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A successful migration starts long before you click "Export." The goal is not just to move data, but to ensure the source file is internally consistent, free of corruption, and structured in a way the destination system can accept.

For a manufacturing company with 10 years of history, customers, vendors, and inventory assemblies, the most important mindset is: treat the migration like a data quality project, not just a software conversion.

1. Decide what historical data actually needs to move

Before cleaning anything, determine whether you'll migrate:

• Full transactional history (10 years)
• Opening balances plus a few years of history
• Master records only (customers, vendors, items) with historical reports archived separately

Many organizations keep older years in a read-only QuickBooks Desktop file while migrating only recent years into the new ERP. This can reduce migration complexity dramatically.

2. Create multiple verified backups

Before making any changes:

• Create a full QuickBooks backup (.QBB)
• Create a portable company file (.QBM)
• Copy the original company file to secure storage
• Keep one completely untouched backup

This allows you to restart if cleaning introduces unexpected problems.

3. Update QuickBooks Desktop

Run the latest release of your version of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.

Many migration utilities expect the latest maintenance updates, and Intuit has fixed numerous data integrity issues over the years.

4. Run Verify Data and Rebuild Data

This is probably the single most important technical step.

Run:

• File → Utilities → Verify Data

If errors appear:

• File → Utilities → Rebuild Data

Then run Verify again.

Repeat until Verify reports no remaining problems.

If Verify continues reporting unresolved errors, those should be corrected before migration because they often become much harder to fix afterward.

5. Resolve list integrity issues

Review every major master list.

Customers

Look for:

• Duplicate customers
• Inactive duplicates
• Incorrect parent/child relationships
• Missing addresses
• Missing tax information
• Invalid email addresses

Vendors

Check for:

• Duplicate vendors
• Inconsistent naming
• Missing tax IDs (if applicable)
• Inactive duplicates

Employees

Ensure:

• Names are consistent
• Inactive employees are correctly marked
• Payroll data is complete if payroll history is migrating

Chart of Accounts

Review for:

• Duplicate accounts
• Unused accounts
• Incorrect account types
• Improper parent/subaccount structure

6. Clean inventory data

Manufacturing inventory is often the most difficult part of migration.

Review:

• Negative inventory quantities
• Items with zero cost but positive quantity
• Items with incorrect units of measure
• Obsolete inventory
• Duplicate SKUs
• Missing preferred vendors

If using:

• Assemblies
• Bills of Materials
• Multiple warehouses
• Lot tracking
• Serial numbers

Document exactly how these features map into the destination system because they rarely transfer one-to-one.

7. Review assembly items carefully

For manufacturing companies this deserves special attention.

Check every assembly for:

• Missing components
• Incorrect quantities
• Obsolete parts
• Inactive components still referenced
• Incorrect costs

NetSuite, in particular, may require different BOM structures than QuickBooks Desktop.

8. Close old accounting periods

Ensure:

• All reconciliations are complete
• Prior-year adjustments are finalized
• Financial statements are approved

Avoid migrating while previous periods are still changing.

9. Reconcile every balance sheet account

Before migration, reconcile:

• Bank accounts
• Credit cards
• Loans
• Accounts Receivable
• Accounts Payable
• Payroll liabilities
• Inventory Asset

Your balances should agree with external records.

10. Review Accounts Receivable

Look for:

• Old unapplied payments
• Negative balances
• Duplicate invoices
• Credits without applications
• Customers with incorrect balances

11. Review Accounts Payable

Similarly, clean:

• Duplicate bills
• Vendor credits
• Unapplied payments
• Negative balances
• Old outstanding checks

12. Remove or merge duplicates where appropriate

Examples include:

• Duplicate customers
• Duplicate vendors
• Duplicate inventory items
• Duplicate classes
• Duplicate terms

Do this carefully because merges cannot easily be undone.

13. Standardize naming conventions

Inconsistent names create reporting problems later.

Examples:

Instead of:

• ABC Inc
• A.B.C.
• ABC Incorporated

choose one standard.

Likewise for:

• Items
• Vendors
• Customers
• Classes
• Departments

14. Review custom fields

Inventory companies often have custom fields like:

• Color
• Size
• Revision
• Drawing Number
• Engineering Change Level

Document:

• Every custom field
• Where it is used
• Which destination field it maps to

15. Review inactive records

Decide whether to migrate:

• Inactive customers
• Inactive vendors
• Inactive inventory
• Inactive employees

Many organizations reduce migration complexity by leaving obsolete records behind.

16. Document workflows

Don't focus only on data.

Document processes such as:

• Sales orders
• Purchase orders
• Manufacturing builds
• Inventory adjustments
• Receiving
• Shipping
• Job costing

Cloud ERPs often handle these workflows differently.

