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CRM data migration

CRM to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Migration Services

Bring customers, pipeline and history from any CRM into Dynamics 365, clean, connected and reconciled.

STW Services plans and runs CRM migrations into Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Dataverse from third-party and legacy platforms such as Salesforce, Zoho CRM, HubSpot, SugarCRM, Pipedrive and custom SQL-based CRMs. We assess the source, design the target data model, transform and de-duplicate the data in a staging layer, and prove the result with trial migrations and reconciliation.

  • Dynamics 365 Sales & Customer Service
  • Dataverse data architecture
  • Pune, India · since 2011
Illustration of several CRM platforms feeding a staging and quality layer that loads reconciled data into Dynamics 365 and Dataverse
Illustration with sample figures: several CRMs consolidated into Dynamics 365.
Source platforms

Migrating from legacy and third-party CRM platforms

Every CRM stores customers, deals and activities differently. The migration method stays the same; the extraction and mapping change.

Salesforce

Accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities, cases, custom objects, files and activity history. Record types and sharing rules need mapping to Dynamics 365 security.

Zoho CRM

Accounts, contacts, leads, deals, activities and custom modules. Layouts and picklists are mapped to forms and choice columns.

HubSpot

Companies, contacts, deals, tickets, engagements and associations. Many-to-many associations need a clear target design.

SugarCRM / SuiteCRM

Accounts, contacts, opportunities, cases and custom modules, often from a SQL database we can read directly.

Pipedrive

Organizations, people, leads, deals and activities. See our dedicated Pipedrive to Dynamics 365 migration page.

Custom & legacy CRMs

In-house databases, Access or spreadsheets used as a CRM. We work from the database schema or exports.

Platform names are examples of sources we can work with. The approach for your system is confirmed in the assessment, after we review your data, access and integrations.

Assessment

CRM migration assessment and source-system analysis

A CRM migration assessment tells you what data you have, what is worth moving, how it maps to Dynamics 365 and what could go wrong, before you commit to a timeline.

We analyse the source CRM table by table: record counts, how often each field is actually filled in, picklist values, relationships, attachments and integrations that write into it. In long-running CRMs it is common to find many fields that are rarely used and tables that no longer matter, which shrinks the migration and the cost.

  • Inventory of objects, fields, volumes and attachments
  • Field usage analysis and recommendations to keep, merge or retire
  • Integrations, automations and reports that depend on the CRM
  • Data quality findings: duplicates, missing owners, broken links
  • Target design, migration approach, risks and a phased plan

What you receive

An assessment report with the data inventory, a draft mapping, the recommended tooling, an archive strategy for old data and a plan with clear decisions for your team.

Not sure Dynamics 365 is the right target?

We also compare Dynamics 365 Sales Professional, Sales Enterprise and Customer Service against your requirements as part of the assessment, alongside our Dynamics 365 consulting services.

Architecture

How a CRM migration to Dataverse is engineered

Following Microsoft’s guidance for complex migrations, data moves through a staging database rather than straight from one CRM into another.

CRM migration architecture: source systems, a SQL staging layer with mapping and error tables, load tooling, and Dynamics 365, SharePoint and Power BI targets
Source systems, a SQL staging layer, load tooling and the Microsoft cloud targets.

Extraction

Data is pulled through the source CRM’s API or bulk export into a source snapshot. The live CRM is not affected and your team keeps working.

Transformation

A target staging area shaped like the Dataverse tables holds mapped, cleaned values: option sets translated, strings trimmed, owners resolved.

Loading

Data is loaded in dependency order through the Dataverse API or proven migration tooling, in tuned batches with retries, and every row is logged as success or error.

Data scope

What we migrate into Dynamics 365

DataDynamics 365 / Dataverse targetNotes
Accounts and contactsAccounts, contacts, parent account hierarchyAddresses and phones standardised; duplicates merged
LeadsLeads with source and statusDisqualified leads can be archived instead
Opportunities / dealsOpportunities, opportunity products, quotes if neededClosed opportunities are set to won or lost at the end of the load
ActivitiesEmails, phone calls, appointments, tasksLinked to the right record; history depth agreed
Notes and attachmentsNotes, file columns or SharePointLarge file volumes usually go to SharePoint or Azure storage
Cases and service dataDynamics 365 Customer Service casesOnly when service is in scope
Custom objectsCustom tables and relationshipsDesigned in a Dataverse solution before loading
Users, teams, ownershipUsers, teams, business unitsOwner set at creation, because it drives security

Original dates and owners

Created dates can be preserved so reports and ageing stay meaningful, and records are owned by the right user or team from the start. Change history from the old CRM normally stays in an archive rather than the new audit log.

Mapping & transformation

Field mapping, deduplication and cleansing

The mapping document is the contract of the migration: every source field, its rule and its target column. Transformations happen in staging, so they can be tested and repeated.

  • Picklists translated to Dataverse choice values through mapping tables
  • Owner emails matched to Microsoft Entra ID users or teams
  • Duplicate accounts and contacts matched by name, domain, email and phone, then merged
  • Text lengths, formats and required fields validated before load
  • Custom fields kept, merged or retired with your business owners
Field mapping examples showing source CRM fields, transformation rules and the Dynamics 365 columns they load into
Example mapping rules from source fields to Dynamics 365 columns.
Security & data model

Security, ownership and Dataverse data architecture

Dynamics 365 security is based on business units, security roles, teams and record ownership. Source CRM concepts such as Salesforce sharing rules, HubSpot teams or Zoho roles do not translate one to one, so we design the target model first and migrate into it.

