Moving the data correctly.
WHAT A TRIAL RUN ESTABLISHES
Whether the procedure works How long it takes What fails
WHY DURATION MATTERS
Cutover happens in a window, and overrunning it is serious.
WHAT TO TIME
The complete run, on full volume.
WHAT TO RECORD
Every step, so the final run is repeatable.
WHAT VERIFICATION MUST CHECK
Record counts, source against destination Financial totals, reconciled Samples, examined in detail Relationships preserved
WHY FINANCIAL TOTALS MOST
They must reconcile exactly, and the business will check.
WHAT TO RECONCILE
Trial balance Customer and supplier balances Inventory quantities and value Open orders
WHO SHOULD SIGN OFF
The finance function, formally.
WHAT SAMPLE CHECKING SHOULD COVER
Ordinary records Unusual records Records with special characters or long values The oldest and newest
WHAT TO INVESTIGATE
Any discrepancy, however small.
WHY
Small discrepancies indicate systematic problems.
WHAT TO PREPARE
A rollback, if the load fails partway.
WHAT TO RETAIN
The source extract, unchanged, for reference.
WHAT TO NEVER DO
Proceed to go-live with unexplained differences.
