Start with a source-system inventory
List every system, export, spreadsheet and document repository that contains information needed in the target environment. Yardi may not be the only source and the most important data may sit outside the primary platform.
Record who owns each source and how frequently it changes.
- Core property management system
- Accounting or banking sources
- Document repositories
- Maintenance or vendor tools
- Leasing systems
- Spreadsheets used for critical reporting
Segment the conversion into data domains
Different data domains carry different risks. Lease dates and rent charges require different validation than vendor records or historical GL detail.
Assign domain owners who understand how the information is used operationally.
- Property and unit data
- Resident and lease data
- Accounting balances and history
- Vendor data
- Work orders
- Documents and notes
Document transformations and business rules
A migration specification should make every transformation visible. If statuses are collapsed, codes are renamed or historical data is summarized, document the decision and the reason.
This documentation becomes essential when a business user sees a difference between source and target.
- Field mapping
- Code translation
- Default values
- Record exclusions
- Historical summarization
- Exception handling
Use reconciliation as a control
Reconciliation should compare meaningful financial and operating totals, not only counts. Build a reconciliation workbook or automated test set before the final migration cycle.
Investigate differences rather than accepting unexplained variances.
- Resident balances
- Security deposits
- Payables
- Property-level balances
- Lease counts and status
- Key operational totals
Plan multiple test conversions
A first conversion proves that the pipeline works. Later cycles prove that the information is accurate enough for the business to operate. Reserve time between cycles for cleanup and mapping changes.
The final rehearsal should use production-like timing and responsibilities.
- Technical load test
- Business validation cycle
- Reconciliation cycle
- Final rehearsal
Control the final cutover
Define a clear transaction cutoff, late-entry process, approval criteria and rollback decision. Communication matters because users may otherwise keep updating the source after the final extract.
Maintain access to the legacy data as required for reference and audit.
- Freeze timing
- Final extract
- Delta handling
- Approval criteria
- Legacy access
- Post-cutover validation
Where Real Ops fits
Real Ops supports Yardi migrations and data conversions with cleanup, mapping, reconciliation, business validation and cutover planning across operational and accounting information.