Last updated: June 22, 2026
In the engine room: a step-by-step look at data migration from Salesforce to HubSpot
You've done the hard work of planning. You've audited your data, streamlined your processes and created a detailed pre-migration plan. Now it's time to enter the engine room. This is the technical part of the migration, where your data actually begins its journey from its old home in Salesforce to its new, clean home in HubSpot.
For many, this phase can feel like a black box. It is often seen as a highly technical, complex process best left to developers. But that doesn't have to be the case. Although the details can be complicated, the overall process follows a logical, step-by-step path. Understanding this path will empower you to manage the project effectively, ask the right questions and ensure a smooth and successful transition.
Here is a demystified, step-by-step look at the four main phases of the technical migration.
1. Configure: build your new home
Before you can move in, you have to build the house. In the pre-migration phase you defined what your new home in HubSpot should look like. Now you execute this plan. This includes setting up your HubSpot portal to perfectly reflect the data structure and the processes you want to keep.
Here you will:
- Create custom properties: Based on your data audit, you create the necessary custom properties for your contacts, companies and deals in order to accommodate the data coming from Salesforce.
- Build your pipelines: You will construct your new, streamlined sales pipeline in HubSpot and ensure that every deal stage is clearly defined.
- Set up user permissions: You will add your team to the portal and configure their permissions to ensure that everyone has access to the information they need and nothing they don't.
- Data verification: Create lists in HubSpot to check the record counts. Do you have the same number of contacts and companies as expected? Spot-check a few dozen records to ensure that all their properties and associations were migrated correctly.
- Process tests: Run your core business processes in the new system. Can a sales rep create a new deal? Does your lead rotation workflow assign new leads correctly? This is where you will find and fix small errors or configuration mistakes.
This step is decisive. A well-configured portal ensures that your data has a clean, logical place when it arrives from Salesforce. Rushing this step is like moving into a house without furniture – it leads to chaos.
2. Migrate: moving the data
This is the main event. There are several ways to move your data, from manual CSV imports to sophisticated third-party tools. For a migration from Salesforce to HubSpot, the process generally involves exporting your clean data from Salesforce and importing it into HubSpot.
HubSpot's own import tools are surprisingly powerful and can handle most use cases. The process usually looks like this:
- Export from Salesforce: You run reports in Salesforce to export your clean contact, company and deal data as separate CSV files.
- Import into HubSpot: You use HubSpot's import tool to upload these files. The most critical part of this step is field mapping. Here you tell HubSpot exactly which column in your CSV file corresponds to which property in HubSpot (e.g. "Account Name" from Salesforce becomes "Company Name" in HubSpot).
- Associate your data: After importing your contacts, companies and deals, you carry out another import with unique IDs in order to associate them with each other (e.g. to link all the right contacts with the right companies).
For more complex migrations with extensive custom objects or API integrations, you can work with a HubSpot partner who can use more advanced tools to ensure a seamless transfer.
3. Test: quality assurance and bug fixes
Your data is in HubSpot, but you're not done yet. Now comes the critical phase of testing and quality assurance (QA). You need to test the new system rigorously to ensure that all data has arrived correctly, is properly associated and that your core processes work as expected.
Involve your end users – the sales and marketing team members who will use the system daily – in this testing phase. They are your best resource for finding problems you may have overlooked.
4. Go-live: launch your new platform
Once you have thoroughly tested the system and are confident that everything works as it should, it's time for "go live." This is the moment when you officially shut down your old system and your team begins to work exclusively in HubSpot.
This phase has just as much to do with communication as with technology. You should:
- Communicate clearly: Announce the official go-live date to your entire team in good time.
- Offer training: Schedule mandatory training sessions to ensure that everyone knows how to use the new system and understands the new, streamlined processes.
- Offer support: In the first days after go-live, make sure that your project team is available to answer questions and provide on-the-spot support to your users.
The engine is running
By dividing the technical migration into these four manageable phases, you can transform a massive project into a controlled and predictable process. It's no longer a black box, but a clear sequence of logical steps. With careful configuration, a methodical data transfer, rigorous tests # Week 3: Blog post & LinkedIn content
Nervous about the technical details? Our complete migration guide breaks it down even further. Download it for free or book a no-obligation migration consultation with our experts to discuss your specific needs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Salesforce-to-HubSpot Migration
How do I migrate from Salesforce to HubSpot?
The migration takes place in phases: data audit and field mapping, cleanup, test migration, final import of contacts, deals and activities, followed by validation and go-live. Structured planning prevents data loss and duplicates. Support is provided by our CRM implementation.
How long does a Salesforce-to-HubSpot migration take?
Depending on the amount of data and complexity, a migration takes between a few days and several weeks. Clean data, clear field mappings and a defined scope significantly shorten the duration.
What does migrating from Salesforce to HubSpot cost?
The costs depend on data volume, custom objects, integrations and cleanup effort. After a data audit, a fixed price can usually be calculated. More on the HubSpot CRM platform.
