is not an IT project. It is an enterprise project that affects every department. Finance needs to verify opening balances. Operations needs to validate production data. Sales needs to confirm customer records. Engaging stakeholders early and throughout the process prevents surprises at go-live.
The Synesis Approach
Synesis International has guided dozens of manufacturers through successful ERP data migrations. We bring a proven methodology that covers assessment, cleansing, mapping, migration, and validation, with checkpoints at every stage to ensure accuracy. Our team understands the specific data challenges manufacturers face and designs migration plans that protect your most valuable asset: your operational data.