Switching record systems: export and migration checklist

Switching record systems requires an export agreement, a tested import and a plan for staff. Start with a sample export and establish what can actually be transferred. A list of supported system names does not prove that every part of your installation can be moved.

This guide is written by Validi for managers and professional coordinators in social care and treatment services. It helps you agree scope, responsibilities and acceptance checks before setting a transition date.

Switch systems in six steps

1. Map your current work. Include notes, attachments, medication information, care plans, appointments and separate spreadsheets. Assign someone with professional responsibility for checking the result.
2. Clarify the export with your current provider. Get written details of contents, format, charges, deadlines and access to the old system.
3. Have a sample export assessed. Agree secure transfer and data processing arrangements first. Then establish how notes, attachments and history can be imported.
4. Run a trial import. Compare counts and content, and sample both simple and complex cases. Record gaps and agree how to address them.
5. Plan training and the transition. Decide where new notes will be written, when the final export will be taken and who will help staff on the first working day.
6. Approve the result and close the old arrangement properly. Keep evidence of your checks and agree ongoing access, retention and deletion with the former provider.

What should a data export contain?

Ask for an inventory of the data and how its parts relate. A large collection of files can still be unusable if you cannot identify which service user an attachment belongs to or who wrote a note.

Distinguish information that can be transferred into editable fields from material retained as a readable archive or absent from the export. A PDF may preserve a document without providing structured information that the new system can use directly.

Moving from Sensum One, Danjournal, Nexus or another system

Whether you use Sensum One, Danjournal, Nexus, NOVAX, Cura, CitizenOne or Planner4You, the assessment should start with your actual export. Its contents may depend on version, add-ons and your provider agreement.

Before moving to Validi, the scope and import options need to be established. Describe the current system, departments and data types involved. Do not send records through an ordinary contact form. First agree how a sample export can be shared securely.

If you use Sensum One, our buyer's guide to an alternative to Sensum One helps you compare workflows, costs and transition requirements. Reading a guide or trying a demo does not replace assessment of your data.

GDPR, data return and your provider agreement

GDPR Article 28(3)(g) requires the processor agreement to address deletion or return of personal data at the controller's choice when processing services end. An exception applies where law requires continued storage. The regulation is reproduced in the annex to the Danish Data Protection Act.

That provision alone does not settle every practical term of a system change. Agree the export format, documentation, deadlines and costs explicitly. An individual's data rights and an organisation's arrangements for moving an entire record system are different matters.

The EU Data Act also includes rules on switching data processing services. Its application to your particular service needs to be established. The European Commission explains that switching charges are phased out by 12 January 2027, with cost-based charges possible during the transition. It would therefore be too broad to promise that every switch is already free. See the Commission's explanation of the Data Act.

Check that historical records remain usable

Counting records is an initial check, not complete acceptance. Matching totals do not prove that dates, authors and attachments have been linked correctly.

Agree a representative sample: an active and a closed case, one with many attachments, and one with amendments or a long history. Check that the course of care remains understandable. Have the person responsible for medication information clarify and check that information separately before it is used in everyday work.

Record discrepancies, the responsible person and the agreed correction or archive arrangement. Resolve a critical gap before transferring the affected workflow. Those checks and the agreed acceptance process provide the basis for moving forward.

How much does switching cost, and how long does it take?

That depends on export quality, the types of information, adaptations, training and access to the old system. Ask for a combined view of export, import, setup, subscription and any period of overlap.

Validi's pricing page and calculator show current subscription terms. Migration scope and conditions need separate agreement; see also the Enterprise setup packages. These are not a blanket promise of free migration across all hosting arrangements.

Set the transition date after assessing the sample export, checks and training needs. We do not give a standard deadline or number of staff hours as though it applied to every organisation.

Try everyday work before deciding

Try Validi free using fictional data. Ask staff to work through a note, find a care plan and explore shift handover. See our guides to systems for supported housing or substance use treatment, depending on your service.

When you want to explore a specific move, contact Validi about scope and a sample export. Describe your requirements without attaching personal records.

Frequently asked questions about switching record systems

Can all our historical notes be transferred?

This needs to be checked against your actual export. Agree which periods, fields, amendments and attachments must be retained, and how they should be readable in the new system. Trial imports and sampling must demonstrate the result before acceptance. Where material cannot be imported directly, agree a usable archive or another appropriate arrangement rather than assuming it will transfer automatically.

Can we use two systems during the transition?

That can form part of the plan if your agreements and access arrangements allow it. Decide where new notes are recorded and how changes after the initial export will be handled. Running two systems without clear responsibilities can create omissions or duplicates. Agree ownership, costs and an end date for transitional access so staff know which system to use.

What if obtaining our data becomes difficult?

Ask the provider to specify contents, format, charges and deadlines in writing, and compare the response with your contract and data processing agreement. Involve your data protection lead or legal adviser if there is a dispute. A delay or disagreement over file format does not by itself establish a legal breach. Clarify the specific issue before deciding on the next step.

Is migration to Validi always free?

You should not assume this across hosting arrangements and data sources. Published setup packages explain what is included and the conditions concerning format and scope. Agree the actual work in writing. Use the pricing page for subscription and usage charges, keeping these separate from export, setup and special migration tasks in your budget so the complete cost is visible.