How to Prepare Your Team for a Smooth Lightning Migration

Salesforce Lightning Migration: Step-by-Step Data Prep Guide

Adaptid | Salt Lake City, UT

Migrating to Salesforce Lightning is an important upgrade that gives your business a modern, intuitive user interface and improved productivity tools. However, a smooth migration starts with solid preparation, especially when it comes to your Salesforce data. At Adaptid in Salt Lake City, we help businesses prepare their data carefully to ensure the transition to Lightning Experience is successful and disruption-free. This guide outlines the key steps to prepare your Salesforce data for Lightning migration.

Step 1: Understand Lightning Experience

Before beginning migration, take time to get familiar with the Salesforce Lightning Experience interface. It offers a sleek, modern look and workflows that differ significantly from the Classic interface.

• Explore the Interface: Spend time clicking through Lightning’s menus and features to understand how it works.
• Learn the Lightning App Builder: This tool lets you customize page layouts and add components tailored to different users—knowing it helps you set up better experiences.
• Discover Lightning-Only Features: Lightning includes powerful tools like Lightning Record Pages, Kanban boards, and the Assistant to boost productivity.
• Note UI Differences: Lightning uses different layouts and terminology, so note these changes to prepare your users.
• Use Salesforce Trailhead: Salesforce’s free Trailhead modules provide hands-on learning for Lightning, which is a great way to get up to speed.

Step 2: Assess Current Data Quality

Good data quality is essential for a successful migration. Review your Salesforce data carefully to catch errors, duplicates, or incomplete records.

• Conduct a Data Audit: Look over key records and objects to identify any inconsistencies or missing information.
• Check Data Completeness: Ensure all necessary fields are filled to avoid gaps in your CRM data.
• Verify Consistency: Confirm related records share matching data and relationships, like lookup and master-detail fields, are intact.
• Maintain Integrity: Validate connections and dependencies between records to preserve your data’s structure.

Step 3: Identify Object Dependencies

Understand how Salesforce objects in your org relate to each other. Knowing these dependencies, such as lookup fields or master-detail relationships, helps avoid data loss or broken links during migration.

Step 4: Review Page Layouts and Components

Lightning’s interface differs from Classic, so review your current page layouts and components to see what needs updating or redesigning. You may want to replace some with Lightning components to improve usability and user satisfaction.

Step 5: Evaluate Customizations and AppExchange Apps

Review any custom code, Visualforce pages, or AppExchange apps you use to make sure they’re Lightning-compatible.

• Custom Code and Visualforce: Identify code or pages that may need rewriting or replacing with Lightning Web Components (LWC) for better integration.
• Custom Lightning Components: Check your custom components for compatibility and update as needed to work smoothly with Lightning’s UI.
• AppExchange Apps: Look for Lightning-ready apps or components on AppExchange and choose well-supported ones with positive reviews.

Step 6: Enable Lightning Experience

Once preparation is done, you can start enabling Lightning Experience for your users.

• Select Pilot Users: Pick a small group to start using Lightning and provide feedback.
• Communicate the Plan: Let your organization know about the migration timeline, benefits, and what to expect.
• Enable Lightning for Pilots: Turn on Lightning for your pilot group using Salesforce’s Migration Assistant.
• Gather Feedback and Adjust: Refine layouts, settings, and training materials based on pilot input.
• Roll Out Gradually: Expand Lightning access to more users step by step, offering support along the way.

Step 7: Test and Validate Data

Before fully switching, test your data in the Lightning environment to confirm records, fields, and relationships display and behave as expected. Also, verify that visibility rules and workflows still work correctly.

Step 8: Plan User Training and Communication

User adoption is key. Develop clear training sessions, guides, and support resources. Communicate frequently about the migration’s progress and benefits to encourage acceptance.

Step 9: Execute the Data Migration

When you’re ready, migrate your data from Classic to Lightning using a structured approach:

• Plan Your Migration: Define which objects and data migrate first, and schedule phases carefully.
• Backup Data: Take a complete backup of your Salesforce data before starting.
• Clean Your Data: Fix duplicates and inconsistencies beforehand to ensure a clean migration.
• Map Fields and Objects: Align your data fields and relationships between Classic and Lightning properly.
• Choose a Migration Tool: Use Salesforce’s Data Import Wizard, Data Loader, or API, depending on your data size and complexity.
• Perform the Migration: Follow best practices for your chosen method.
• Validate After Migration: Check for completeness and correctness of data in Lightning.
• Clean Up: Remove duplicates and obsolete data after migration to maintain quality.

Step 10: Monitor and Optimize

After migration, monitor system performance and user feedback. Fix any issues promptly and keep refining workflows and data structures to maximize Lightning’s benefits.

Why Partner with Adaptid for Your Salesforce Lightning Migration?

At Adaptid in Salt Lake City, our Salesforce experts guide you through every step—from planning and data prep to training and support. We tailor the process to your needs, helping you get the most out of Lightning while minimizing disruption to your business.

Empower Your Team with Salesforce Lightning Expertise

Migrating to Salesforce Lightning is an investment in your future. With the right preparation and expert help, you can make the switch smoothly, empowering your team with new CRM features and improving overall productivity. Reach out to Adaptid today to start your Salesforce Lightning migration journey.