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Alarm dealer software conversion: what account history carries over
By SourceX Editorial · Updated
Short answer
In an alarm software data conversion, customer, site and recurring billing records usually carry over; invoice history, service tickets and notes sometimes do; and signal history rarely does, because it lives in central station automation. Ask the conversion vendor for its standard item list in writing, then export and archive everything the list leaves out before cutover.
Key takeaways
- Conversions reliably move the records that drive next month's invoices, not the history behind each account.
- Get the conversion vendor's standard item list in writing before you sign.
- Signal history sits with the central station, so a billing conversion never moves it.
- Export closed invoices, tickets, notes and attachments before the old system is retired.
- Test a hard sample of accounts, including acquired and cancelled ones, before billing from the new system.
What carries over in an alarm billing software conversion?#
An alarm billing software conversion usually carries over the records that drive next month's invoices: customers, sites, contacts, recurring monthly revenue lines, billing cycles and open balances. The deeper history that explains each account, from past invoices to service tickets and signal history, moves far less reliably.
Conversion vendors usually work from a standard list of items they map from common source systems, such as Alarm Biller or MicroKey, into the new platform, for example SedonaOffice. Ask for that list in writing before you sign, along with the source versions they support and the items they treat as optional or extra.
Anything not on the list stays in the old system. Unless you export it first, it disappears when the old license lapses or the old server is switched off.
Record types: usually, sometimes or rarely converted#
Record types fall into three groups by how often they survive a conversion. Use the table to plan exports for everything outside the first group, and confirm each line with your own vendor, since lists differ.
| Record type | How often it converts | Where it often lives | Plan for the rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer, site and contact master | Usually | Billing system | Spot-check names, addresses and billing contacts |
| Recurring RMR lines and billing cycles | Usually | Billing system | Reconcile total RMR before and after |
| Open receivables | Usually | Billing system | Tie aging totals to the general ledger |
| Contract dates and terms | Sometimes | Billing system or scanned files | Export contract fields and keep the signed PDFs |
| Closed invoice and payment history | Sometimes, often limited in depth | Billing system | Export full history by year to a readable format |
| Autopay card and bank details | Sometimes, depending on the payment processor | Payment processor vault | Confirm the token migration plan with both processors |
| Service tickets and work orders | Sometimes | Billing or service module | Export tickets with notes, parts and technician |
| Inspection records and reports | Sometimes | Service module or separate files | Export reports and inspection schedules |
| Notes and attachments | Rarely complete | Billing system file store | Bulk export and index by account number |
| Zones and call lists | Rarely, usually central station data | Central station automation | Request a dealer export from the central station |
| Signal history | Rarely | Central station automation | Request history under your dealer number |
| Account acquisition records | Rarely | Spreadsheets and deal files | Keep purchase agreements with their account lists |
Why signal history rarely moves#
Signal history rarely moves because it is not billing data. Alarms, troubles, openings, closings and operator actions are recorded by the central station's automation software, and a dealer that uses a wholesale central station often sees that history only through a portal.
A billing conversion does not touch that database, but a central station change or a new dealer number can cut off your access to it. Ask your central station what history it keeps, for how long, and in what format it can export your accounts' history if you need it for a dispute, an account sale or an insurance question.
Zones and call lists follow the same pattern. Operators work from the central station's copy, while the billing system may hold an older copy that nobody updated. Before cutover, compare the two for a sample of accounts and decide which one is the master record.
Export steps for records that will not convert#
Export steps for non-converted records should be finished before cutover, while the old system still runs and staff still remember how it works. Work through them in this order:
Name one person to own the archive after cutover. Exports that nobody can find once the office manager moves on are almost as lost as records that were never exported.
- Set a freeze date for the old system and tell staff when entry stops.
- Run full exports of invoices, payments, service tickets and notes, split by year if large reports fail.
- If the old system runs on a local database, ask IT or the vendor for a full backup plus a data dictionary that explains the tables.
- Bulk export attachments and keep their link to the account number in the file name or an index.
- Save statement and contract PDFs for accounts with open disputes or collections.
- Check whether you can keep a read-only license, and record who holds the login and where the backup is stored.
How to test the conversion before go-live#
Testing a conversion means comparing a sample of accounts, record by record, between the old and new systems before you bill from the new one. Pick accounts that stress the mapping, not only easy residential ones.
Keep the test results with the conversion file. If a customer later disputes a charge that changed at conversion, the comparison shows what the old system held and when the change happened.
| Check | Compare | Passes when |
|---|---|---|
| RMR totals | Total recurring revenue and count of billable accounts | Totals match, or every difference is explained |
| Receivables | Aging buckets by customer | Balances tie to the old system and the ledger |
| Mixed accounts | Sites with monitoring, service plans and inspections | Every recurring line appears with the right cycle |
| Acquired accounts | Accounts bought from other dealers | Original contract dates and terms are preserved |
| Cancelled accounts | Recently cancelled and in-collection accounts | Status, balance and cancel reason carried over |
| Autopay | Accounts on card or bank draft | The next draft runs without asking the customer again |
Illustrative: a dealer converting from an on-premises billing package#
Illustrative: a fictional alarm dealer with residential, commercial and fire inspection accounts moves from an on-premises billing package to a cloud platform. The conversion vendor's list covers customers, sites, RMR lines, open balances and contract dates, but only a limited depth of closed invoices and no service ticket notes.
Before cutover, the office manager exports every year of invoices, payments and tickets to spreadsheets, stores a full database backup with the old vendor's table guide, and requests a signal history export from the wholesale central station. When the dealer later considers selling part of its account base, a buyer asks for attrition by year and service call frequency, and the archive answers both questions.
How SourceX treats alarm account history#
SourceX treats alarm account history as a record of real service decisions: why accounts cancelled, which trouble signals led to service calls, and how inspection deficiencies were resolved. Under the SourceX five-step transaction of Supply, Rights, Preparation, Approval and Delivery, subscriber names, addresses and other personal details are removed before anything is shared, and the dealer approves each step. A preserved archive is the starting point, because history lost in a conversion cannot be recovered later.
Frequently asked questions
How much invoice history should we convert?
Convert what staff need for daily billing questions, and archive the rest in a readable format. Full history inside the new system is convenient but can slow the conversion and raise its cost. An archive you can search by account number usually covers audits, disputes and buyer requests.
Do autopay card and bank details convert?
Often not directly. Card and bank details usually sit in a payment processor's vault as tokens, and moving them depends on the old and new processors agreeing to a token migration. Confirm the plan with both processors early so customers are not asked to re-enter their details.
Can we keep the old system running read-only?
Often yes for on-premises software, subject to the license, and sometimes for cloud software on a reduced plan. Check the terms, keep the server patched or isolated, and decide in advance when the read-only copy will be retired and what replaces it.
Who owns the data in a cloud billing platform?
Your subscription agreement decides. Many agreements say the customer owns its data and can export it, but export formats, timing and deletion after cancellation vary. Read those sections before you give notice to the old vendor, not after.
What if our central station also changes?
Treat it as a separate project. Ask the old central station for a full export of zones, call lists and signal history under your dealer number before accounts move, and confirm how long it will keep the history after you leave.
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