How to Plan for a Data Move

This article was adapted from Changing Systems: Moving Your Data from One Program to Another, which originally appeared on the FundRaiser Software Web site.

Why Move Data?

In a recent survey conducted by donor-management software company FundRaiser, 50 percent of respondents had moved data from one donor-management software program to another. Of that 50 percent, most had moved data more than once.

There are many reasons nonprofits move donor data, but most often it's because they have outgrown their current system or because they are no longer able to update or get support for that system. Nonprofits may also want to share donor data with another organization or branch of the organization that uses different database software, or move data into another program to allow them to work with it in a different way. They might also want to move data into another donor database program they are more familiar with and have used in the past.

Yet while data migration may be common, navigating the process can be complicated and overwhelming, especially for first-timers. Below, we'll show you what data conversion entails, how to prepare for a data move, and weigh the pros and cons of various data-migration techniques.

The Real Story on Data Conversion

Data conversion and data migration are the technical terms for moving data from one program to another.

To understand why data conversion can be complex, imagine that your data-management software is a house with a unique floor plan, square footage, materials, and infrastructure.

Now imagine that you are moving all of your belongings to a new house. While homes share some general similarities, few are identical: they have different layouts, storage capacities, utilities, and amenities that must be taken into account when moving to and setting up residence in the new space.

When you move from one donor database to another, you need to organize your data in a way that will help you use and store it in your new 'house.' Likewise, when searching for a new database, you want to make sure it has all the features you need to be a good fit for your old data, now and a few years down the road.

As with any thorough home inspection, be sure to keep in mind hidden hazards when evaluating a potential donor database. Just as pipes are often covered by wallboard or hidden in the attic, the user interface of donor-management software ― the graphics, tabs, and buttons you see when you open the program ― can disguise the actual nuts and bolts of it. Before you invest in a house or a database, take a deeper look to make sure that it can handle everything you put into it.

How Easy Will Moving My Data Be?

Moving data from one program to another may be amazingly simple or extremely complex. If you are considering such a move, the following questions can help you anticipate what to expect.

1. How compatible are the old and new software programs?

• More compatible makes the move simpler. For instance, your old program may have a built-in tool to export data to your new program, or your programs may be built by the same company, making data migration easier.
• Less compatible makes the move more complicated. More custom work will be needed to move the data from the old program into the new one. It will also take some time and training for you to learn how to find the old data in the new program.

To check the compatibility of your old data with the new program you are considering moving to, go through the steps of importing data into it. If you aren't able to do this easily, ask the new software company what it would take to move your data. Software sales representatives should be willing and able to help you get this answer.

2. How much data do you want to move?

• Fewer donor records, as well as having only one gift per donor, make the move simpler. With fewer records, you can more easily do the work by hand. With only one gift per donor, you will be more likely to be able to use export/import tools.
• Many records and more than one gift per donor make the move more complicated. It will be harder to do the work by hand if you have many records. More than one gift per donor will make it harder to move the data using export/import tools.

3. What kind of data do you want to move?

• Demographic data like names and addresses are easier to move. If this is the only data you need to move, then it is more likely that you'll be able to use export/import tools yourself.
• Codes and extensive giving history are harder to move by export/import tools. You may be able to do it, but it can be difficult to understand what needs to be done to accomplish the move. Even more complicated to move are pledge schedules, membership history, and tribute gift records. These kinds of fundraising information are often organized in very different ways from program to program. Significant thought and custom work may be needed. Usually this is done with professional data conversion. If you only have a small amount of complicated data, you might also choose to move it by hand.

4. What do you want to do with your data once it is moved?

• If you use certain data infrequently, you might find some simple options even for complex data. This can be the case for historical data used only in prospect research. In that case, you might even leave it in the old program and access it as needed from there.
• If you need to use the data for your day-to-day work, it is important that it be well integrated into your current mailing or report features. Except for basic donor data (names, addresses, single gift per donor), other data may be more difficult to move so that it can be pulled into your mailings or reports. Check that there is a place for these things before buying new software.

How to Move Data

There are three ways to move data: entering it by hand, using built-in import tools, and relying on professional data-conversion. Depending on your answers to the questions listed above, these methods offer you trade-offs between:

• Time
• Simplicity
• Cost
• Accuracy
• Data loss

Let's take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of these three ways of converting your data.

Entering Data by Hand

If you have a small amount of data to be moved, and you have time to do it, you may want to reenter it into your new system by hand. To do this, someone simply sits down with printouts from both programs — or with both programs open side by side — and manually enters all the data that you need into the new system. This method can also be used to supplement other ways of moving data.

• Advantages : If you have the time, or volunteers who are willing and able to do data entry, this is usually the least expensive way of moving data.
• Disadvantages : This can take a long time. Inaccurate data-entry is often an issue.

To continue the moving-house analogy, you might see manual data-entry as packing up a studio apartment and putting the boxes into your own car to carry them to the new place. While this can be a good solution for small spaces, it can be overwhelming when attempting to carry out larger moves.

Using Built-In Import Tools

Some donor-management software applications offer built-in tools to export data from your old system and import it into the new system. Some programs are more compatible than others, making the available tools more or less effective: When programs are more compatible with each other, the move is going to be easier; when they are less compatible, you will need to investigate what this will mean in the long run. It may simply mean that you will need to get used to accessing the data in an unfamiliar way; or it may mean that you won't be able to move some data into the new program. This is especially true when you are migrating data between packages offered by the same vendor.

• Advantages : Quick, inexpensive, and accurate for the data that you can move in this way. Most commonly, you can move basic demographic information such as names and addresses, along with one gift per donor.
• Disadvantages : Usually only certain kinds of data can be moved, and it may be difficult to understand what needs to be done to accomplish the migration. Moving codes and giving history may be complex. It is unusual to be able to move pledge, membership information, or tribute records in this way.

In house-moving terms, built-in import tools might be compared to renting a truck to allow you to move more efficiently and with less breakage.

Professional Data Conversion

If you have a lot of donor data which can't be moved by export/import tools, professional data conversion is the method to use. It involves having someone write a special utility program to convert your data. This program extracts the data out of the old system and installs it in the correct place in your new system. This is custom work. It requires a skilled programmer and help from you to understand what data should be extracted and where it should be installed.

• Advantages : Regardless of the amount or complexity of your data, you can move your data with accuracy. Data that is entered incorrectly into the old program, such as code errors, can be reorganized properly (called data cleansing) during the move. While the data conversion is in process, you have a chance to learn the new software
• Disadvantages : Because this is custom work done by skilled professional, it usually costs quite a bit.

This option is comparable to finding a moving company to pack, truck, and unload your belongings into the new house.