This checklist is part of the WMS rollout guide for warehouse automation advisors. It usually follows the 15-minute owner meeting, and the annotated introduction email is the last step if the owner opts in.
Why the timing is set by the switch-off, not the go-live
Go-live needs only what the new system runs on: items, locations, open orders, stock on hand. Exception logs and closed work are not required to ship tomorrow's orders, so rollout plans tend to leave them in the old database. The date that matters for history is the day that database stops being readable: a license end, a hosting contract end, or a server being retired.
That date varies by system and contract, so take it from the company's paperwork rather than assuming. Two documented patterns show why it matters. Microsoft's finance and operations apps, for example, can archive live data by moving records marked ready for archiving into history tables and deleting them from the live tables, with compliance data held in Dataverse long-term retention; an archive like that is designed, owned and readable. By contrast, when a hosted subscription simply ends, retention follows the vendor's terms: Microsoft 365, as one example, keeps customer data in a limited-function account for 90 days after a paid subscription ends and deletes it no later than 180 days. Neither pattern tells you what the client's WMS vendor does, which is the point of asking.
Microsoft 365The checklist, milestone by milestone
The owners named are typical roles, not a rule.
Milestone 1: before the rollout is announced
- ☐Is closed exception history in the migration scope? Owner: rollout lead. If skipped: the scope document assumes history stays behind, and nobody decides what happens to it.
- ☐Where do returns, credits and claims live? Owner: finance or customer service. If skipped: the chain is assessed from the warehouse side only and looks broken when it is not.
- ☐What contract or license governs the legacy system, and when does it end? Owner: IT or procurement. If skipped: the switch-off date surfaces late, often after budget for an archive is gone.
Milestone 2: before cutover
- ☐Does the archive keep the order line, work ID and RMA reference together? Owner: data migration lead. If skipped: a claim can no longer be traced to the pick that caused it.
- ☐Are exception reason codes and their meanings exported with the data? Owner: operations lead. If skipped: codes become numbers with no definitions. Where the system keeps a dedicated log, such as the work exceptions log that Dynamics 365 writes for each short pick event, ask whether that log is in the extract.
- ☐Is a data dictionary or field list saved alongside the extract? Owner: IT. If skipped: the archive exists but cannot be interpreted later.
- ☐Have customer contracts been checked for limits on reuse of order data? Owner: the company's counsel. If skipped: rights questions appear at the worst moment.
Milestone 3: before the legacy system is switched off
- ☐Where will the archive live, and can someone open it without the old software? Owner: IT. If skipped: a backup no one can read.
- ☐How many years and roughly how many order lines does it cover? Owner: operations lead. If skipped: no one can describe the archive at metadata level.
- ☐Has the owner decided whether to hear about data licensing, and is the decision dated? Owner: owner or CEO. If skipped: the option lapses with the database, by default rather than by choice.
What each answer tells an advisor
| Finding | What it usually means | Your note |
|---|---|---|
| History in scope, keys mapped, archive readable | A linked chain is likely to survive | Candidate for introduction if the owner opts in |
| Keys dropped, warehouse history kept | Picks and exceptions survive without customer outcomes | Describe as partial; returns side may still exist in the ERP |
| Old system hosted by a former 3PL | Records may sit with a third party | Ask who controls the copy; may close |
| Switch-off already done, no copy kept | Pick-level history is gone | Close honestly |
| Owner undecided near switch-off | Real timing exists, from the company's own date | Raise once, with that date; no pressure |
Only the company's own documented date justifies raising timing. A guessed date is fake urgency, and it damages the advisor's standing on the project.
Qualification before anyone is introduced
Records and decisions stay with the company. The advisor collects what, how much, how long, which system and who owns it, then stops. The company also needs to meet the baseline: 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.
What stays unknown until SourceX reviews it: whether pick-error chains match current dataset needs, the outcome of a rights review covering customer contracts, how personal and customer details are de-identified, and whether any offer follows. Sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting an introduction.
The systems-side version of this pattern is covered in integration error-handling records. If the switch-off is caused by a business winding down rather than a planned upgrade, the 3PL bankruptcy guide applies, and logistics and warehousing lists other record types in the sector. SAP implementers can also see the SAP partner program page.
SAPNext 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.
If the last milestone ends with a readable archive and an owner who opts in, register as a partner, confirm fit on who qualifies and read the program terms before the switch-off date.