Custom entities and tables

Custom objects become custom Dataverse tables inside a managed solution, with proper relationships, choice columns and forms. We avoid recreating clutter from the old system and keep the model maintainable for Power Automate, Power BI and future integrations.

Tools and APIs

Depending on volume and complexity we use the Dataverse Web API or SDK, Azure Data Factory, the Configuration Migration tool, established third-party migration tools or a combination. Small, simple datasets can use Dynamics 365’s built-in Excel and CSV import.

Security model

Business units, roles and teams designed before data loads.

Ownership

Users and stub users created first so every record has the right owner.

Dataverse design

Custom tables, relationships and alternate keys for repeatable loads.

Integrations

Systems that wrote to the old CRM are re-pointed to Dataverse APIs.

Delivery

CRM migration stages, from assessment to hypercare

Timeline of CRM migration stages: assess, design, build, two trial runs, user acceptance testing and training, cutover and hypercare
Relative durations only. Real timelines depend on volume, data quality and number of systems.
1

Assess & design

Source analysis, target data model, mapping and security design.

2

Build

Extraction, staging, transformations and load jobs with logging.

3

Trial migrations

At least two full trial runs into a test environment, timed and reconciled.

4

UAT & training

Your users test real scenarios on migrated data and learn the new system.

5

Cutover

Freeze the old CRM, final delta load, checks and go-live.

6

Hypercare

Close support after go-live, fixes and adoption tracking.

Example reconciliation report comparing source and Dynamics 365 record counts by table, with duplicates merged and open errors, using sample figures
Example reconciliation report with sample figures.
Proof, not hope

Trial migrations and reconciliation

Each trial run ends with a reconciliation report: record counts per table, financial totals such as pipeline value, orphaned records, error rows and a sample of records checked by your users. Differences are explained, fixed or formally accepted before cutover is scheduled.

Cutover planning

The cutover plan sets the freeze window, the order of final loads, who checks what, the go or no-go decision and the fallback. Trial runs tell us how long each step takes, so the downtime is predictable.

User adoption

Role-based training, quick guides and early hypercare make sure people actually use the new system. We track open issues and usage in the first weeks.

Want to know what your CRM migration involves?

A short assessment gives you the data inventory, risks and a realistic plan before you commit.

Request a Migration Assessment
Why STW Services

A structured CRM migration partner for Dynamics 365

A Microsoft business applications team in Pune, India, delivering for clients worldwide since 2011.

Dynamics 365 & Dataverse delivery

Dynamics 365 Sales implementations, customisation, plug-ins and integrations

Migration discipline

Staging, mapping documents, trial runs and reconciliation, not one-shot imports

Joined-up Microsoft stack

Business Central, Power Automate, Power BI, SharePoint and Copilot Studio in one team

Honest scoping

We tell you what will move, what will be rebuilt and what should be archived

FAQ

CRM migration questions

Straight answers before you plan your move to Dynamics 365.

Ask us a question
What is the best way to migrate a CRM to Dynamics 365?

For anything beyond a small dataset, use a staging database: extract from the old CRM, transform and clean the data into a structure that mirrors Dataverse, load in dependency order through the Dataverse API or a proven tool, and reconcile after each trial run. This is the approach Microsoft describes for complex migrations.

Which CRMs can be migrated to Dynamics 365?

Any CRM that offers an API, export or database access, including Salesforce, Zoho CRM, HubSpot, SugarCRM, Pipedrive and custom systems. The effort depends on data volume, customisation and data quality rather than the brand.

Can activity history, emails and attachments be migrated?

Usually yes, linked to the right accounts, contacts and opportunities. Large email and file histories are often partly archived to keep the new system fast and storage costs reasonable. We agree the cut-off with you.

How do you prevent duplicates?

Duplicates are identified and merged in staging using agreed match rules, and duplicate detection rules are configured in Dynamics 365 so new duplicates are caught after go-live.

Will record owners and security carry over?

Owners are mapped to Dynamics 365 users or teams and set when each record is created. Security is redesigned with business units, roles and teams, because source sharing models do not translate directly.

How much downtime is needed?

Normally only a short freeze at cutover. Trial runs measure the time each load takes, and a final delta load moves only the changes made since the last full run.

Can integrations that used the old CRM keep working?

They need to be re-pointed to Dynamics 365. We list every integration during the assessment and plan its replacement, often using the Dataverse Web API, Power Automate or Azure services. See our integration and automation services.

Is this the same as migrating Dynamics NAV to Business Central?

No. CRM migration moves customer engagement data into Dynamics 365 Sales or Customer Service. NAV to Business Central is an ERP upgrade or migration and is covered on our NAV to Business Central migration page.

Next step

Plan your CRM migration

Tell us which CRM you use, how many users and roughly how much data. We will reply with the questions that matter and a practical next step.

  • A reply from a Dynamics 365 consultant
  • Practical next steps and the questions to answer first
  • No obligation

Plan Your CRM Migration

Tell us which CRM or version you run today, roughly how much data you have and what Dynamics 365 should do on day one. A Dynamics 365 consultant will reply with practical next steps.

  • Describe your current CRM or Dynamics CRM version in the form
  • Mention users, record volumes and key integrations
  • Or email support@stw-services.com
Plan Your CRM Migration