Use this link to share with your colleagues:
Preparing Your Data for Migration: https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/1253664
We've migrated data from dozens of databases, and we know that no two organizations are the same. Your Implementation Manager will work with you to provide guidance on which reports from your legacy database will align best with the PatronManager structure, but we will rely on you to make decisions about your data, as the expert of your organization's database.
What should we move into PatronManager?
A full, standard data migration is typically comprised of four basic "buckets" of data:
- Patron Records: These records contain basic contact information for a patron and/or their household, such as name, address, phone number, and email address.
- Development Records: These records include specific transaction information for donations, pledges, recurring donations, grants, and in-kind gifts.
- Membership Records: These records include specific transaction information for membership purchases and any associated (active) benefits that a member receives as part of their membership level.
- Ticket History: These records include line items for ticket sales or event attendance, including event information, quantity, unit price, and fees.
Your organization may be tracking additional information in your legacy system, such as volunteer preferences or non-ticketed fundraising events. While these items may not be included in your data migration package, talk to your Implementation Manager about your options for migrating any non-standard items.
Are there any limitations to what we can migrate?
Yes, we do have a few restrictions:
- We will never store credit card numbers in any visible or accessible way in PatronManager, even if the patron has given permission for our payment processors to store them for things like recurring donations. All credit card data should be excluded from your data submission files.
- We will not accept any data categorized as Personally Identifiable Information, such as Social Security numbers.
- Most outgoing financial records - such as office expenditures and payroll costs - don't fit into PatronManager.
- Historical data will be limited to the "final transaction" logged in your legacy system; we cannot migrate detailed transactional history, such as returns, refunds or exchanges.
Should I do anything to the data before I submit it?
Absolutely! Your Implementation Manager will provide guidance on specific items that may need tidying up before you submit your data to us, but here's a shortlist of items to check on your own:
Cross-check the information in your export file with the information in your old system. We recommend choosing a few high-level donors or buyers that have a long history with your organization, so you can ensure that all of the data you expect to be migrated is included in your exported reports. Some key areas to check:
- Donations: Did the data export one transaction per row, or one journal entry per row? If a single donation is listed on multiple lines (i.e. multiple journal entries), that will cause a duplication of the donation in PatronManager.
- Ticket History: Did all of the data export properly in your file? Since ticket history files tend to be very large (depending on the volume of sales and number of years your organization has contracted to migrate), you may run the risk of hitting the row limitation in Excel. If you find that your data has been cut off due to this limitation, try exporting in .csv format, or narrow your export results to a shorter time frame.
Over the years, old data can become obsolete. Use a critical eye in reviewing the fields you've exported from your legacy system and evaluate their usage.
- Is the information currently being used by your staff, or is it outdated? If it looks like the field is only populated for a handful of patrons, or if you can't identify the field's intended use, you should consider leaving it behind.
- Could the data be put to better use in PatronManager in a different format? Tracking complex data, like information about your volunteers, can often be done using an app made specifically for that purpose. Ask your Data Project Coordinator if you're unsure!
- Are there multiple fields carrying redundant information? If staff turnover through the years has resulted in various methods of tracking the same information, you should consider consolidating it down to one.
- Will the function of this field be replaced by new reporting capabilities in PatronManager? For example, patron-level codes like "FY15 Donor" can be pulled into a real-time report in your in your new system, eliminating the need to import both Donation history and patron record-level fields.
Once you've taken stock of your data, be sure to check in with other departments to make sure nothing has been left out. Other department heads may be able to offer insight into which fields are essential for their daily operation, what changes they'd like to see through the migration, or what data they're ready to leave behind.
Prior to submission, you will be responsible for extracting your data from your legacy database(s) and formatting the exported files into our Data Template. In order to avoid a rejection of your data submission and multiple rounds of corrections, make sure that you format each column header with the exact same naming convention as the data template.
Prior to submitting your data for import, you can use basic tools in Excel to look for inconsistent or inaccurate data that you might not have noticed on a record-level basis in your legacy system. See our list of recommended Excel tools and formulas for a few data cleansing ideas.
However, don't go too far down the rabbit-hole; if you find that you're spending more than an hour or two cleaning your data, check in with your Implementation Manager. We may have a tool that can do the heavy lifting for you during the migration.
How should I send my files to you?
To protect the security of your patrons' data, we cannot accept files by email attachment.
We will provide you and your team with access to a secure folder for sharing records using Google Drive. We will use this folder throughout your implementation to share spreadsheets for your review, meeting recordings, and other large files that your team may need to access outside of PatronManager.