Learn more about
Data Conversion

Our Approach
At CABC we have developed an approach to data conversion that will normally enable you to see and approve the data conversion well before going live.  Our approach ensures that you can train new users on familiar data and still make an effective cut-over from the old to the new systems.  Our team will be happy to explain more about this phase of your project and can tell you about some of the conversion projects we've undertaken in the past.

We try to make the change as smooth as possible at the point when you change from the old system to the new.  Depending on the history of your company there are two typical scenarios which we encounter at the start of a project:

1. Most of the data is in one legacy system
2. There is no real central source of data

Having worked on data conversion projects of this type for over 10 years we have built up extensive libraries of routines and utilities to help with this task.   In preparing your data we are able to draw on these to enable a effective transfer of your data to the new system.
 

If Your Data is Mostly in a Legacy System
When you have data in a legacy system, this will typically be either a proprietary product such as Goldmine, ACT or Maximizer Enterprise or in an 'In-House' developed solution.   For each of these applications we have a developed a migration approach that will migrate the majority of the data from these systems.   Our approach can usually be readily adapted to other data sources.

The CABC Importer for Microsoft CRM 3.0 is capable of importing structured data from any ODBC data source (such as SQL) into Microsoft CRM.  It speeds up the process of developing import routines to suit your data.

 

 

If you have previously used an 'In-House' developed solution perhaps based on a Microsoft Access, Paradox or a dBase database then our technical team will work with you to understand the system you have built and design a custom conversion of those components of the system that you wish to preserve into the Microsoft CRM format.

If You Have No Pre-existing Central Source of Data
If you find yourself in this situation (and its by no means uncommon) then you will probably have a wide variety of secondary sources of data which can be used as the core of your new database.  Examples of such sources are: Your accounts system, Your users Outlook systems, miscellaneous Excel spreadsheets and Card Boxes. 

It a good idea to start to try to identify as many of these as you can early in your project.  We will help you to evaluate these and will advise you on the best migration approach (which may in some cases be re-keying).  In some cases such as you existing Outlook data we have utilities pre-developed to help with the conversion task.

In some cases if you really have only very poor data sources to work from then it may be effective to consider purchase an up to date list of companies and key contact for the industry you serve.