Data Migration Guide

Importing Your Data

Migrate your existing data from DealerCenter or other systems into BHPHApp

In This Guide

• Migration Overview• Preparing Your Data• CSV File Import• Field Mapping• Resolving Conflicts• Balance Reconciliation• Post-Import Verification• Best Practices

Migration Overview

What Gets Migrated

BHPHApp's migration tools support importing the following data from your existing DMS:

Customer records and contact info
Vehicle inventory and details
Deal records and terms
Loan accounts and balances
Payment history
Lead and prospect data

DealerCenter Integration

BHPHApp includes built-in support for DealerCenter CSV exports with automatic field recognition and fuzzy matching. If you're migrating from a different system, you can still use our generic CSV import with manual field mapping.

Migration Process Overview

1
Export from old system

Download CSV files from DealerCenter or your current DMS

2
Upload to BHPHApp

Use the Bridge module to upload your CSV files

3
Map fields

Match columns from your CSV to BHPHApp fields (auto-detected for DealerCenter)

4
Review & import

Preview the data, resolve any conflicts, and run the import

5
Reconcile balances

Verify imported balances match your source system

6
Go live

Once verified, start using BHPHApp as your primary system

Preparing Your Data

Exporting from DealerCenter

  1. 1
    Log into DealerCenter

    Use an admin account to ensure you have access to all data

  2. 2
    Navigate to Reports > Data Export

    Select "Full Export" to get all records

  3. 3
    Choose CSV format

    Select CSV as the export format — this is the format BHPHApp expects

  4. 4
    Export each data type separately

    Export customers, vehicles, deals, and payments as individual CSV files

Before You Start

  • • Back up your existing system data before beginning migration
  • • Verify your CSV files open correctly in a spreadsheet application
  • • Check for obvious data issues (blank required fields, garbled characters)
  • • Note the total record counts for each file — you'll use these to verify the import

CSV File Import

Starting an Import

  1. 1
    Go to Bridge > Imports

    Click "New Import" in the top right corner

  2. 2
    Select your source system

    Choose "DealerCenter" for automatic field detection, or "Generic CSV" for other systems

  3. 3
    Upload your CSV file

    Drag and drop or click to browse. Maximum file size is 50MB per upload.

  4. 4
    Select the data type

    Tell BHPHApp what kind of data the file contains: Customers, Vehicles, Deals, or Payments

Import Order Matters

Import your data in this order to ensure all references link correctly:

1st
Customers— Deals and loans need to reference existing customers
2nd
Vehicles— Deals need to reference existing vehicle inventory
3rd
Deals— Creates loan accounts linked to customers and vehicles
4th
Payments— Applied to existing loan accounts from imported deals

Field Mapping

Automatic Field Detection

When importing from DealerCenter, BHPHApp automatically recognizes most column names and maps them to the correct fields using fuzzy matching. You'll see a mapping preview showing:

  • Green — Automatically matched with high confidence
  • Yellow — Best guess match — please verify
  • Red — No match found — needs manual mapping

Manual Field Mapping

For unmatched fields or generic CSV imports:

  1. 1
    Click the dropdown next to each unmapped source column
  2. 2
    Select the corresponding BHPHApp field from the list
  3. 3
    Use "Skip" for columns you don't need to import
  4. 4
    Click "Preview Data" to see how your mapped data will look before importing

Tip: Save Your Mapping

If you're importing multiple files from the same source, your field mapping is saved automatically. Subsequent uploads from the same system will use the same mapping by default.

Resolving Conflicts

Duplicate Detection

BHPHApp automatically checks for duplicates during import using these identifiers:

  • • Customers: Matched by name + phone number or email address
  • • Vehicles: Matched by VIN (exact match)
  • • Deals: Matched by customer + vehicle + deal date
  • • Payments: Matched by loan account + payment date + amount (prevents double-posting)

Conflict Resolution Options

When a duplicate is found, you have three options:

Skip— Keep the existing record, ignore the imported one
Update— Overwrite the existing record with imported data
Create New— Import as a separate record (use with caution)

Reviewing Conflicts

Navigate to Bridge > Conflicts to see all flagged records. For each conflict:

  1. 1
    Review the side-by-side comparison of existing vs. imported data
  2. 2
    Choose your resolution (Skip, Update, or Create New)
  3. 3
    Click "Apply" to process the resolution

Balance Reconciliation

Why Reconciliation Matters

After importing deals and payments, it's critical to verify that loan balances in BHPHApp match your source system. Even small discrepancies can compound over time and cause issues with collections, payoff quotes, and credit reporting.

Running a Reconciliation Report

  1. 1
    Go to Bridge > Reconciliation

    This runs after you've imported both deals and payments

  2. 2
    Click "Run Reconciliation"

    The system compares each loan's balance, payment count, and principal against source data

  3. 3
    Review the results

    The report shows matched, mismatched, and orphaned records

Understanding Results

Matched (within $1)— Balance matches source system within rounding tolerance. No action needed.
Minor Discrepancy ($1–$10)— Small difference, usually from rounding. Review and adjust if needed.
Major Discrepancy (>$10)— Significant difference. Likely missing payments or incorrect deal terms. Investigate.
Orphaned Records— Records in one system but not the other. May need manual import.

Do Not Skip Reconciliation

Always run reconciliation before going live. Incorrect balances affect payment processing, payoff quotes, credit reporting, and collections. It's much easier to fix discrepancies now than after you've started processing new transactions.

Post-Import Verification

Verification Checklist

After importing all data and running reconciliation, verify the following:

Record counts match

Compare total customers, vehicles, deals, and payments against your source system

Spot-check 10 accounts

Pick 10 random loan accounts and verify balances, payment history, and customer info

Active loan totals

Compare total portfolio balance in BHPHApp vs. your old system

Payment history completeness

Verify oldest and newest payments imported correctly

Customer contact info

Check that phone numbers, emails, and addresses came through

Vehicle details

Verify VINs, mileage, and vehicle descriptions are accurate

Best Practices

Migrate during off-hours

Run large imports during evenings or weekends when staff won't be using the system

Keep your old system running

Don't cancel your old DMS subscription until you've fully verified the migration and run parallel for at least a week

Import in stages

Start with a small batch (50 records) to verify everything works before importing the full dataset

Document any manual adjustments

If you need to manually fix any records after import, keep a log for audit purposes

Train staff before go-live

Make sure everyone knows how to use BHPHApp before switching over. See our training guides.

Set a cutoff date

Pick a specific date to stop entering data in the old system and start using BHPHApp exclusively

Need Help With Migration?

Data migration can be complex. Our team is here to help ensure a smooth transition to BHPHApp. Enterprise plan customers receive dedicated migration assistance.