Church Database Migration: A Spreadsheet Checklist

A church database migration is a good time to improve your records, but it is easy to carry old problems into a new system. Before importing a spreadsheet, decide what each field means, who owns it, and how you will check the result.

This checklist is for people and household records. Giving history, safeguarding records, and confidential care notes need their own migration plan and access review. Do not assume a general contact import preserves those records correctly.

1. Name the source of truth

Choose one approved export or spreadsheet as the starting point. Save an unchanged backup in a location available only to the migration team. Work on a copy and give it a date and version number.

List other sources that might contain newer information: event registrations, group lists, paper cards, or a separate giving platform. Decide how conflicts will be resolved. The newest value is not always the correct one if it belongs to another household member.

Assign a migration owner and a second reviewer. Record unresolved questions in a separate issue list rather than guessing.

2. Create a field map

A field map connects the old spreadsheet to the destination system. It also exposes information you do not need to move.

Include an example value for every field. Mark fields that will be left behind and why. Preserve accents and spelling rather than forcing names into a format that loses meaning.

3. Clean records before importing

Remove empty rows and accidental duplicates from the working copy. Standardize obvious formatting differences, such as extra spaces. Preserve identifiers as text when leading zeroes matter.

Do not merge people only because they share an email address or phone number. A household may use one contact method. Compare names, household relationships, and other reliable information before deciding.

Keep a record of every merge decision. If you cannot determine whether two records represent the same person, flag them for review.

4. Confirm the destination's import rules

Every product has its own rules for matching people, household relationships, dropdown values, and blank fields. Read the current import documentation before preparing the file.

For example, Planning Center's CSV preparation guide describes matching dropdown values and using identifiers to reduce duplicate creation. Those details are product-specific; do not assume another platform uses the same behavior.

Ask whether a blank imported value clears an existing field or leaves it unchanged. Also confirm whether an import can be reversed and what happens to records edited afterward.

In TheFaithApp, open Members → Import members, upload your CSV, and review the column mapping before choosing Validate and preview. This step adds no members. Check the accepted, duplicate, rejected, and empty rows, then commit only the accepted rows when the preview looks right. The Member Data Hygiene and Migration guide explains the steps and how to correct excluded rows.

Imported members are not invited automatically. Review the new records first, then use the separate member invitation action when each person is ready for access. Keep that decision separate from completing the import.

5. Test a representative sample

Start with a small, approved sample or synthetic records. Include more than the easy cases:

• A single adult
• A household with several members
• Two people sharing an email address
• A name with an apostrophe or accent
• A record without a phone number
• A person belonging to multiple groups
• A record with restricted information

Use a test environment if the provider offers one. Otherwise, agree on how test records will be recognized and handled before importing them.

6. Use clear acceptance tests

Check each sample against the field map. Can the team find the person, open the correct household, see the expected group, and contact them through the right channel?

Verify permissions with a limited volunteer account as well as an administrator. A migration is not successful if it puts restricted notes into a general directory.

Compare counts for people, households, and key categories. Document expected differences caused by approved merges or excluded rows. Matching the total alone does not prove every field is correct.

7. Plan the cutover

Choose a quiet period and tell the team when updates to the old system will pause. Capture changes made since the sample export. Decide who can authorize the final import.

Your cutover checklist should include the approved file version, import settings, start time, responsible people, review steps, and a fallback plan. Keep the previous system available for authorized reference until the result is accepted.

Avoid inviting the entire congregation during the same hour as the import. First confirm that records and permissions are correct.

8. Review after the move

During the first week, track problems in one issue list. Include the affected record, the expected value, the observed value, and the person responsible for correction. Do not circulate raw exports in ordinary team chat.

Ask staff to complete real tasks: find a household, register a guest, assign follow-up, and produce a useful report. These checks reveal problems that a row count will miss.

Agree on retention for the migration files under your church's policy. Keep only the copies you need in approved locations.

Frequently asked questions

Can we import all our spreadsheets at once?

You may be able to, but overlapping sources create conflicts. Consolidate and review them before a final import.

Should we move old notes?

Review relevance and access first. A general spreadsheet note may not belong in a shared profile. Seek the appropriate ministry owner's decision.

How long does migration take?

It depends on record quality and complexity. Data review and approval often take more effort than uploading the file. Plan around tasks and acceptance criteria rather than an arbitrary deadline.

Choose software you can maintain

Use the small-church software buyer guide to evaluate import, permissions, and export needs before buying. Review TheFaithApp church management and ask for a demonstration using your field map before committing to a migration.