Migrating from another system: the full checklist
A successful migration from your old accounting or inventory system to Usystems requires careful planning and verification at each step. Use this checklist to ensure no data is lost and your new system is ready to go live.
Pre-migration: Planning & Setup
| Step | Action | What to verify |
|---|
| 1. Choose your go-live date | Pick a date when you can pause normal operations for a few hours (ideally a weekend or quiet day). | Calendar is clear; key staff are available. |
| 2. Define your chart of accounts | Plan which accounts you will use in Usystems (assets, liabilities, equity, income, expenses). | Chart matches your old system; no critical account is missing. |
| 3. Set up your product(s) and ref_product | Create at least one product or service catalog; if multi-inventory or multi-currency, plan these now. | Settings → Products or Settings → Services; Open in Usystems. |
| 4. Create your warehouses/locations | If you use inventory, decide which warehouses or storage locations you need. | Warehouse count matches your physical locations or cost centers. |
| 5. Plan user roles and permissions | Identify who needs to be an admin, accountant, manager, staff, or read-only viewer. | Role list is documented; access levels match job roles. |
| 6. Back up your old system | Export a complete backup (data files, database, or reports) before starting migration. | Backup file is stored safely in two locations. |
Data Migration: Contacts & Chart of Accounts
| Step | Action | What to verify |
|---|
| 7. Create your chart of accounts | In Settings → Chart of Accounts, add all your accounts (GL accounts). Open in Usystems. | Every account code and name is correct; opening balances are entered. |
| 8. Migrate customer contacts | Add all customers: Contacts → Customers or import via bulk upload if available. Open in Usystems. | Customer count matches old system; names, phone, email, address, tax IDs are correct. |
| 9. Migrate vendor/supplier contacts | Add all vendors: Contacts → Vendors. Open in Usystems. | Vendor count and details match; payment terms or default currency are set if needed. |
| 10. Enter opening balances (A/R, A/P) | For each customer, record their balance owed to you; for vendors, what you owe them. Balances go in as contacts' Balance field or via an opening journal entry. | Sum of customer balances matches your old A/R total; sum of vendor balances matches A/P. |
| 11. Verify contact currency (if multi-currency) | Assign default currency to each contact if they trade in non-local currency. | Currency matches the old system for each major customer/vendor. |
Data Migration: Inventory
| Step | Action | What to verify |
|---|
| 12. Create product catalog | Add all products/items: Products or Inventory. Include item codes, descriptions, unit of measure, cost, and selling price. Open in Usystems. | Product count matches old system; no duplicate codes; key fields are filled. |
| 13. Set inventory opening quantities | For each product and warehouse, record the stock on hand on your go-live date. | Total quantity for each product matches a physical count or old system report. |
| 14. Set inventory opening values (standard cost) | Record the cost per unit for each product. This will be used to value inventory on your balance sheet. | Total inventory value (quantity × cost) matches the old system's inventory balance sheet figure. |
| 15. Set up inventory tracking (if needed) | If you use lot/batch numbers, serial numbers, or expiry dates, configure these fields. | Lot/batch system is tested; expiry dates are pre-loaded for existing stock if critical. |
Data Migration: Accounting History
| Step | Action | What to verify |
|---|
| 16. Enter opening balances as a journal entry (optional) | If you prefer a single opening entry, create a Journal Entry for all account balances as of your go-live date. Open in Usystems. | Total debits = total credits; the trial balance ties to your old system. |
| 17. Decide: migrate old transactions or just balances? | You may choose to (a) bring all historical documents (invoices, bills, payments) into Usystems, or (b) bring only closing balances and start fresh. | Decision is documented; if (a), plan for a separate import batch or manual entry. |
| 18. If importing old invoices: create in bulk or manually | For each old invoice/bill, create a record in Usystems or import a file. Include date, amounts, customer/vendor, and mark as paid or unpaid. | Invoice/bill count matches old system; aging (unpaid) balances reconcile to A/R and A/P totals. |
Post-migration: Verification & Reconciliation
| Step | Action | What to verify |
|---|
| 19. Run a trial balance report | Go to Reports → Trial Balance. Open in Usystems. | Total debits = total credits. Trial balance matches old system's closing trial balance. |
| 20. Run a balance sheet | Go to Reports → Balance Sheet. Open in Usystems. | Total assets = total liabilities + equity. Key figures (cash, inventory, A/R, A/P) match old system. |
| 21. Run an income statement (if applicable) | Go to Reports → Income Statement or Profit & Loss. Open in Usystems. | Net income/loss is reasonable for the period. Major revenue and expense accounts match expectations. |
| 22. Reconcile accounts receivable (A/R) | List all unpaid customer invoices; total should match the A/R account balance. | A/R aging total = A/R account balance; no orphaned invoices. |
| 23. Reconcile accounts payable (A/P) | List all unpaid vendor bills; total should match the A/P account balance. | A/P aging total = A/P account balance. |
| 24. Verify cash account balance | Check that the cash account in Usystems matches your bank statement on the go-live date. | Bank balance = Usystems cash account; any differences are investigated. |
| 25. Review inventory on hand (count sheets) | Generate an Inventory → Stock Report and compare to a physical count or old system report. Open in Usystems. | Quantity and value match; any variance is investigated and corrected. |
Training & Go-Live
| Step | Action | What to verify |
|---|
| 26. Train key staff | Show finance, warehouse, and sales teams how to create invoices, record payments, receive stock, and run reports in Usystems. | Staff can perform basic daily tasks; questions are answered. |
| 27. Set up recurring tasks (if applicable) | Configure any month-end or period-end processes (e.g., accruals, depreciation, payroll). | Processes are documented and scheduled. |
| 28. Disable or archive the old system | Once you are confident in Usystems, retire the old system to avoid duplicate entries. | Old system is read-only or fully offline; no new data is being entered there. |
| 29. Document your chart of accounts & user roles | Create a reference document for staff: account codes, their purpose, and who can access what. | Document is shared with all users; it will serve as a training aid. |
| 30. Conduct a final sanity check | Have an independent person (perhaps a manager or accountant) spot-check a few key accounts, invoices, and reports. | No unexpected errors; balances and reports look reasonable. |
Tips for a smooth migration
- Do not rush. Schedule migration work when you have time to verify each step. A few hours of checking now can save days of cleanup later.
- Keep detailed notes. Document any discrepancies you find during reconciliation and how you resolved them. This helps if you need to audit the migration later.
- Test before go-live. Use a test copy of your data to run through the checklist first, then repeat it on live data.
- Ask for help. If you are unsure whether opening balances are correct or how to set up multi-currency, reach out to support or a local accountant.