Prepare for a Data Migration

A smooth import starts before you upload a file. Spend a little time deciding what you are moving, where it came from, and how your team will confirm the results.

Decide What You Are Migrating

Start by listing each record type you want to move into CoolFocus. Import is available where that record type has been enabled for your organization and user role. Common examples include contacts, donors, clients, volunteers, contributions, enrollments, requests, programs, and other operational records.

For each record type, write down:

• The source system or spreadsheet it comes from.
• The team member who understands that data best.
• The fields that must be present for the import to be useful.
• Any lookup values that need to exist in CoolFocus, such as funds, programs, roles, or service types.
• Whether you are creating new records or updating records that already exist in CoolFocus.

Choose the Right Import Order

Import records that other records depend on first.

When records have a relationship, keep the original source IDs from the old system. Those IDs help later imports connect to the right records.

Use a Consistent Source System Name

The Source System field tells CoolFocus where the data came from. Use the same spelling every time you import from the same system.

Good examples:

• NeonOne
• Bloomerang
• Legacy Access Database
• 2026 Donor Cleanup Spreadsheet

Avoid changing the name between related imports. For example, do not use Neon, Neon One, and NeonOne for different files from the same migration unless those are intentionally separate sources.

Decide Between Create and Update

Choose Create new records when the file contains records that should be added to CoolFocus.

Choose Update existing records when the file should change records that are already in CoolFocus. Update mode requires an Id or DistinctImportId column and at least one mapped field to update. The preview step will ask you to type the number of rows being updated before it runs.

Use update mode carefully. It is best for controlled cleanup work, not for a first pass when you are unsure how the records match.

Prepare a Review Plan

Before importing a full file, decide how your team will review the results:

• Who confirms the imported count?
• Who checks a sample of newly created records?
• Who reviews skipped or failed rows?
• Who decides whether failed rows should be corrected and re-run?

Use Import History after the import to review the original file, field mappings, imported rows, skipped rows, and errors.

Migration Planning Checklist

• Identify the record type and source system.
• Decide create mode or update mode.
• Confirm dependencies are imported first.
• Keep source IDs such as donor IDs, contact IDs, donation IDs, or account IDs.
• Prepare lookup values or plan to map/create them during import. Creating missing lookup values may require admin access.
• Run a small sample before importing the full file.
• Assign someone to review skipped and failed rows.

Related Articles

• Prepare your import file
• Import your data
• Importer best practices