This tree is part of the integration cutover reconciliation guide. It answers one question for one client: who can say yes to a conversation about licensing the records a cutover left behind.
Who holds cutover records, and who can commit them
A cutover team is large and temporary. Many people touched the records; very few can decide what happens to them.
| Role | What they hold or know | Can they authorize a licensing discussion? |
|---|---|---|
| Integration engineer (often the integrator's) | Mapping logic, load parameters, rejected rows | No: built the pipeline, does not own the data |
| ETL tool administrator | Run history, pipelines, connections | No: technical rights only |
| Reconciliation analyst | Which counts were tested and where results are stored | No |
| Project manager | Tickets, comments, exception sign-offs | No, but knows where every decision sits |
| Credit manager, controller, operations director | The business meaning of exceptions; some approved them | Explain the records; not the signer |
| Implementation director | Coverage, systems, owners, decommission dates | Sponsor and convener; rarely the signer |
| CEO | Company records as an asset; customer and vendor contracts | Yes; authorizes and signs |
| General counsel | Statement of work, customer terms, privacy obligations | Sets limits; approval sits with the CEO |
Technical rights can be broad. In Azure Data Factory, for example, members of the Data Factory Contributor role can create, edit and delete pipelines, datasets and triggers. None of that says anything about who owns the order lines those pipelines moved.
AzureThe yes path: five questions in order
Ask these in sequence. The introduction is the first person who answers yes to question 4.
- Did this person build or run the cutover? If yes (engineer, administrator, analyst, project manager), they can describe records. Ask who sponsored the project.
- Did this person sponsor it? If yes, this is usually the implementation director. Ask them to bring in the CEO, and to confirm when the legacy system and project tools will be switched off.
- Is the company still independent? If it was acquired, the parent company's CEO may be the one who signs. The M&A integration records page covers who usually controls systems after a deal.
- Can this person commit company records to an agreement? If yes, introduce them. This is the CEO, who at founder-led companies is usually the founder.
- Is counsel aware? If not, suggest the sponsor brings general counsel into the first call, because they read the contracts that set the scope.
The common mistake is stopping at question 2, especially when the implementation director is enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is the reason to ask them to sponsor, not to sign.
Whose records are they: client, integrator or someone else?
Ownership splits along lines that the people in the project may never have discussed.
- Order lines, holds, customer accounts and approvals belong to the company, subject to its customer and supplier contracts.
- Mapping specifications and reconciliation workbooks may belong to the company or to the integrator, depending on the statement of work. Many contracts assign deliverables to the client; some reserve the integrator's templates, methods and tools.
- Run history sits in whichever tenant hosted the ETL tool. If that was the integrator's environment, the integrator holds it even when the data was the client's.
- Ticket history sits in the tracker of whoever ran the project. Jira records who changed a field and when, so the decision trail is there, but in someone's instance.
JiraIntegrators that are themselves being acquired face the reverse question, because their own project archives become part of the deal; the systems integrator roll-up page covers that side.
Branches that need legal or customer sign-off
Some records need someone else's permission before the CEO can say yes. The partner names the branch and stops there.
| Record class | Why it needs review | Who decides | Typical outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mapping documents the integrator wrote | Statement of work may reserve them | Counsel for both firms | Client deliverables in scope, integrator templates excluded |
| Order lines and customer accounts | Customer contracts may restrict reuse | Counsel, against key contracts | Some customers or fields excluded |
| Ship-to contacts and notes | May contain personal data | Privacy counsel | Removed or de-identified |
| Exception sign-offs and tickets | Usually the company's own decisions | CEO | Often the cleanest candidate |
| Run logs in the integrator's tenant | Held by a third party | Both firms, in writing | Requested through the client |
The exception decisions are often the most interesting part of the trail, as the worked exception example shows, and often the least encumbered.
What stays unknown until SourceX's rights review
When the right executive agrees to talk, be clear that these questions are still open:
- Rights: which record classes the company can license once the statement of work, customer terms and privacy obligations are read.
- Scope: which loads, years and fields are in, and what must be removed.
- Demand: whether any buyer wants cutover reconciliation histories when SourceX reviews them.
- Terms: whether an offer follows, and on what schedule.
The introduced company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), documented operating history, rights to license and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English. Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting introductions; the first valid introduction within the 90-day window is credited when the company submits a verified application, and one partner is credited per company. Why data rights matter explains what the review establishes, the post-merger integration consultant page covers introductions made mid-deal, and the referral brief template records who sponsors and who signs.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
Once the implementation director has named the executive who can say yes and counsel knows about the conversation, register as a partner, check the company on who qualifies and read the program terms before you introduce them.