---
title: "Move your data into 1flux, checked before it's saved"
description: "ERP data migration with 1flux: import companies, contacts, items, opening stock and an opening trial balance from Excel or CSV, validated before saving."
url: https://1flux.ai/platform/data-import-and-migration
last_updated: 2026-10-11
---

Data import and migration

# Move your data into 1flux, checked before it's saved

ERP data migration without the guesswork: import companies, contacts, items, opening stock and an opening trial balance, validated before anything is saved.

## In short

1flux brings your data in through checked imports, not a black-box conversion. One import workbench loads companies, contacts and items from CSV, Excel or a paste, maps your columns and validates every row on the server before anything is saved. Opening stock and an opening trial balance post on your cutover date. Afterwards, bulk edit fixes data in a spreadsheet grid, and exports get it out again.

Map, validate, then import. Clean rows commit, and the row with an error goes to an error file. Up to 10,000 items per file.

View as text

1. An item list is added to the import workbench as an Excel file with 1,248 rows.
2. Its columns are mapped to 1flux fields: Item No to Item code, Description to Name (EN), UOM to Unit, Category to Category and Price to List price. Remarks are left unmapped.
3. 1flux validates every row on the server before anything is saved. One row uses a unit that isn’t set up, so it is flagged.
4. The 1,247 valid items are imported, and the row with the error goes into an error file to fix and import again.

The problem

## Your data is everywhere, and none of it agrees

Most companies moving to an ERP start from the same place.

- “Our customer list is in three spreadsheets, with duplicates and missing details.”

- “The warehouse uses one item code format and sales uses another.”

- “Our opening balances don't tie to the stock count.”

- “The last import tool accepted anything, and we found the errors weeks later.”

Two parts

## How does ERP data migration work in 1flux?

Data migration means moving your records and balances from old systems into the new one. In 1flux it happens in two parts.

Any time

### 1. Master data

**Companies, contacts and items** come in through the import workbench, whenever you’re ready. Import again when you need to, and bulk edit companies and items afterwards.

Once, on your cutover date

### 2. Opening positions

**Opening stock and the trial balance** post once on your [cutover date](https://1flux.ai/glossary/cutover-date), the date your books start in 1flux.

Dr Inventory · Cr Opening balance equity

Those two parts make up [data migration](https://1flux.ai/glossary/data-migration) in 1flux: master data whenever you’re ready, opening positions once.

Import workbench

## One import workbench for companies, contacts and items

Every import follows the same four steps: Add data, Map columns, Validate, Result.

1. Add data (CSV or Excel).
2. Map columns.
3. Validate (Every row checked): 1 row needs a fix.
4. Result (With an error file).

The same four steps for every import. Nothing is saved until you commit.

### Four steps, checked on the server

- **Add data:** upload CSV or Excel (.xlsx), paste straight from a spreadsheet, or type into an empty grid.
- **Map columns:** match your columns to 1flux fields. Duplicate mappings are caught before you go on.
- **Validate:** 1flux checks every row on the server before anything is saved and reports errors row by row.
- **Result:** commit the clean rows and download an error file for the rest. A retry never creates the same record twice.

Each record type has a downloadable template. The Excel template has live dropdowns, so values such as salesperson and status are picked, not typed. Your custom fields are included in the templates automatically.

### Rows per file and duplicates

| Record    | Rows per file | File size |
| --------- | ------------- | --------- |
| Companies | 5,000         | 10 MB     |
| Contacts  | 5,000         | 10 MB     |
| Items     | 10,000        | 20 MB     |

Item imports can create missing categories as they go.

When a record already exists, you choose what happens: skip it, treat it as an error or update it. Companies are matched by website domain, and items by item code or barcode.

Company imports validate Saudi national address fields, so short addresses, building numbers and postal codes are in the right shape before they reach your quotations.

Opening positions

## Opening stock and opening balances on your cutover date

Opening positions post once, on the cutover date you set in your ledger policies, so your stock and your books start from the same point.

- **Chart of accounts:** start from the one-click 25-account GCC trading template (5 headings and 20 posting accounts), or import your own [chart of accounts](https://1flux.ai/glossary/chart-of-accounts) from CSV, including Arabic account names.
- **Opening stock:** enter it by form (up to 500 lines) or import it (up to 10,000 rows). The import is all or nothing: every row must pass before any stock is posted. 1flux posts the stock and its value against opening balance equity on the cutover date.
- **Opening trial balance:** upload CSV or Excel, or paste rows of account code, debit and credit. Review them in a grid with **Debit**, **Credit** and **Difference** totals. The balance must be exact, and 1flux posts it once per legal entity on the cutover date, straight into the [general ledger](https://1flux.ai/products/accounting/general-ledger).

After cutover, 1flux refuses postings dated before it, so your [opening balances](https://1flux.ai/glossary/opening-balances) can’t be disturbed by a late, back-dated entry.

An opening trial balance in review: every code resolves to an account, and the difference is zero.

Bulk edit

## Fix data in bulk after you import

Data rarely arrives perfect. **Bulk edit** opens up to 5,000 companies or items in a spreadsheet grid. You change what you need, then review every change before it’s applied.

Catalogue validation rules apply to bulk edits too, so a fix can’t break your item standards. See [no-code configuration](https://1flux.ai/platform/no-code-configuration) for setting those rules.

