ATS and CRM Data Architecture · Lesson 4

Plan migration and reconciliation

Course overview · 4 min reading + 12 min practice, estimated

Principles and method

A migration needs field mapping, validation, deduplication, access review and a rollback or recovery plan. Use a test copy and representative edge cases before changing live data. Compare counts by entity and relationship, but also inspect important records because matching totals can hide wrong links. Preserve provenance and identifiers needed for continuity. Do not merge people solely because names match. Record exceptions for review rather than silently dropping them. Define who signs off the result and how old systems or exports are retired under the agreed retention policy.

Worked example

Two people share the same name and employer. A migration that merges by name loses separate application histories. The test detects the collision and routes it for identity verification instead of forcing a merge.

Put it into practice

Write a migration checklist with five validation cases and a reconciliation table.

Use fictional information and keep your work in your own notes.

Compare your approach: self-review guidance

Include duplicate names, changed emails, multiple applications, withdrawn candidates and restricted records. Compare relationships and critical fields as well as totals. This exercise does not authorise a live migration.

Download the course workbook

Sources and further reading

Original Academy teaching and fictional examples. These references provide context, not endorsement. Edition 2026.09; updated 2026-09-24.

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