Inventory spreadsheets and workflows
List workbooks, owners, users, update frequency, business decisions, formulas, external links, and downstream reports. Identify which spreadsheets are temporary analysis and which are acting as operational systems of record.
Map the workflow around each important workbook. Decide what process should change, which users need the information, and what controls or approvals must be preserved.
Clean and govern the data
Agree definitions, required fields, identifiers, units, date formats, duplicate rules, and ownership for records such as items, customers, suppliers, and locations. Profile data for missing values, inconsistent naming, stale records, and formula-derived values.
Determine what to migrate, archive, or leave behind. A migration should not copy every historical error into the new system. Retain source records and reconciliation evidence according to business and regulatory needs.
Map, test, and reconcile
Map source columns to approved ERP fields and document transformations, defaults, relationships, and rejected-record handling. Run trial migrations with representative data and validate totals, relationships, exceptions, and downstream workflows with process owners.
Test end-to-end transactions after loading: create an order, reserve stock, receive a purchase, post an adjustment, or produce a report. Define acceptance criteria before production cutover.
Roll out with users and support
Choose a cutover approach that reflects operational risk. Some businesses can migrate a process at once; others need a phased release or parallel validation. Communicate when spreadsheets become read-only or unsupported, and who approves exceptional changes.
Prepare hands-on training, data ownership, access procedures, issue triage, and post-launch support. See our ERP solutions for small and mid-sized businesses for right-sized implementation guidance.