Data conversion is one of the main causes of an ERP implementation not meeting its intended go-live date and/or going over budget. You can avoid this by adhering to some important "ground rules.
1. Do your preliminary work well
Starting a data conversion unprepared is asking for trouble. Carefully map out in advance which data you want to extract from which business applications. If the same data is in multiple applications, choose the system that is most suitable to convert the data from. Also establish a specific schedule for the data conversion that fits within the overall ERP project and assign the person responsible for this activity.
2. Focus on the data that really matters
Decide what data you are going to convert and over what period of time. Make a trade-off between having as much information as possible available in your new system and what is practical. You will want master data and open orders in your system, but the complete history of transactions may be less relevant.
3. Convert clean data
Data may not be clean enough before you convert it to the new system. Unclean data can hinder data conversion. Consider, for example, zip codes and phone numbers that are in different formats. Or inconsistent data that is incorrectly included or excluded from the conversion. Or data that is duplicated in your existing systems. The ERP implementation can also be a good time to take a close look at your data and clean up or enrich it where necessary.
4. Do at least one trial conversion
Before the actual data conversion is done, it is advisable to run one or two trial conversions. You then check whether the data is complete and consistent. You can then fix any errors before the final conversion to the new system.
5. Timing is crucial
Timing is crucial in conversion. A 1st conversion gives a picture of the quality and extent of the data and contains a subset of the whole. This can be done shortly after the start of the project so that there is ample time to implement corrective actions. At a later stage, when the setup is in place, a 2nd conversion follows that covers the entire data. This gives a good picture of all the associated work and the turnaround time. In the final conversion, parts can often be converted prior to the go-live. This reduces the pressure and gives more control, timing is everything.
Conversion should never be the stumbling block in your ERP implementation. But data conversion to an ERP system is something you (if all goes well) don't have to deal with very often. For your software supplier, however, it is daily business. Therefore, get good advice and make use of the conversion tools made available to you.
Alex Bouwmeester is Project Manager Europe at Dysel and accompanies the customer from start to finish in the implementation.
