# What to inspect in a CRM export before switching Inspect what the export actually contains before choosing a destination or switching systems. Check the record types, fields, relationships, activities, and files against the receiving tool, because an export that opens correctly may still omit information or structure your team needs. Treat a CRM export as a snapshot of selected data. To assess portability, compare it with the records and context your team needs after a switch. This guide inventories files and their contents. Separate guides cover duplicate identity, sample migration testing, and rollback planning. All organizations, record counts, file names, fields, and audit results in the worked example and CSV are fictional. Canonical: https://areinum.com/guides/crm-export-review-before-switch/ Language: en Updated: 2026-10-31 ## Define what must travel List the records and working context the team needs after the move. Contacts and companies may be obvious, but deals, tasks, calls, notes, attachments, custom fields, and relationships can matter too. Ask the people who use each record what they need to continue their work, and record the source module and owner for each item. Set a date for the export and note the filters or views used. A file created from a filtered view contains the selected portion of the system. Keep the original export unchanged and make a separate working copy for inspection. ## Inspect the exported files directly Open each file and check its headers, record count, encoding, blank values, and identifiers. Compare a few rows with the source system to confirm that the expected fields landed in the expected columns. Record exactly which filters and property selections were applied so another person can repeat the export. HubSpot's export documentation says record exports contain current property values and associations. It describes export choices for properties and relationships, and points to separate methods for contact activities such as calls or notes. The available choices depend on the object and export path, so verify the options for the account you are leaving. ## Check relationships, activity, and attachments A contact file may show names and email addresses; verify that company and deal links also appear. Inspect relationship identifiers and confirm that the destination can rebuild them. Then check activity history, files, and other context beyond the main record export. A note or attachment requires its own confirmation in the exported files. Notion's import guide illustrates why destination behavior needs its own check: a CSV import creates database rows and properties, while a new CSV import cannot create new relations or formulas. Importing or merging adds rows rather than updating existing rows. These are Notion-specific limits, but they illustrate that a destination may not reconstruct every source relationship. ## Map the destination before a full switch For every important source field, name the destination field or mark it as unsupported, transformed, or still undecided. Test whether relationship keys have stable matches and whether the receiving system can store the same distinctions. Ask the owner of each workflow to review the mapping rather than relying only on the person who exported the files. If a field has no clear destination, decide whether it should be retained in an archive, moved another way, or excluded with a recorded reason. Keep the decision visible. Document how the destination will interpret each mapped value so the team can use the new records. ## Worked example: the missing activity file In this fictional audit, Willow CRM produces a contact export with 24 records and a company export with 8. The contact rows contain names and current email fields, and several rows include a company reference. The team does not find call notes in either file. The export register records that activity history needs a separate check before the destination is approved. The team also traces three contact-to-company identifiers across the exported files and finds that one referenced company identifier is absent from the company export. It records that gap and assigns an owner to investigate before any import trial. The fictional example records an inspection finding without attributing a data-loss event or a successful migration to any provider. ## Keep the next operation separate Export inspection answers what data and context are present. A duplicate review decides whether two records refer to the same entity. A sample migration tests whether selected data behaves correctly after import. A rollback plan decides how to restore service and capture changes made after switching. These are related steps, but they require different evidence and decisions. Use the inventory to decide whether a sample migration is ready. Keep access to the old system until the responsible owners have checked the exports, relationships, and destination behavior. ## Using Areinum Ask Areinum Assistant to organise the files and field descriptions you provide into an export inventory and a list of gaps to check with the destination system. Keep the original export unchanged while you review a working copy. ## Questions you may have ### If the CSV opens, is the export complete? Opening the file shows that it is readable. Compare its records, fields, relationships, activities and files with the scope your team needs. ### What if activities or attachments are missing? Record the gap and check whether a separate export is available and whether the destination can use it. Keep the source available until the team has decided how to handle the missing context. ### Does this inspection replace a migration test? No. Use the inventory to plan a separate sample test and a recovery route before changing the live workflow. ### Can I use my company's CRM export in the demo? The demo uses sample company data. Ask about access and whether your export can be used for the inspection you want to perform. ## Sources and further reading - [Export your records](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/import-and-export/export-records): HubSpot documents record exports with current property values and associations, export selection options, and separate routes for contact activities. HubSpot-specific documentation. Export contents and options depend on object, view, permissions, and account configuration. It does not establish complete portability to another system. (2026-10-18) - [Import data into Notion](https://www.notion.com/help/import-data-into-notion): Notion documents CSV imports as database rows and properties, and states that new CSV imports do not create relations or formulas and add rather than update rows. Notion import documentation, not a universal migration specification or a complete CRM export guide. (2026-10-18) Download the original worksheet: https://areinum.com/guides/crm-export-review-before-switch/crm-export-contents-inventory.csv ## CRM export contents inventory All organizations, record counts, file names, fields, and audit results in the worked example and CSV are fictional. | Source module | Export file | Export date | Export filters and options | Expected content | Relationships included | Activities or files | Export inspection check | Gap found | Owner | Status | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Contacts | contacts.csv | 2026-10-17 | Fictional active-client view; CSV UTF-8; selected fields: name, email, owner, record ID; associated company ID included | 24 records with name, email, owner, and ID | Company reference in selected rows | Call notes not checked | Trace 3 contact IDs and their company references across the files | One referenced company ID is absent from companies.csv | Morgan Lee | Review required | | Companies | companies.csv | 2026-10-17 | Fictional companies linked to active clients; CSV UTF-8; selected fields: name, domain, record ID; contact association options not verified | 8 records with name and domain | Contact links need verification | Attachments not checked | Compare 2 exported company rows with the source records | Relationship count not confirmed | Riley Park | In progress | | Deals | deals.csv | 2026-10-17 | Fictional open-deals view; CSV UTF-8; selected fields: stage, value, close date, record ID; contact and company IDs selected; quote files excluded | 6 records with stage, value, and close date | Contact and company links selected | Quote files need separate check | Trace 2 exported deals to their contact IDs | One quote file is not in this export | Sam Patel | Gap recorded | | Activities | activity-export.csv | Not exported | Planned fictional scope: calls and notes for active accounts with contact IDs; export route, available filters and options not yet verified | Calls and notes for active accounts | Links to contact IDs required | Export route not yet verified | Look for one known call and one note in the files | Separate export method may be needed | Taylor Chen | Not tested | 1. Create one row for each source module or file. Record the export date, filters, fields, relationship options, and the person responsible for checking it. 2. Compare a small sample with the source and trace identifiers across the export files. Keep missing relationships, activities, and attachments as explicit gaps. Use these findings to prepare a separate sample import test. 3. All counts, files, people, and gaps shown are fictional. The CSV records inspection work; completion requires evidence from the real source and destination. ### Limits of this method - The inventory is a manual review aid. It cannot establish export completeness without comparison to the actual source and destination accounts. - Provider export and import behavior changes and can vary by plan, object, permission, and configuration. Confirm the relevant account documentation before switching. - This guide does not perform identity resolution, a representative migration test, or rollback planning. Those are separate operations. ## Related reading - [Review duplicate customer records before an import](https://areinum.com/guides/review-crm-duplicates/) - [Test a CRM migration on a small sample](https://areinum.com/guides/test-crm-migration-sample/) - [Prepare a rollback plan before changing software](https://areinum.com/guides/prepare-crm-rollback/) - [One conversation for the work behind your business](https://areinum.com/product/assistant/) Explore the demo: https://platform.areinum.com/ The demo uses sample company data. Access may need to be arranged.