Tech Tips to Spring Clean Your Data

When most people first think of “spring cleaning,” they likely think of rummaging through closets or old drawers, consolidating space, donating furniture or clothes, or really any work around the house that will help to bring them closer to the goal of a fresh, clean, start. When I hear “spring cleaning” in the Technology space, my brain has also started to think, what about cleansing your business processes? What about a clean-up of old data, doing a software analysis, or even a platform review to identify ways to optimize your ROI better? All of these work toward the common goal to have a business run more efficiently. Why not sift through your business processes and data the same way you approach “spring cleaning” at home?

At Sikich, one of our goals is to ensure that we are doing our part to help our clients be the most efficient they can be with whatever platform or software they are using. Whether you need to migrate data from one CRM or ERP to another or have always considered a change of pace but didn’t have the time to pursue it, Sikich is here to help.

One of the most common requests that we have received lately is clients requesting our assistance with cleaning up old data and data migrations. When these tasks are completed manually, they can become huge stressors and time-consuming.

How to Clean Data Before Data Migration

If your team is preparing for a data migration, you will want to ensure that all data moving over is clean data. Below is a Salesforce shared Pre-Import Checklist that you can follow to ensure that your data is ready to be brought into your new platform:

• Fix incomplete information in Salesforce.
  It is important to bring over complete and accurate records to prevent duplicates and errors.

• Check for Required Fields.
  Required Fields are in place to ensure that your data is organized correctly.
• Customize Fields.
  Create Custom Fields in Salesforce prior to importing data.
• Clean up your spreadsheet.
  Every piece of information on the spreadsheet has its place in Salesforce, so keeping a clean document will allow the import to be as smooth and organized as possible.
• Keep accounts and contacts in the same place.
  It is most time-efficient to import both contacts and accounts together, but you can also import separately using dataloader.io instead of Data Import Wizard in Salesforce.
• Delete any duplicate.
  Avoid entering the same contact more than once or importing the same person as a contact and a lead.
• Format Properly.
  Keep separate columns on your spreadsheet for street, city, state, and zip code.
• Include email addresses with names.
  It is best practice to keep accounts and contacts matched by email.
• Edit the record Owners.
  Include an Owner Full Name column on your spreadsheet to keep items properly assigned. If the spreadsheet does not include the Owners, the person doing the import will be the Owner of everything.
• Triple-check the spelling.
  It is much easier to edit the spelling for companies and other data before importing, so keep an eye out for any misspelled data.

Establish a Data Clean Up Practice

Once your data has been brought over, it is best practice to create an internal standard on how often your data gets cleaned, archived, or removed. Keeping up with routine data validation practices will help maintain the quality of your data, ensuring that you are maximizing your Salesforce investment.

The Sikich Salesforce Team consists of consultants and developers, giving us vast experience with data migrations and the Salesforce CRM as a whole. Because data migrations are such a common pain point for our clients, we have created ways to streamline the process, making it more affordable and time-efficient. This frees up time for our clients, allowing them to focus more on their day-to-day business needs. If your team has plans to import data into your Salesforce Org, or another platform, we are always available to advise, guide, and assist in any way that we can. What spring cleaning is your organization doing this year?