Going Through With The Final Cutover

This is the final stage of the converting from another system. Having completed the previous conversion steps, as documented, you are now at the last of the recommended steps. By now, you are well aware of the time it took to get the data sets, and the time it takes to import the data. You have examined the imported data and are happy with the results. You have tested and worked your imported accounts to learn how your operators will work with the converted data in Collect!.

During the testing, you may have become aware of areas that must be set up for using Collect! Before committing to the final cutover, you should be able to answer YES to this question. Are you ready to announce to your users that you are ready to go?

If the answer is NO, and you still have questions about how Collect! works, then practice, learn more, and delay your final cutover. Someone must be responsible for knowing how to use Collect! with the newly converted data. The last thing we advise is importing 60,000 new accounts and going live before ever trying to work your data in Collect!.

Here are a few tips for when the final cutover happens:

Save the data sets that you use for the final conversion. If you should have to repeat the process, or redo it with some changes, the data set files may save a great amount of time. Without them, you would have to start over and get the data out of your old system again.

Sometimes it is a good practice to run both systems side by side for a complete accounting or collection cycle. The most important point is not to interrupt the flow of our business. The pressure of doing a conversion 2 days before you need your statements generated should be avoided at all costs.

Do not delete or remove your previous program. It's Murphy's Law that when the old program, or dataset, is gone, that will be the day you need it to tweak the dataset to re-import. Keep at least one computer running with the old program. It will be reassuring and handy to access information from the old system as you are building confidence working with Collect!.

See Also

- Successful Data Conversion
- Preparing For Conversion
- Testing Your Conversion