# Migration offer for business intelligence software > Explain and scope the transition from manual spreadsheet models and exported reports to a verified business intelligence software workflow. A practical procedure with a worked scenario, category-specific checks and an editable worksheet. Source: https://saas-marketing.net/industries/business-intelligence/migration-marketing/ Topic: SaaS Product Marketing Type: field-guide Published: 2026-09-17 Last updated: 2026-09-17 Publisher: SaaS Marketing (saas-marketing.net) License: CC BY 4.0. Quote or republish with attribution and a link to https://saas-marketing.net/industries/business-intelligence/migration-marketing/ ## Short answer The decision to replace manual spreadsheet models and exported reports includes more than selecting a new interface. The analytics director needs to understand data preparation, permissions, integrations and the work expected from the business analyst. ## Key takeaways - Make transition work visible before the sale. - Inventory what must be preserved. - Use a representative sample with an exception. - Stop the migration claim from becoming a guarantee: a shared chart does not make an inconsistent metric authoritative. --- This field guide uses a company with an analytical data source and metric owners as its working context. The buying conversation involves the analytics director, while the business analyst needs to turn governed data into decision-ready reports. Adapt the scope when those roles, dependencies or operating conditions differ. ## Make transition work visible before the sale The decision to replace manual spreadsheet models and exported reports includes more than selecting a new interface. The analytics director needs to understand data preparation, permissions, integrations and the work expected from the business analyst. Describe the migration offer as a set of bounded responsibilities. Avoid promising a frictionless transfer when the result depends on source quality, access or unsupported historical fields. ## Inventory what must be preserved List the records, relationships, identifiers, attachments and historical context needed to turn governed data into decision-ready reports. Separate required operating information from material retained only for reference. Identify the authoritative source and the person who can approve a mapping decision. A large file count is not a useful migration specification. The specification should explain what the destination record means and how a reviewer will know it is correct. ## Use a representative sample with an exception Select a permitted sample that includes ordinary records and a known difficult case. Test a report traced from business definition to underlying records after the import or configuration step. A migration that passes only on a clean sample can still fail on duplicates, missing identifiers or historical changes. Record which transformations occurred and preserve a way to reconcile the result with the source. Keep private customer data out of public marketing demonstrations. ## Explain the integration and cutover dependencies Access to data warehouse and access directory may affect sequencing and ownership. Document which system remains authoritative during the transition and what happens to records changed after the initial export. Agree on a cutover window, a reconciliation method and a rollback decision. Marketing copy should point to these requirements rather than hide them behind an unqualified migration promise. A buyer can make a better decision when the dependency is visible early. ## Define acceptance from the user's perspective The first practical checkpoint is whether the customer can connect a governed dataset and reproduce an agreed metric. Verify that the business analyst can find the right information and perform the required action with appropriate access. Technical import success is only one part of acceptance. The concern "Self-service reporting will create conflicting definitions" should have a named test and owner. An unresolved issue should be documented as an exception, not silently removed from the launch checklist. ## Use the handoff to support adoption After cutover, explain how the team will maintain the new routine and where support responsibility sits. The longer-term condition is that decision makers use a stable report with understood definitions. Provide a concise change summary, known limitations and recovery instructions. If the offer includes assisted migration, state the scope and exclusions in the commercial discussion. Do not use a successful demonstration to imply that every account can migrate with the same effort. ## Category-specific review A report is useful when its audience understands the measure and can trace it to the underlying data. Self-service exploration and governed reporting have different needs. Ask which definitions are centrally maintained and which calculations an individual analyst may change. Reproduce one agreed metric from a small source sample and inspect access boundaries for a restricted field. Change a filter and explain what population now appears. An attractive dashboard should not conceal a different denominator or an unreviewed definition. ## Worked situation A synthetic migration contains 120 source records. The test imports 116 without exception and sends four to review because their identifiers or required fields do not meet the mapping rules. Record the four exceptions and reconcile the 116 accepted records against the source. Do not report "migration complete" simply because the job stopped running. The user must still demonstrate a report traced from business definition to underlying records. The example illustrates reconciliation discipline; it is not a prediction of the error rate in a real business intelligence software migration. ## Working worksheet | Working item | Category-specific starting point | Question to resolve | | --- | --- | --- | | Current source | manual spreadsheet models and exported reports | Which records and relationships matter? | | Required workflow | turn governed data into decision-ready reports | What must still work after transfer? | | Connected systems | data warehouse and access directory | Which system is authoritative during cutover? | | Acceptance exercise | a report traced from business definition to underlying records | How will the sample be reconciled? | | First customer outcome | connect a governed dataset and reproduce an agreed metric | Who approves the result? | Add your evidence, owner and next action to each row. Read the [worksheet instructions](/resources/#using-worksheets) before completing the file. ## Run the review with the people who do the work Bring the business analyst into the review of a report traced from business definition to underlying records. Ask them to identify the input they would actually have, the exception they expect to encounter and the person who receives the output. Then ask the analytics director which unresolved issue could change the decision. Keep the two answers separate until the team understands whether the obstacle is workflow fit, implementation readiness or commercial priority. Record any dependency on data warehouse and access directory beside the affected worksheet row. A dependency should have an owner and an observable completion condition. If it changes the scope of the offer, revise the public description before the next campaign. This prevents a useful planning exercise from turning into a promise the delivery team cannot meet. ## When to change the plan Stop the migration claim from becoming a guarantee: a shared chart does not make an inconsistent metric authoritative. If new evidence changes the audience, required workflow or acceptance conditions, update the brief and explain why. Compare later results against the version of the plan that was actually used. ## Continue with the next decision Use the [marketing to sales handoff guide](/industries/business-intelligence/sales-handoff/) when that is the next unresolved task, or return to the [business intelligence software marketing overview](/industries/business-intelligence/) to choose a different route. The [saas product marketing hub](/saas-product-marketing/) provides the broader method. ## Reference and scope The [primary category reference](https://www.metabase.com/docs/latest/) is a starting point for checking product terminology and current capabilities. This page provides an original planning framework. It does not imply a vendor endorsement, firsthand product test, original market survey or guaranteed commercial result. ## Frequently asked questions ### Where should migration offer for business intelligence software start? Explain and scope the transition from manual spreadsheet models and exported reports to a verified business intelligence software workflow. Confirm the customer situation and the evidence needed for the next decision before selecting a channel, format or tool. ### What category-specific concern should the team investigate? The concern "Self-service reporting will create conflicting definitions" needs an observable test or a clear limitation. Also account for the dependency on data warehouse and access directory; do not assume it is already resolved. ### What does the worksheet include? It contains the working items and category-specific starting points shown on this page. Add your own evidence, owner, status and next review decision. The examples are constructed, not reported results or industry benchmarks. ### How does this connect to customer value? The customer needs to turn governed data into decision-ready reports. A meaningful first checkpoint is to connect a governed dataset and reproduce an agreed metric; the ongoing condition is that decision makers use a stable report with understood definitions. Choose the stage appropriate to this piece of work rather than combining all three into one metric.