TL;DR
Running an 8-point data audit checklist before a Salesforce to HubSpot migration reduces cost, timeline, and risk. The audit highlights duplicate records, orphaned entries, unused fields, and hidden automations, keeping the cutover predictable. Treat the audit as a documented project artifact and involve executives for sign-off. The result: faster ROI (return on investment), fewer surprises, and measurable KPIs (key performance indicators).
Migrating from Salesforce to HubSpot can be smooth if data is clean and dependencies are understood. A focused pre-migration data audit checklist identifies duplicates, unused fields, broken automations, and reporting dependencies. This upfront work minimises downtime and ensures business continuity. For executives, it delivers predictable timelines; for technical teams, it reduces last-minute fixes. Planning with clear mappings and governance also keeps KPIs measurable post-migration.
What Is A Pre-Migration Data Audit?
A pre-migration data audit is a structured review of your Salesforce data and workflows before moving to HubSpot. It examines records, fields, automations, integrations, and reporting dependencies. The goal is to uncover issues early, create a mapping plan, and establish governance for a low-risk cutover.
Why Should You Run A Data Audit Before Migration?
Skipping an audit is the single biggest risk to timeline, cost, and trust. CEOs want continuity and ROI, while technical leads need data fidelity and low-risk cutovers. Messy data, hidden automations, or mismatched schemas can trigger downtime, reporting gaps, and lost revenue. A focused audit turns guesswork into a clear plan, aligning leadership and engineering teams and reducing surprises at launch.
How Can You Conduct An 8-Point Audit Effectively?
1. Owner & Record Hygiene — Identify unassigned records and orphaned Accounts/Contacts. Assign owners or implement reassignment rules to maintain accountability.
2. Duplicate Analysis — Quantify duplicates across Accounts, Contacts, and Leads. Apply merge rules, select dedupe tools, and validate with sample exports.
3. Field Inventory & Usage — Catalog each field, noting populated versus empty entries. Remove unused fields and document essential custom fields for mapping.
4. Picklists & Data Normalisation — Identify inconsistent values, e.g., “NY” vs “New York.” Standardise values and define canonical lists.
5. Lifecycle & Pipeline Logic — Document stages, conversion triggers, and pipelines. Map Salesforce stages to HubSpot and flag automations relying on them.
6. Historical Data & Retention — Decide which history to migrate, such as activity logs or closed deals. Set retention cutoffs and export archival snapshots.
7. Integrations & Automations — Inventory connected systems and workflows. Record dependencies and plan phased cutovers.
8. Reporting & Dashboards — List reports, data sources, and custom calculations. Prioritise which reports to rebuild first in HubSpot.
How Can HubSpot Help With Migration?
HubSpot’s flexible object model allows schema-first mapping of Salesforce objects like Contacts, Companies, Deals, and custom objects. Built-in import tools and deduplication rules ensure clean data during migration. Critical workflows can be recreated in HubSpot while audit insights guide temporary fallbacks. Reports are validated against pre-migration snapshots, and integrations are reconfigured gradually using the audit’s dependency map.
Takeaways & When To Call Experts
- Run the 8-point data audit checklist to reduce migration risk and keep leadership aligned.
- Treat the audit as a versioned project artifact with executive sign-off.
- Engage migration experts for complex objects, heavy automation, or large datasets. They can run dry-runs, automate deduplication, and validate reporting parity, saving time and minimising errors.
FAQs
1. How long does a comprehensive Salesforce data audit usually take?
Typically 2–4 weeks, longer for heavy customisations or legacy workflows.
2. Can the audit be performed while Salesforce is live?
Yes. Use read-only exports, sandboxes, or staging datasets to avoid disruptions.
3. What are the most common red flags found?
Orphaned records, overlapping automations, unused fields, and historical data lacking source tracking.
4. How do we decide what historical data to migrate?
Move only what supports current KPIs; archive older data securely for compliance and reference.
