Tales of a Salesforce Migration: Challenges and Pitfalls to Avoid

Customer success, AI success, and Agent success all depend on one thing – accurate data. The most challenging aspect of data migration is ensuring precision, which is often affected by underestimated and hidden external dependencies. The gap between theoretical migration and its practical execution is frequently wider than expected, adding layers of complexity.

In a mature organization, data quality improvements often begin with a migration, possibly involving a data quality (DQ) initiative, followed by ongoing maintenance. This process can occur within an existing Salesforce org or as part of a migration to a new org, revitalizing outdated data models, purging unnecessary data, and bringing a fresh Salesforce instance to life with clean, structured information.

This article takes you through a real-world migration journey as experienced by a project delivery team composed of both client-side members and external service providers.

The Adventure Begins: Navigating the Unknown

Once upon a time, a project was launched to migrate a legacy database to Salesforce Loyalty Cloud. The migration was structured into three phases – SIT, UAT, and Prod – and aimed to serve 350 Salesforce users with data extracted from 21 source tables and mapped to 28 objects.

Equipped with the right tools, the project team was ready for the challenge. However, as with many migrations, pitfalls remained. The journey into the unknown had begun.

Setting the Course

The team embarked on their journey with optimism. They reviewed requirements, mapped data, and analyzed the source system. Though the complexity of the source data setup was daunting, they were confident in their ability to handle it.

Yet, before they could even set sail, they encountered their first challenge – gaps in the data mapping. Some crucial source data wasn’t accounted for. Upon consulting the client, they discovered the mappings were outdated due to recent changes in the destination org. Additionally, no one had reviewed the underlying data in detail.

To resolve this, they organized a workshop, which led to a complete and accurate data mapping – just the first of many adjustments to come. Initial sample loads using their migration tools helped identify other gaps early, preventing major issues later. With the course set, they looked forward to a smooth migration.

Unexpected Obstacles: Data Quality

Just as the team took a deep breath, confident they were on the right track, new challenges emerged. The first test data loads revealed unexpected inconsistencies. The data was disorganized, and the migration execution plan lacked clarity. It soon became evident that they faced serious data quality issues – issues that no one had planned for.

Once again, the team adapted. They added data quality reviews to their scope, analyzed root causes, provided guidance on fixing errors, and refined their migration tools to accommodate these changes. Together with the client, they defined clear acceptance criteria to ensure that clean data was loaded into Salesforce.

With these issues tackled, they nodded to each other, ready to move forward.

The Storm Hits: Changing Requirements

Finally, everything seemed ready. The team powered up the engines, cast off, and engaged full throttle – only to be hit with another challenge. A message appeared: the mapping had changed.

Adjustments were made, but changes to the transformation logic and business rules kept coming. Meanwhile, the project timeline remained fixed. The source data quality issues compounded the problem, forcing the team to revise mappings constantly to fit an evolving destination system.

On top of this, they realized another major issue – the target system was still being built in parallel with the migration. Some data dependencies had to be preserved from the legacy system, while others needed to be newly structured. Their first attempt at restructuring failed, causing frustration and panic.

Upon deeper investigation, they identified the root causes: faults in system configuration and last-minute changes in the way the new Salesforce org was being set up. To address this, they provided immediate feedback to the implementation team, adjusted mappings once again, and introduced supportive ID mappings.

Finally, progress resumed. But time was running out.

Navigating Dependencies: Delayed Implementation and Tightening Timelines

As the migration team made headway, another complication arose – implementation delays. Though the target org wasn’t ready, the go-live date remained unchanged. The planned “frozen zone” for data migration shrank, forcing the team to execute the production go-live in significantly less time than expected.

Despite warnings that this posed a serious risk, leadership insisted that the migration proceed on schedule. The result? The team had to work around the clock, including weekends, to ensure success.

Thankfully, with the right tools and strategies in place, they navigated the waves and kept the project on course.

The Human Factor: Stress, Teamwork, and Success

The pressure was intense. But through teamwork and resilience, they kept moving forward. At long last, the migration was complete, and all records were successfully loaded into Salesforce on time.

The team monitored the system post-migration, standing by to address any issues. When the final checks were complete, they shook hands, reflecting on a grueling yet rewarding journey.

Exhausted but victorious, they knew they had earned a well-deserved break. Before heading off for some downtime, they gathered for a final session to reflect on lessons learned.

Lessons Learned: Planning, Tools, and Collaboration

Reflecting on their experiences, the team identified key takeaways:

• Thorough planning is essential: Aligning all stakeholders from the start, including migration specialists, ensures fewer surprises down the road.
• Data mapping and governance must be precise: Incomplete or outdated mappings cause costly delays.
• Expect the unexpected: No migration goes 100% according to plan. Being adaptable is key.
• The right tools make all the difference: A powerful migration toolset can identify gaps, manage dependencies, and adjust to changes efficiently.
• People matter as much as technology: Success depends on strong communication, collaboration, and trust among teams.
• Account for post-migration recovery: Team members need time to recharge before tackling the next challenge.

Final Thoughts

Finally, one of the team members raised a glass and offered a parting piece of wisdom:

“Be careful about offering fixed-price migration projects – because rarely are all the challenges known upfront.”

And with that, the Salesforce migration adventure came to an end. Leave your thoughts and feelings in the comments below!