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Switching restoration job management software: what transfers
By SourceX Editorial · Updated
Short answer
In a restoration software migration, customers, contacts, carriers and open job headers usually transfer through import templates, while the evidence in each job file, including photos, moisture readings, drying logs and signed documents, often needs a separate bulk export. Migrate open jobs, archive closed jobs in a readable structure, and pilot the export on closed jobs before cutover.
Key takeaways
- Structured records usually import cleanly; the evidence inside each job file usually does not.
- Treat the move as two projects: a migration for open jobs and a preservation archive for closed ones.
- Never assume a direct path exists between two restoration platforms; get each vendor's answer in writing.
- Pilot the export on closed jobs and check photo labels, reading dates and authors before exporting everything.
- List every integration, because some records exist only where the old platform meets another system.
What transfers when you switch restoration job management software?#
When you switch restoration job management software, structured records usually transfer and evidence often does not. Customers, property addresses, carriers, adjusters and the basic fields of open jobs can typically be loaded through the new vendor's import templates, while photos, moisture maps, daily readings, equipment logs, notes and signed forms rarely map field to field.
That gap matters more in restoration than in most trades, because the job file is how you get paid and how you defend a scope months later. Plan the move as two projects: a migration for open jobs and a preservation archive for closed ones.
Do not assume a direct path exists between any two platforms, including DASH and Albi. Ask the old and new vendors in writing what each can export and import, in which formats, and whether migration help is included or priced separately.
Export checklist by record type#
The export checklist below lists the main record types in a restoration job file and the usual way each one leaves the old system. Confirm each route with your vendors before you set a cutover date.
Assign an owner to each row and record where the exported copy is stored, so the archive does not depend on one person's memory.
| Record type | Typical route out | Check before cutover |
|---|---|---|
| Customers, properties and contacts | CSV export, then the new import template | Duplicates, multi-property customers and owner versus tenant |
| Carriers, adjusters, TPAs and referral sources | CSV export or manual rebuild | Program identifiers and referral attribution |
| Open job headers | Import or manual entry | Loss type, dates, status and assigned project manager |
| Closed job headers and financials | Report export by year | Revenue, gross margin and payer for each job |
| Estimates and supplements | Kept in the estimating platform, plus PDFs | Estimate versions linked to job numbers |
| Photos | Bulk download by job | Room labels, dates and captions |
| Moisture maps and daily readings | Report export or PDF per job | Readings by date, location and material |
| Drying and equipment logs | Report export | Equipment IDs with set and pickup dates |
| Signed authorizations and certificates of completion | Document export | Signatures and dates are legible |
| Notes, emails and texts | Export if supported, otherwise PDF per job | Author and timestamp kept |
| Invoices and payments | The accounting system remains the record | Job numbers match between systems |
Open jobs or closed jobs: what to migrate#
Open jobs should move into the new system so field teams keep working from one screen, while closed jobs usually belong in an archive. Re-creating years of closed files inside a new platform is slow, and the import often strips the context that makes a file defensible.
A practical rule: migrate any job still in mitigation, reconstruction, billing or dispute, and archive everything else with its documents grouped by job number. If a closed job reopens for a warranty claim or a carrier audit, staff open the archive rather than the new system.
Write the rule down and apply it on one cutover date. Mixed approaches, where some project managers re-enter closed jobs and others do not, leave a history split across two systems that nobody can search with confidence.
Pilot the export on closed jobs first#
A pilot on closed jobs shows what the export loses before it matters. Closed jobs suit the test because their files are final, so you can compare the export against the original screen by screen.
Keep a short pilot log of what you found and fixed. It becomes the documentation of how the archive was made, which helps if a carrier or buyer later questions a file.
- Pick a sample across loss types, job sizes, carriers, offices and years, including at least one disputed job.
- Export each sample job with every record type from the checklist.
- Open the export and compare photo counts, reading dates, equipment entries and signatures with the original.
- Check that timestamps, authors and room or area labels survived.
- Confirm the archive can be searched by job number, claim number and property address.
- Fix the export method, then rerun the pilot on a fresh sample before exporting everything.
Integrations that complicate the move#
Integrations complicate a restoration software move because some records exist only where two systems meet. Assignments may arrive from carrier or TPA portals, estimates live in Xactimate, readings may sync from moisture meter apps, and invoices post to QuickBooks or another accounting system.
Before cutover, list every integration, what it sends and receives, and which system holds the master copy. Redirect assignment feeds on a set date, and export any data that exists only in the old platform because an integration wrote it there.
Accounting deserves its own check. If invoices posted from the old platform to QuickBooks, confirm that job numbers in the ledger still match the archive, because revenue by job, carrier and loss type is what a buyer or auditor will ask for later.
Illustrative: a mitigation company switching platforms#
Illustrative: a fictional water mitigation and reconstruction company decides to move to a new job management platform before its busy season. The new vendor imports customers, carriers and open jobs, but closed jobs are out of scope.
The operations manager runs a pilot on a sample of closed jobs and finds that photos export as one flat folder without room labels, and daily moisture readings export only as summary PDFs. The team switches to a per-job folder structure with labeled subfolders, exports readings as both PDF and spreadsheet, and keeps the old platform on a reduced plan until the archive passes a second pilot.
When a carrier audits one of those closed jobs later in the year, the project manager pulls the complete file from the archive, with readings by date and photos by room.
How SourceX looks at a restoration archive#
SourceX looks at a well-organized restoration archive as a body of physical-world expertise: how crews read moisture, chose equipment and justified scope, linked to the outcome. Archives where readings, photos and estimates stay connected rate better on data cleanliness and human-generated signal, two drivers in the SourceX Enterprise Data Value Framework. Homeowner and personal details are removed before any license, and carrier program terms are reviewed for restrictions. The archive that protects you in an audit is the same one worth assessing.
Frequently asked questions
Can we keep read-only access to the old platform?
Ask before you cancel. Some vendors offer reduced or archive plans, and others close access soon after cancellation. Read your agreement's termination and data export sections, and finish the archive export while full access is still available.
Will timestamps and authors survive the export?
Not always. Exports sometimes reset dates to the export date or drop the user who made an entry. Check this in the pilot, because timestamps on readings and photos are often what proves drying progress to an adjuster.
Who owns job files stored in the vendor's cloud?
Your subscription agreement decides. Many say customers own their data, but export formats, retention after cancellation and deletion timing vary. Carrier program agreements may also set rules for how claim files are kept and shared.
How long should we keep closed job files?
Long enough to cover warranty periods, statutes of limitation, carrier audit rights and tax obligations, which vary by state and program. Ask your attorney and accountant to set a retention schedule, then make sure the archive format will still open when that period ends.
Should we migrate during storm season?
Avoid it if you can. A migration needs attention from project managers and office staff who are busiest during weather events. If timing is forced, freeze data entry in the old system on a set date and keep the pilot and archive work separate from live jobs.
Should we tell carriers and TPAs about the switch?
Yes, if assignments, file uploads or status updates flow through their portals or integrations. Confirm how assignments will reach you after cutover and whether a program requires specific software or data formats. A missed assignment during the switch costs far more than the notice takes.
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