# Data Migration Validation Plan and Checklist

Version 2.0 · Updated 2026-09-21 · Planning

Plan and verify migration scope, mapping, transformation, reconciliation, exceptions, records, signatures, relationships, access, and retrieval.

Adapt this template to your intended use, applicable requirements, and approved procedures.

## When to use it

Before migration execution, cutover, archive, or source-system retirement.

## Information needed before starting

- Record inventory, retention rules and source/target schema
- Approved mapping, cleansing and reconciliation rules
- Cutover, rollback and representative retrieval scenarios

## Field instructions

- **Scope and inventory:** Identify the system/service or process, version and accountable roles. Specify the scope and supporting record rather than relying on a product name alone.
- **Source and target:** Identify authoritative sources, receiving systems and record identifiers. Describe supported formats, units, timing, transformations and error handling.
- **Data mapping and transformation:** Identify the approved rule and authoritative source. Include units, identifiers, rounding, missing values and exceptional paths that could change the result.
- **Cleansing rules and approvals:** Record the supported decision, restrictions, unresolved issues and rationale. Identify the accountable reviewer/approver and dated evidence under your procedure.
- **Migration tools and environments:** Identify the assessed configuration, representative data, selected activities and expected results. Include abnormal and recovery paths and explain remaining coverage gaps.
- **Reconciliation and sampling:** State what will be compared or monitored, against which baseline, by whom and how often. Define discrepancy thresholds and the response.
- **Exceptions and deviations:** Record the issue, affected functions/records, impact, containment, action owner and resolution or expiry. Link correction and retest evidence; retain unfavorable results.
- **Attachments, metadata, and relationships:** Identify the required record context, history, identity and relationships. Explain how integrity, attribution and retrieval will be preserved and checked.
- **Audit trail and electronic signatures:** Identify the required record context, history, identity and relationships. Explain how integrity, attribution and retrieval will be preserved and checked.
- **Retention, access, and retrieval:** Identify the account or role, permitted actions and business justification. Check authorization, inappropriate combinations, inactive accounts and evidence of removal or correction.
- **Cutover, rollback, and source freeze:** Identify the controlled transition or recovery plan, decision owner and evidence of restoration/retrieval. State how incomplete work is detected and reconciled.
- **Migration summary and approval:** Record the supported decision, restrictions, unresolved issues and rationale. Identify the accountable reviewer/approver and dated evidence under your procedure.

Define the specific system, service, change, population, and intended use.

Complete each field from available records and accountable interviews; record unknowns rather than guessing.

Link conclusions to affected GxP functions, failure scenarios, controls, evidence, and approval.

Adapt the structure to the organization’s approved procedures and document-control process.

## Completed fictional example

Fictional teaching example; this is not an executed or approved validation record.

| Field | Completed example |
| --- | --- |
| Scope and inventory | Fictional ten-year eQMS CAPA population |
| Source and target | Legacy eQMS to cloud eQMS |
| Data mapping and transformation | Immutable record, attachment, user, and relationship IDs mapped |
| Cleansing rules and approvals | No content cleansing; obsolete usernames mapped through approved identity table |
| Migration tools and environments | Controlled extraction and loading scripts in qualified migration environment |
| Reconciliation and sampling | Counts and totals plus full critical relationship check and risk-based retrieval sample |
| Exceptions and deviations | Duplicate attachment filenames initially mislinked; key strategy corrected |
| Attachments, metadata, and relationships | CAPA, attachments, approvals, and linked changes retained |
| Audit trail and electronic signatures | Signer, time, meaning, revision, and audit history preserved |
| Retention, access, and retrieval | Authorized and inspection roles retrieve representative records |
| Cutover, rollback, and source freeze | Approved freeze and reconciliation before target use; source retained until approval |
| Migration summary and approval | Approved only after full affected-population relationship rerun |

## Blank template

System / record ID: ____________________

Prepared by / date: ____________________

Required review / approval under local procedure: ____________________

| Field | Your entry |
| --- | --- |
| Scope and inventory | ____________________ |
| Source and target | ____________________ |
| Data mapping and transformation | ____________________ |
| Cleansing rules and approvals | ____________________ |
| Migration tools and environments | ____________________ |
| Reconciliation and sampling | ____________________ |
| Exceptions and deviations | ____________________ |
| Attachments, metadata, and relationships | ____________________ |
| Audit trail and electronic signatures | ____________________ |
| Retention, access, and retrieval | ____________________ |
| Cutover, rollback, and source freeze | ____________________ |
| Migration summary and approval | ____________________ |

## Related guidance

- [Read the related practical guide](https://csvtocsa.com/learn/guidance/data-migration-validation)

Canonical page: https://csvtocsa.com/templates/data-migration-validation