Bulk edit: every change is listed with its old and new value before it's applied.

Exports

## Get your data out, too

Your data stays yours. 1flux exports:

- **companies and contacts** to CSV or Excel (up to 10,000 companies per export), and **items** to Excel;
- **CSV** for ledgers, the chart of accounts, receivables, customer statements, stock movements, valuation, cost audit, inventory reconciliation, the purchase order report and CRM productivity;
- **quotations** as PDFs.

CSV files are encoded so Arabic opens correctly in Excel.

Exports area by area: CSV and Excel for registers and reports, PDF for quotations.

Migration plan

## A suggested sequence for moving to 1flux

This order keeps each step's data ready for the next one. Your timeline depends on how clean your source data is.

1. ### Set up your legal entities

   Country, base currency, time zone and registrations.

2. ### Set up accounting

   Chart of accounts, posting account mapping, accounting periods, costing method and the ledger cutover date.

3. ### Set up the catalogue

   Categories, units, tax codes, price channels, validation rules and any custom fields.

4. ### Import items

   Then fix stragglers with bulk edit.

5. ### Post opening stock

   Create warehouses and post opening stock on the cutover date.

6. ### Import companies, then contacts

   Assign salespeople and check the sales teams.

7. ### Add suppliers

   By hand, or with **Copy from CRM** for companies you both buy from and sell to.

8. ### Post the opening trial balance

   Once per legal entity, on the cutover date.

9. ### Invite your team

   With roles, entity access and reporting lines, then add workflow rules.

### Plan the whole project

Most of the work in a migration goes on preparing source data and agreeing opening balances with your accountant, not on loading them. 1flux validates every import before anything is saved, so errors surface while you can still fix them.

For a full project plan, use our [ERP implementation checklist](https://1flux.ai/guides/erp-implementation-checklist), and see [implementation and onboarding](https://1flux.ai/implementation).

Who it's for

## Who runs a data migration?

The people who own your lists and your numbers, and the owner who wants them to agree.

- ### Finance leads

  Who need opening balances and stock that tie on day one.

- ### Operations and admin leads

  Who own the customer and item lists.

- ### [Owners](https://1flux.ai/compare/spreadsheets)

  Moving off spreadsheets and an entry-level accounting package.

FAQ

## Questions, answered

Still deciding? [Talk to sales](https://1flux.ai/contact)

### What data can I import into 1flux?

1flux imports companies, contacts and items through one import workbench, from CSV, Excel (.xlsx) or a paste. You can also import opening stock, an opening trial balance and a chart of accounts. Every import is mapped to 1flux fields and validated on the server before anything is saved, and the templates include your custom fields.

### How many rows can 1flux import at once?

1flux imports up to 5,000 companies or contacts per file, with a 10 MB file limit, and up to 10,000 items per file, with a 20 MB limit. Opening stock imports take up to 10,000 rows. Bulk edit then lets you change up to 5,000 companies or items at a time in a spreadsheet grid, with a review of every change.

### What happens if my import file has errors?

1flux saves nothing until you choose to commit. It validates every row on the server and shows the errors row by row. You commit the clean rows and download an error file for the rest, fix them and import again. A retried import doesn't create duplicates. Opening stock imports are all or nothing: every row must pass first.

### How do I bring in opening stock?

1flux takes opening stock once you've set your ledger cutover date and created your warehouses. Enter it by form (up to 500 lines) or import it (up to 10,000 rows). The import is validated as a whole, so nothing posts unless every row passes. 1flux posts the stock and its value against opening balance equity on the cutover date, so stock and the ledger start together.

### Can I import a chart of accounts?

Yes. 1flux imports a chart of accounts from CSV, including Arabic account names, or you can start from the one-click 25-account GCC trading template: 5 headings and 20 posting accounts, covering input and output VAT, goods received not invoiced, price variances and FX. Accounts sit in a tree with balances, and you drag to re-parent them.

### What data can I export from 1flux?

1flux exports your data area by area. Companies and contacts export to CSV or Excel, and items to Excel. Ledgers, the chart of accounts, receivables, customer statements, stock reports and the purchase order report export to CSV, encoded so Arabic opens correctly in Excel. Quotations download as PDFs.

### How long does it take to move to 1flux?

1flux migration time depends mostly on how clean your data is and how many entities you run. The imports themselves validate before saving, so most of the time goes on preparing source data and agreeing opening balances with your accountant, not on loading them. Following the suggested sequence on this page avoids rework.

Related

## Keep exploring

### [Implementation](https://1flux.ai/implementation)

Seven steps from discovery to your first month-end close in 1flux.

### [ERP implementation checklist](https://1flux.ai/guides/erp-implementation-checklist)

Ten phases from scoping to your first month-end, each with a checklist and a clear test of when it's done.

### [1flux vs Excel](https://1flux.ai/compare/spreadsheets)

One connected record for teams running on spreadsheets, WhatsApp and a basic accounting package.

### [Custom fields, rules and numbering](https://1flux.ai/platform/no-code-configuration)

Custom fields, validation rules, numbering and task types, set in settings without code.

### [General ledger and journals](https://1flux.ai/products/accounting/general-ledger)

A chart of accounts in minutes, journals that can't be rewritten and periods that stay closed.

Last updated 11 October 2026