Noob question…
The tool I used to migrate my data from another platform was written for Sugar 6.5’s SOAP interface and wouldn’t import into the current version of SuiteCRM. My solution was to install SuiteCRM 1.0, migrate to it, then perform a series of upgrades to the current version.
However at least one upgrade had a problem and now my users are experiencing a variety of issues that I didn’t have when I was in testing using a fresh install of the current version.
Following advice I’ve read on this forum, I’ve ran several of the repair/rebuild tools in the Admin section to no avail as well as upgraded the PHP on my server. I am now questioning if the solution isn’t to just create a fresh install of SuiteCRM and perform a data migration to it.
Question. If I do this (different directory/DB but same server) can I just use PHPMyAdmin to move the data from DB1 to DB2 or do I need to follow the directions I see on the forum for migrating servers.
There are many factors in a CRM migration that will determine your most expedient approach.
While there are third-party migration tools out there that can help with the process, without knowing all the intricacies involved in your existing software, my gut feeling is that you would be best off just doing an export and re-import of your data into the latest release of SuiteCRM. It would certainly be the “cleanest” process … and probably the least traumatic, overall.
Indeed, despite the promises of vendors, the problem with migration tools and even some SuiteCRM upgrades is that they often don’t go exactly as desired and you end up with odd quirks that can be a devil to identify and fix! The more complex the setup, the more likely these quirks are going to surface.
Just off the top of my head, some initial questions:
- What software are you migrating from?
- How many users (i.e. logins)?
- Approximately how large are your main tables? (e.g. no. of leads, accounts, activities/transactions, etc.)?
- How “complex” is your existing setup? Is your application fairly “basic” in functionality or are you stretching it to the max … many modules, many custom fields, many automated functions, etc.?
If we know where you are coming from, there may be someone on this forum that did a similar migration (i.e. from the same software), that can weigh in with their own experiences.
Thanks for the quick reply.
I was coming from ACT! for Web 2010 (old version from back when they were owned by Sage). I’m only 3 users - so it wasn’t a large migration by any means - and I had cleaned up the database quite a bit to get rid of old data and all but 3-4 custom fields.
With that said, the whole process was painful so I really have no desire to try the migration over. But once it was finally done I really do think it was a clean migration (or as clean as it could ever get). I initially spent an hour or two poking around in SuiteCRM 7.01 looking at the data and it seemed to be working fine.
That’s why I really think the problem was around the 3rd or 4th upgrade. It hung and didn’t behave right. I should have documented it more, but didn’t. I really thought there wasn’t a problem until users started reporting things (new items won’t save to the calendar, etc).
Just started setting up a new installation. Do I need to create the custom fields in the new DB before I import or will the import process do that? Can I just use PHPMyAdmin to transfer data from one DB to the other or should I go through the SuiteCRM download/upload processes in the Admin section?
Thanks
Sid
I’d used ACT 2000 way, way back on a single PC, so my memory of that product is hazy! :blink:
How big are your tables … number of records? (With only 3 users, I’m just guessing not huge?)
So you only have 3-4 custom fields?
Rather than risking DB to DB transfers in MyAdmin, I’d do exports and re-imports into the latest release of Suite, as each import run will enable you to double-check for errors.
Btw … as an option, once you have the exported CSVs , open them directly in Excel and do a visual scan, just to ensure that everything is columned correctly. (You might also spot some erroneous data that was missed on your data cleanup).
As you do each import (Accounts, Contacts, Leads, etc.), Suite’s Import Wizard is very clear at showing the field mappings. (Set up any required custom fields beforehand).
Each import will show you the first two records of each file. As a suggestion, ensure that the first record/row in each file contains data in EVERY field/column, just to give you an added check that mappings are all correct.