Duplicates.
The same item under two codes splits its history, its order guides and its stock.
Data migration checklist
ERP data migration checklist for food distributors
1. Clean the item fileDuplicates, units, catch-weight and lot flags
2. MigrateItems, lots, pricing, order guides, open items
3. ReconcileCounts, pounds by lot, aging, trial balance
4. PilotA small group goes live first
5. Cut overWhen the numbers match, not on a date
Clean data can be pilot-ready in three to four days. Most full moves take one to two weeks.
Short answer: A food distributor's ERP migration works when the data that makes food distribution different comes across intact: catch-weight items with both units, lots with expiry dates, order guides, customer and contract pricing, open orders, and open receivables and payables. Clean the item file first, migrate, run a pilot with a small group, and cut over only when counts, aging and balances match the old system. Foodline AI does the migration for you and includes it in the subscription. Clean data can be pilot-ready in three to four days, and most full moves take one to two weeks.
Before you export: clean the item file
The item file is where most migrations go wrong. Fix these first:
Units and pack sizes.
Case, each and pound, with the pack written the same way every time.
Catch-weight flags.
Every variable-weight item marked, with a stocking unit and a pricing unit.
Lot and expiry flags.
Every item you track by lot or expiry marked, so receiving asks for it.
Names, categories and allergens.
Buyer-friendly names, consistent categories and allergen data your store can show. See product data cleanup.
What to migrate, and what to check
| Data | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Items | No duplicates; units, pack sizes and categories consistent | Every order, pick and invoice starts here |
| Catch-weight items | Stocking unit and pricing unit both set | Invoices bill actual pounds, not a nominal case |
| Lots and expiry | Open lots carried with expiry dates and quantities | FEFO picking and recall traces depend on them |
| Customers and ship-tos | Terms, credit limits, delivery windows and routes | Orders are checked against credit and cutoff |
| Customer pricing | Price levels, contract and bid prices, specials and quantity breaks | A wrong price is the fastest way to lose an account |
| Order guides | Each account's usual items, in the order they buy them | Customers reorder from their guide on day one |
| Vendors and costs | Vendor items, pack sizes and current costs | Purchasing and margin start from cost |
| Open orders and POs | Everything not yet shipped or received | Nothing in flight gets lost at cutover |
| Open A/R and A/P | Every open invoice, credit and bill, with aging | Collections and payables continue without a gap |
| Balances and history | Opening balances and the sales history you want to keep | Statements, reorders and forecasts need a starting point |
Reconcile before you cut over
- 01Item count matches between the old system and the new one.
- 02On-hand quantity, and pounds for catch-weight items, matches by lot.
- 03A/R aging totals match by customer.
- 04Open A/P totals match by vendor.
- 05The trial balance matches.
- 06A sample of customer prices and order guides matches line by line.
- 07Every open order and purchase order is present.
Pilot first, then cut over
Start small.
A pilot group of users and customers goes live first while the old system keeps running.
Keep the old system for lookups.
It stays available, read-only, until the migrated data checks out.
Tie cutover to validation, not a calendar date.
When the numbers reconcile, the rest of the team moves.
How Foodline AI handles migration
Done for you.
Foodline AI migrates items, customers, vendors, price lists, open orders, lots and history. You do not need an IT project team (data migration).
Included.
Migration and ongoing data management, including unlimited product images, are in the subscription. Unusually heavy cleanup is scoped as a support tier before work begins, never as a surprise invoice.
Timing.
Clean data can be pilot-ready in three to four days. When cleanup is needed, converting the data takes four to five days. Most full moves take one to two weeks.
You see the plan first.
Every move starts with a source review, and a small pilot group goes live before the wider switch.
Moving from a specific system
- Why data cleaning matters before you move
- Food distribution data consulting
- How to migrate from NECS entrée, step by step
- The QuickBooks alternative for food distributors
- All comparisons, with what a move from each system looks like
Book a walkthrough on your own data: send an item export and 90 days of order history.
Frequently asked questions
What data should a food distributor migrate to a new ERP?
Items, catch-weight settings, open lots with expiry dates, customers and ship-tos, customer and contract pricing, order guides, vendors and costs, open sales orders and purchase orders, open receivables and payables, opening balances and the sales history you want to keep.
What should I clean up before an ERP migration?
The item file: duplicate items, inconsistent units and pack sizes, missing catch-weight and lot flags, and messy names, categories and allergen data. Most migration problems start there.
How do I know the migration worked?
Reconcile before cutover: item counts, on-hand quantity and pounds by lot, A/R aging by customer, open A/P by vendor, the trial balance, a sample of customer prices and order guides, and every open order and purchase order.
How long does a food distribution ERP migration take with Foodline AI?
Clean data can be pilot-ready in three to four days. When cleanup is needed, converting the data takes four to five days. Most full moves take one to two weeks, and Foodline AI does the migration for you as part of the subscription.
Should we run the old ERP and the new one side by side?
Briefly. A pilot group goes live first while the old system keeps running, and the old system stays available read-only for lookups until the migrated data checks out. Tie cutover to validation, not a calendar date.
See it run on your own numbers.
Thirty minutes. We load a slice of your catalogue and show you the routines firing against your real order history, not a canned demo.
Book a walkthrough