Buyer's Guide

ATS Migration Without Data Loss: A Field-Tested Checklist

December 11, 2025 · 9 min read

Most ATS migrations succeed on the export and fail on the import. After running 200+ migrations onto Screeq, here's the checklist that catches the silent data-loss patterns.

What gets lost (silently)

Custom field history, application source attribution beyond the most recent touch, interviewer-scorecard free-text, attachments past a certain age. None of these are part of the standard export schema for the big legacy ATSes.

The 30-day import checklist

Run a sample migration on 50 candidates first. Diff every custom field. Open three random applications side-by-side and visually compare. Confirm attachments survive. Verify source attribution. Then — and only then — schedule the full cutover.

The cutover weekend

Read-only mode on the old system. Full export Friday evening. Import + verification Saturday. Recruiters back live Sunday morning. Anything more ambitious turns into a Monday morning fire.

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