Guide: Moving Off Spreadsheets or Legacy Systems Mid-Season
This guide is for marina operators who want to move off spreadsheets or a legacy system mid-season. Follow eight steps, from a freeze point on Day 0 through a parallel run to go-live, and reconcile every active assignment and agreement against reality, walking the docks if needed, before you sign off.
Principle: No rip-and-replace. Start with slips, boats, leases and meter readings. Keep your POS and accounting exactly as they are. Payments are optional and off by default.
Steps
- Freeze point (Day 0). Pick a cutoff date; export everything from the old system that day. Keep it read-only as your reference.
- Send export (Day 1). Any format: CSV, XLSX, even screenshots of the whiteboard. Use our templates if convenient. Include open invoices and balances as of Day 0, and tell us the next invoice number you want to use.
- Mapping and preview (Day 2–3). We map columns, load a preview, list exceptions. You decide each ambiguous item.
- Map build (Day 3–4). Upload layout, place and label slips, check fit rules.
- Reconcile (Day 4–5). Walk through every active assignment and agreement against reality (walk the docks if needed). Sign off.
- Parallel run (before go-live). Keep the old system open alongside SlipSlate and enter each change in both. Compare the totals each day, and go live when they match.
- Go live. New changes go in SlipSlate; the old system stays read-only for 30 days.
- Catch-up. Records created in the old system between Day 0 and go-live are imported in a further batch; records already imported are skipped, so nothing is duplicated.
Mid-season risks and how to handle them
| Risk | What to do |
|---|---|
| Boat moved during migration | New records import safely in a second batch. A change to a record already imported is made in SlipSlate by hand (or undo the batch and re-import, before staff edit those records). Then reconcile on the water. |
| Dates ambiguous (03/04) | Tell us your format; we flag rather than guess. |
| Meter reset or replaced | Mark it in the "Meter reset or replaced" column; we avoid false consumption. |
| Duplicate customers | Reviewed by you; no automatic merges. |
| Need to undo | Import batches can be reversed before staff edit those records; afterwards, correct manually. |
| Open invoices and invoice numbers | Import open invoices with the export. Choose the next invoice number before go-live, so new invoices continue your sequence. |
| Cancel later | Export full records, documents and history. |
Nothing, unless you turn on invoices or payments
You keep taking payment as you do today. SlipSlate gives you CSV-ready exports. Turn on invoices or payments only when you are ready; they are off by default.