Moving to Zoho CRM from another CRM: the file limits, rules and order Zoho states

Sources and who can run it, per Zoho

• Zoho lists Salesforce, other Zoho CRM accounts, Pipedrive, Highrise, Insightly, MS Dynamics and Maximizer, plus any other vendor through a custom setup.
• API-based transfer, where you enter an API key, is listed for Pipedrive, Capsule, HubSpot, Insightly, Highrise, Bitrix and Bigin.
• Users with the Data Migration permission in their profile can use the feature.
• For Salesforce, Zoho's page requires an Administrator account and a zip of CSV exports including an Attachments folder; custom module files end in _c.

Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce to Zoho CRM, Zoho Help: Migrating Data

File limits and format rules

• Files must be CSV, with a maximum of 5 GB per file and 200 files at once; the total size cap is 25 GB.
• A ZIP may contain only CSV files; folders inside the ZIP cause an insert error, though Zoho's Salesforce page says the backup's Attachments, Documents and Content Version folders do not cause failure.
• A record keeps only its first 10 tags, and each tag can be up to 25 characters.
• More than 10 blank rows can mark the end of the file, so data after them is ignored.
• Data must not contain double quotes (except as delimiters), vertical bars or angle brackets.
• Checkbox values must be True/False or 1/0, and multi-select picklist values are separated by semicolons.

Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce to Zoho CRM, Zoho Help: Migrating Data

What gets migrated

• Standard modules are matched automatically by file name; files with _C in the name are created as custom modules.
• For Salesforce, Zoho lists Users, Leads, Accounts, Contacts, Deals, Campaigns, Notes, Activities, Attachments, Cases, Products, Quotes, Sales Orders, Invoices, Purchase Orders, Vendors and Price Books among supported modules.
• Records missing mandatory field values are skipped unless you set a replacement value during field mapping.
• Migration pauses if more than 5000 records in a module are skipped; you can then discard or continue.
• Autonumber and Formula fields cannot be created during migration, per Zoho.
• Zoho's pages describe moving data; they do not describe carrying over your old CRM's workflows, dashboards or custom code.

Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce to Zoho CRM, Zoho Help: Migrating Data

The order Zoho recommends

• Prepare CSV files that meet the format rules.
• Migrate users first, then map each record's Owner ID field.
• Create any custom modules before or during migration.
• Map parent modules before their subforms.
• For lookups to records you are not migrating, add Zoho CRM IDs to the export and use the Zoho CRM ID mapping option.
• Run the migration, review the post-migration summary, and upsert any missed files via Data Administration, Import.

Source: Zoho Help: Migrating Data

Undo and rollback limits

• Zoho says a Salesforce migration can be undone from Import History, and that incorrectly imported data can be deleted and re-imported.
• For upserts, Zoho says only newly inserted records can be rolled back: 'You cannot rollback all of your upserted data.'
• Choosing 'All records' as the upsert resolution overwrites every record regardless of later edits, and that overwrite cannot be undone.
• Zoho also offers assisted migration through a service form, per its Salesforce page.

Source: Zoho Help: Migrating from Salesforce to Zoho CRM, Zoho Help: Migrating Data

Before you migrate (practical advice)

This section is advice from experience, not vendor documentation.

• Decide what you will not bring across. Years of dead leads move as easily as live ones, and they will clutter the new CRM.
• Write down the old CRM's automations, reports and fields before cutting over, since the data export will not include them.
• Run a small test migration and check owners, lookups and attachments before the full one.
• Rebuild automation deliberately in the new system rather than copying every old rule.

Migrating without losing what matters?

Skyfall Labs plans and carries out CRM migrations into Zoho, including rebuilding the automation and reporting around the moved data. Because we are a Zoho Partner, treat our view with the interest we have disclosed.