How to Conduct a Post-Migration Data Validation Audit for Your New CRM

Migrating to a new CRM is a significant undertaking, promising enhanced efficiency and better data management. However, the true value of your new system hinges on the integrity and accuracy of the data transferred. A post-migration data validation audit isn’t just a best practice; it’s a critical step to ensure your investment pays off, preventing costly errors, maintaining operational continuity, and securing user trust. This guide outlines the essential steps to rigorously verify your data post-migration.

Step 1: Define Your Validation Scope and Success Criteria

Before diving into the audit, clearly outline what data points are most critical to your business operations and what constitutes a successful migration. This includes identifying key entities like contacts, companies, opportunities, and custom objects, as well as their associated fields. Establish specific criteria for data accuracy, completeness, and consistency. For example, determine acceptable percentages of missing values, incorrect formats, or orphaned records. A well-defined scope ensures your audit focuses on high-impact areas and provides a clear benchmark for evaluating the migration’s success against business requirements, setting a foundation for a systematic and effective review.

Step 2: Compare Source to Destination Data Samples

Begin by comparing a representative sample of records from your old CRM (source) to their corresponding records in the new CRM (destination). This can involve selecting a random sample across different record types, or specifically targeting complex records, critical accounts, and edge cases. Manually review and verify key fields such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and financial figures. Pay close attention to data types, formatting, and character encoding, ensuring no data truncation or corruption occurred during transfer. This step is crucial for identifying systemic issues that might affect large portions of your dataset rather than isolated incidents.

Step 3: Verify Data Relationships and Dependencies

CRM data is rarely isolated; it thrives on intricate relationships between records. A critical part of the audit involves validating these dependencies. Check if contacts are correctly linked to companies, opportunities to contacts, activities to their respective records, and any custom relationships are properly re-established. Ensure parent-child relationships, lookups, and many-to-many connections function as expected. Often, data migration tools handle individual records well but can falter on complex relational structures. Misaligned relationships can lead to broken workflows, inaccurate reporting, and significant operational inefficiencies down the line, so thorough verification here is paramount.

Step 4: Conduct User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with Key Stakeholders

Engage a diverse group of end-users, representing different departments and roles, to perform User Acceptance Testing (UAT). These users should test the CRM’s functionality with the newly migrated data, focusing on their daily workflows. Have them create, update, and delete records; run reports; and use any integrated tools. Their practical experience will uncover issues that automated checks might miss, such as usability challenges, unexpected data behavior, or discrepancies in how data appears within their specific views and reports. UAT provides invaluable real-world feedback on the data’s integrity and the system’s readiness for full deployment.

Step 5: Validate Custom Fields, Automations, and Workflows

CRM migrations often involve custom fields, unique automations, and complex workflows that are specific to your business processes. It’s imperative to validate that all custom fields have migrated correctly with their data, preserving data types and constraints. Furthermore, thoroughly test all configured automations, such as lead assignment rules, email sequences, or data updates triggered by specific actions, to ensure they fire as expected with the new data. Verify that data flowing through these workflows remains accurate and consistent. Any misconfiguration or data incompatibility in these areas can break critical business processes, impacting efficiency and data quality.

Step 6: Perform Data Security and Access Checks

Data security is non-negotiable, especially after a migration. Review user roles, profiles, and permission sets to ensure that access to sensitive data is correctly configured and enforced in the new CRM. Verify that users can only see and modify the data they are authorized to access, and that specific data fields are restricted as required by compliance or internal policies. Test various user accounts to confirm segregation of duties and data visibility. Incorrect security settings can lead to data breaches, compliance violations, and a lack of trust in the system. This step safeguards your information and maintains regulatory adherence.

Step 7: Document Findings and Establish a Remediation Plan

During the audit, meticulous documentation of all identified discrepancies, errors, and areas for improvement is crucial. Categorize issues by severity, impact, and frequency. Once documented, develop a comprehensive remediation plan that outlines specific actions, assigned responsibilities, and timelines for resolution. Prioritize critical issues that could halt operations or compromise data integrity. This plan should also include a strategy for re-testing affected areas post-remediation to ensure fixes are effective and haven’t introduced new problems. A well-structured remediation approach ensures a clear path to achieving a fully validated and operational CRM system.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Your Guide to Secure HR & Recruiting CRM Migration with CRM-Backup