A Salesforce data migration story
How To Migrate 5 Million Records To Salesforce Without The Stress
What happens when you need to migrate your org to Salesforce and you have data in spreadsheets, and other sources?
Data migration (i.e., moving your existing data from other systems into Salesforce) requires painstaking work and attention to detail…. Or does it? Find out how Waveconn easily migrated millions of records with XL-Connector.
XL-Connector is a comprehensive CRM data management tool that seamlessly syncs Excel to Salesforce.com. Its powerful features and deep integration to Salesforce database enable users to perform dataloads in mass with no limits, while allowing a look into Salesforce data models and relationships and identifying potential errors before the dataload takes place.
A broader industry trend drives Waveconn’s need for data migration. Telecommunications companies are changing their relationship with infrastructure like cellular towers. Many mobile network operators in Australia and other countries have decided to sell their tower assets, and as a result, the responsibility to manage and maintain these assets is changing hands.
Established in 2022, Waveconn was formed through OMERS’ acquisition of the TPG/Vodafone tower and rooftop portfolio and Stilmark, creating a single enterprise to respond to the need for a more efficient, nimble service offering in Australia.
We asked Roland Illyes, former transformation manager at Waveconn, to share his insights on the data migration aspect of the project and the role that XL-Connector played.
About The Problem
Having acquired 1,300+ cellular sites from TPG and Stilmark, Waveconn began the process of migrating data from TPG and Stilmark systems into its own Salesforce architecture. This presented a digital transformation challenge, particularly with regard to data migration..
The digital transformation project scope included the following complexities:
- Data Model Complexity: The Salesforce implementation included 17 objects and more than 700 fields.
- Data Volume: 1 million+ records across 1300+ telecommunication towers and rooftops records
- Business Complexity: Each site requires a comprehensive operating model backed by a system to ensure that site safety and integrity are maintained and the customer and landlord's commercial and non-commercial experience is exceptional. The data migration covered all aspects of this operating model.
- Project Risks: System transformations always carry risks, including data transformation and migration, human error and change management.
- Technical Team: Waveconn has an in-house team of tower-co systems experts and decided to leverage the help of a Salesforce delivery partner and transformation consultants, in particular, to handle the commercial data migration.
Choosing A Data Migration Solution
Shifting millions of records to a new system required a software solution. “I was new to working with Salesforce. My team recommended Dataloader and XL-Connector, so I compared both tools,” Illyes explained.
XL-Connector’s Advantages
“We selected XL-Connector for a few reasons. First, the Waveconn Salesforce administrator on the team had a positive experience with the application. Second, the application’s data validation capability was strong. Third, the exception report capability made progress on the project easier,” Illyes explained.
XL-Connector not only handles errors but makes it easy to resolve them. “XL-Connector’s robust error handling - including user-friendly messages when a load goes wrong - is great. This resilience in handling errors is important, especially when migrating thousands, if not millions of records and field updates,” commented Alex Keaney, Senior Business Analyst at Waveconn.
XL-Connector’s focus on Salesforce immediately made life easier. “XL-Connector’s intuitive understanding of Salesforce objects and fields markedly simplified what could have been an overwhelming task,” Illyes observed.
With the help of XL Connector, we streamlined the data migration to Salesforce, including contract data for thousands of sites. This tool’s simplicity and effectiveness in Excel allowed us to create and edit records, facilitating a smooth transition efficiently. Working closely with our client, we mastered the daunting task of data transformation, demonstrating XL Connector's critical role in simplifying complex data models for operational excellence in Salesforce environments."
- Michael Diamond, Director & Founder, Arcturious
“Diving into XL Connector, I was quickly impressed. Thanks to the tool's intuitive interface, setting up the data model's foundation in a day was a breeze. Migrating data from Excel, XL Connector's grasp of Salesforce's complexities made the process smooth and efficient.”
- Roland Illyes
Supporting Excel Effectively
XL-Connector also robustly integrates with Microsoft Excel. That’s vital because many business users prefer Excel and XL-Connector seamlessly supports Excel users.
“The ability to save queries, and refresh them in a table in Excel that also has my formulas and custom transformations in the same table is excellent. You can have your source data, some in table custom columns and some side pivots tables all together and it all refreshes, in the click of a button,” explains Keaney.
Data Migration Analysis
It is crucial to transition data in the right sequence in a data migration project. In Salesforce (or any other database), migrating data out of sequence can break relationships. Furthermore, incorrect data migration sequencing can undermine business logic, automation, and custom development.
“XL-Connector can pull out every field from every object and summarize that data. For example, I can tell if a field is a text, number, or calculated value. It also helped me understand the data in terms of a relational database,”
Illyes commented.
“For example, each site had multiple data points and database relationships that needed to be preserved. XL-Connector made it easier for me to understand this data and plan the data migration,”
Illyes explained.
In addition, I found XL-Connector a user-friendly solution despite my limited experience with Salesforce prior to this project.
Data Migration: No Longer “The Ugly Duckling” of Migration Projects
Data migration is a necessary step in any migration project. Until data is successfully moved to a new system, progress is tough. Despite its importance, many people are used to seeing it as little more than a necessary evil.
In my experience, data migration is usually viewed as the ugly duckling in system integration projects,”
Roland Illyes explained.
“Everyone recognizes that data migration is necessary, but it can be difficult and time-consuming. With XL-Connector, data migration became much easier!
Rapid Feedback Leads To Faster Project Progress
Successful data migration is much easier with rapid feedback and XL-Connector gives lightning-fast insights on your migration. “In 24 hours at most, we could identify exceptions and errors in our migration—a process that used to take several weeks,” Illyes explained.
“Choosing XL-Connector for our org migration was game-changing. I was really pleased because it saved my life on this project multiple times!”
- Roland Illyes
Conclusion
For Waveconn, a smooth data migration effort ultimately contributed to a successful digital transformation project. “Data migration is a major source of risk in transformation projects. There’s a lot that can go wrong and cause delays. XL-Connector made it easier to analyze, plan, and execute data migration,” Illyes commented.
XL-Connector’s focus on Salesforce sets it apart from other data solutions. That means the data migration process is faster and smoother because Salesforce’s approach to data is already built into the product.
Are you facing challenges with Salesforce data migration?
Moving a large volume of data into Salesforce doesn’t have to be painful or time-consuming. XL-Connector makes it easy to transfer data from Excel files and other systems into Salesforce.
"For anyone facing the daunting task of migrating data to Salesforce, look no further. XL Connector is not just a tool; it's a game-changer, ensuring success where others might falter. A heartfelt thanks to this exceptional product for turning a challenging migration into a resounding success."
- Roland Illyes