An ATS data migration checklist for small teams

A candidate import can appear successful while losing the information that makes a record useful. A name and email may arrive correctly, but the job applied for, interview notes, or withdrawal history may be missing.

Define what must survive the move before uploading a spreadsheet.

Inventory records by relationship

Separate people, applications, jobs, attachments, and activity history. A person may have several applications with different outcomes. Flattening them into one row can overwrite the relationship between a candidate and a particular vacancy.

Create a field map with the old field, destination field, format, and rule for missing values. Include stage names, dates, source information, and the owner of each active application. Confirm how the destination handles time zones and archived vacancies.

Decide what should move

Keep the migration focused on records your organization has a valid reason to retain. Ask the responsible privacy or records owner to approve scope and retention decisions for the jurisdictions in which you operate. A software migration is not a reason to extend every record's lifespan.

Remove test accounts and obvious duplicates from the working copy. Preserve the original export in restricted storage so you can investigate discrepancies. Avoid sending candidate files through personal email to make the transfer easier.

Run a representative test

Choose a small sample containing an active application, a withdrawn one, a candidate associated with two jobs, and an attachment with a non-English filename. Use authorized test data or a properly controlled sample.

Check more than the import count:

• Can the recruiter find the correct application under the correct job?
• Are notes attributed and dated accurately?
• Can an interviewer see only the records intended for them?
• Do resumes and other attachments still open?
• Has importing a stage accidentally triggered a candidate email?

Keep automations under deliberate control during the import. Confirm their behavior with the vendor before moving live records.

Reconcile before the team switches systems

Compare counts by entity and outcome, then investigate unmatched items. Record rejected rows and the reason each failed. An unexplained difference should remain an open issue even if the overall total looks close.

Agree on a cutoff for edits in the old system and a method for handling applications that arrive during the transfer. Keep the old tool available only as long as your operational and contractual arrangements allow. Close the migration when the responsible owner has checked records, access, exports, and remaining exceptions, rather than when the upload progress bar reaches its end.

Further reading

• Learn how to to successfully implement an ATS - Workable
• The path to a new applicant tracking system guide | Tellent Recruitee

Related guides

• Plan your first month with an ATS
• How to choose an ATS for your small business