For data migration consultants: what to do with the history that does not move

Why the cutover plan is the moment to raise it

Every migration ends with a scope line: open items and a few years of history move to the new platform, and everything older is archived, left in a read-only instance or deleted when the old license lapses. As the specialist who draws that line, you are the person most likely to notice when the history being left behind is worth a second look by the company's owner.

That residue is often the richest part of the record. Closed orders with their exceptions, old CRM activities, resolved tickets with full threads, change logs and approval comments are exactly the records of real work that AI developers license for training and evaluating agents. SourceX manages that licensing for companies, from rights review to delivery and payment. Your part is a well-timed introduction, made before the old system is switched off.

What typically stays behind in a migration

System-specific notes are in the briefs on Dynamics NAV records and on email archive migration, which covers moving off a legacy archive without losing history.

The fourth bucket: move, archive, delete or assess

Most migration triage uses three buckets. Add a fourth, assess, for history that might be worth an owner's attention. Tag a data set as assess when the following hold:

• The company reached 50+ full-time employees at peak, contractors excluded, and has several years of documented operations.
• The history runs to several years and is the company's own record of its operations.
• Records carry free text and outcomes, not only codes and totals.
• Nothing suggests the data belongs to someone else, such as client data the company processed under contract.
• Someone can still produce a complete, readable export before the old system goes dark.
• The steering group gives you a route to an authorized sponsor such as the owner, CEO or CFO.

An assess tag changes nothing in your migration scope. It simply means the owner should decide about the archive before it disappears.

Retention policy comes first

Whether old data is kept at all is the company's decision under its retention policy and the law, not yours and not SourceX's. California's privacy statute, for example, requires notice at collection that covers how long personal information is kept, and requires collection, use and retention to be reasonably necessary and proportionate (Cal. Civ. Code 1798.100). Other states have their own rules.

So frame the question carefully. You are not asking the client to keep personal data longer because of a possible deal. You are asking whether records the policy already allows it to keep, often business records about orders, tickets, projects and processes, should be preserved in a complete export rather than lost by default when a subscription ends. If the policy says delete, the archive goes. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel before acting.

Where the conversation fits in the migration timeline

If you work as a subcontractor to an implementation partner, your prime contract may limit what you can say to the client. The guide on ERP implementation SOW confidentiality covers that ground, and colleagues who advise on platform choice can use the software selection consultants page.

How the introduction works without touching the archive

You have direct access to the data. For this program, that access stays inside your migration scope.

1. Raise the archive with the executive sponsor and agree that they want to explore it.
2. Register and share your referral link, which takes the company to sourcex.si/apply with your referral code attached, or use the referral form with basic fit details.
3. SourceX qualifies the company on size, history, breadth of records and rights.
4. The company's own team records what each system holds and how many years it covers; a structured list is easier with the data inventory builder.
5. A single all-in price and the contract terms are agreed; the company is not bound until it signs.
6. AI labs and data buyers review, and the company decides whether to proceed.
7. Records are prepared only under redaction and de-identification rules agreed with the company, and delivered after an executed agreement and the company's authorization.

You never extract a sample for SourceX, upload anything or describe the archive's contents to anyone outside the client.

What to say at the steering meeting

How rewards work for migration specialists

Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company. The reward becomes payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee; an introduction, meeting or signed agreement alone does not trigger payment, and no reward is guaranteed.

The reward is drawn from SourceX's fee and never reduces the client's payment. Credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application within the attribution window, so make the introduction while you are still on the project. Analytics colleagues on the same program have a referral playbook for analytics consultants.

When to leave the archive alone

• The business does not meet the baseline of 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded).
• The archive is mostly consumer personal data or patient records.
• The data was processed for the company's clients, as in a payroll, billing or IT outsourcing migration.
• The retention policy or a legal requirement says the records must be deleted.
• A court, trustee or assignee controls the company's assets and has not been involved.
• Nobody can produce a usable export before shutdown.
• The archive was already licensed to an AI developer for training.

Next step

On your current project, add an assess column to the data mapping sheet and review it with the sponsor before the mapping freeze. When you are ready to introduce the owner, register as a partner first so your referral link can carry the company to sourcex.si/apply.