Migration

3 ways to import data

Every organization has data stored online about customers, products, leads, contacts, contracts, sales literature, competitors, and more. Perhaps you want to transfer this data to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online as part of your initial implementation, or have purchased data after everyone was already using Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Wherever the data comes from, you can automate the process of importing it into Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online so that no one has to manually enter the data.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online includes three tools for importing data, each of which is useful in different circumstances:

Import Data Wizard: Used by any user for importing:
- Multiple files containing record types that are related to each other, such as accounts with related contacts
  You can compress multiple files of the same file type (that is, all .csv, all .txt, or all .xml files) in a .zip file and import the .zip file.
- Records that need to be assigned to different Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online users
- Notes and attachments
Data Migration Manager: Used by the system administrator to migrate data from another customer relationship system.
Note

Data Migration Manager is not used in the following scenarios:

Upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online version 3.0 to version 4.0. This task is done by running Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online version 4.0 Setup.
Moving deployments from one Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online server to another computer. This task is done by using the Import Organization Wizard, part of Deployment Manager. Deployment Manager is a tool that is installed on the server as part of installing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.

Important

The Data Migration Manager is not available for download. Most of the features that are available in the Data Migration Manager are now available in the Import Data Wizard in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. However, if you want to use the Data Migration Manager, contact Technical Support at 877-CRM-CHOICE.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software Development Kit: Used by a programmer to develop a custom import solution.

Comparison: Import Data Wizard and Data Migration Manager

The following table summarizes which tool to use for each task:

Task	Import Data Wizard	Data Migration Manager
Bring data into more than 50 Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online record types	Yes (All users with appropriate permissions can import data.)	Yes (Only the system administrator can migrate data.)
Bring data into custom record types and attributes	Yes	Yes
Use multiple source files that contain related data	Yes	Yes
Assign records to multiple users	Yes	Yes
Detect duplicates	Yes	No (You can run duplicate detection after migrating the records.)
Delete all records associated with one job	Yes	Yes
Automatically map data based on column headings in source file	Yes	No
Map drop-down list values	No (To map list values, you must manually edit a data map.)	No (To map list values, you must manually edit a data map.)
Set value of Created On attribute from source data	Yes	Yes
Customize Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to match data	Yes	Yes (Data Migration Manager can create custom record types and attributes.)
Transform data	Yes (Complex data transformations are possible.)	Yes (Complex data transformations are possible.)
Send e-mail message to user when task is done	No	No

On This Page

Import data using the Import Data Wizard

Migrate data from another customer relationship management system

Build your own custom migration tools

Import data using the Import Data Wizard

The Import Data Wizard is built in to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, and can be used by anyone who needs to import data.

Common reasons for using this tool include:

Records need to be assigned to different Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online users.
The data includes many related records. This is typically the case if you are using an existing system, such as a contact-management system that tracks accounts, contacts, and history of interactions.
The data is in multiple files.
You want to transform the data as it is migrated. For example, if you need to split one field into two, combine several fields into one, or modify a date field as it is migrated.
Import leads that you have collected at a trade show or have purchased
Update your price lists or product lists from a spreadsheet

Import the following types of records:

Click to see record types you can import data to

When you import data, you must specify where each column in your source data belongs in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online record. The Import Data Wizard makes it easy to do this mapping. If you need to do frequent imports from a specific type of file, such as a spreadsheet generated by a business-card reader, you can create and reuse your data map each time you need to import new data.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online also provides templates for data import for each importable Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online record type. Each template contains information about the supported column headings for that record types. You need to simply add your data into these templates and do an import. When you import data using these templates, the Import Data Wizard automatically maps your files and columns to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online record types and fields. For more information about templates for data import, see Work with Data Import Templates.

System administrators and managers can control the permissions for those who can import which types of data. For example, people with sales-related or marketing-related security roles might be allowed to import leads, but not products or price lists.

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Migrate data from another customer relationship management system

The Data Migration Manager is a separate tool that is typically used when you first implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to bring data from your legacy databases and systems into Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. It can only be used by someone with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online System Administrator security role.

Common reasons for using Data Migration Manager include:

Records need to be assigned to different Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online users.
The data includes many related records. This is typically the case if you are using an existing system, such as a contact-management system that tracks accounts, contacts, and history of interactions. Another example is a service-scheduling program that tracks service resources and appointments, and you need to import existing service resources and appointments.
The data is in multiple files.
You want to transform the data as it is migrated. For example, if you need to split one field into two, combine several fields into one, or modify a date field as it is migrated.
You want to set the Created-On date to a date in the past as part of importing the data.

The Data Migration Manager includes data maps for commonly used customer-relationship management (CRM) systems, and additional data maps may be available for download.

Important

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Build your own custom migration tools

If you want to automate the migration process, you can use the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software Development Kit tools to create a custom program to migrate your data.

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