17. Produce baseline financial reports

Generate and save reports immediately before migration, including:

• Balance Sheet
• Profit & Loss
• Trial Balance
• General Ledger
• Inventory Valuation Summary
• Inventory Stock Status
• A/R Aging
• A/P Aging

These become your validation benchmarks after import.

18. Test the migration with a copy

Never migrate the production file first.

Instead:

1. Copy the company file.
2. Perform a trial migration.
3. Compare:
   • Trial Balance
   • Inventory valuation
   • Customer counts
   • Vendor counts
   • Open invoices
   • Open purchase orders
   • Inventory quantities
   • Assembly structures

Repeat until the results are acceptable.

19. Understand platform-specific limitations

Be aware that QuickBooks Online and NetSuite differ significantly from QuickBooks Desktop:

20. Build a migration checklist with sign-offs

Create a checklist covering:

• Data verification complete
• Backup completed
• Verify/Rebuild successful
• Reconciliations complete
• Inventory validated
• BOMs validated
• Financial reports saved
• Test migration approved
• Final migration scheduled
• Post-migration validation completed

Assign an owner and sign-off for each task to reduce the risk of missing critical steps.

A note on migration strategy

For a manufacturing business with a decade of history and complex inventory assemblies, an incremental, tested migration is generally lower risk than a "big bang" approach. Performing at least one full trial migration and validating financial statements, inventory quantities and values, and open transactions against your QuickBooks Desktop reports before the production cutover can uncover mapping issues while they're still easy to correct. This approach is especially important when moving to NetSuite, where manufacturing and inventory capabilities are more comprehensive than those in QuickBooks Desktop and typically require careful configuration rather than a direct one-to-one import.

For a manufacturing company with multiple warehouses, international operations, and plans for continued growth, NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics 365 are both capable enterprise ERPs, but they take different architectural approaches.

A useful way to think about them is:

• NetSuite is a cloud-native ERP built around a single database and is particularly strong at managing multiple subsidiaries, currencies, and consolidated financials without requiring multiple ERP instances.
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a broader business platform. Its ERP capabilities are powerful—especially for complex manufacturing and supply chains—and integrate closely with Microsoft's ecosystem (Power BI, Microsoft 365, Azure, Power Platform).

Here's how they compare in the areas you highlighted.

Multi-warehouse inventory routing

NetSuite

NetSuite provides robust inventory capabilities, including:

• Multiple warehouse locations
• Bin management
• Transfer orders
• Demand planning
• Replenishment planning
• Lot and serial tracking
• Wave picking
• Mobile warehouse operations (with WMS capabilities)

For manufacturers, it supports visibility across locations and inventory availability in near real time within a single database.

Strengths include:

• Simpler administration across multiple warehouses
• Strong visibility across locations
• Integrated purchasing and inventory
• Centralized planning

Potential limitations:

• Extremely sophisticated routing logic or highly automated distribution networks may require additional configuration or partner solutions.

Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

Dynamics is particularly strong in warehouse operations.

Capabilities include:

• Advanced warehouse management
• Directed put-away
• Wave processing
• Load planning
• Cross docking
• Containerization
• Transportation management
• Location directives
• Work templates
• Automated replenishment
• Complex picking strategies

It generally offers more granular control over warehouse execution than NetSuite.

For organizations with:

• large distribution centers,
• barcode-driven operations,
• extensive warehouse automation,
• robotics integration,

Dynamics often provides greater operational flexibility.

Manufacturing support

Both support:

• Bills of Materials
• Routings
• Work orders
• Material requirements planning (MRP)
• Production scheduling
• Capacity planning

Dynamics typically offers deeper functionality for highly complex manufacturing environments, while NetSuite often emphasizes integrated business processes with less implementation complexity.

Multi-currency

Both platforms support:

• Multiple currencies
• Currency revaluation
• Exchange rate management
• Foreign currency transactions

Differences emerge in how organizations are structured.

NetSuite

NetSuite's OneWorld architecture was designed for global organizations.

Typical features include:

• Local currencies
• Functional currencies
• Transaction currencies
• Automatic consolidations
• Exchange rate tables
• Intercompany eliminations

Many multinational organizations find these capabilities to be a core strength.

Dynamics

Dynamics also supports:

• Functional currencies
• Reporting currencies
• Exchange adjustments
• Currency revaluation

Its capabilities are comprehensive, though organizations often invest more effort in configuring legal entities, financial dimensions, and consolidation structures to match their reporting requirements.

Multi-entity consolidation

This is an area where architecture matters.

NetSuite OneWorld

OneWorld is designed for organizations with multiple subsidiaries.

It supports:

• Multiple legal entities
• Multiple countries
• Different tax jurisdictions
• Multiple charts of accounts (with mapping)
• Automated consolidations
• Intercompany accounting
• Intercompany eliminations
• Global reporting

Because subsidiaries operate within a unified system, consolidation can be relatively straightforward once configured.

This is frequently cited as one of NetSuite's standout strengths.

Dynamics 365

Dynamics supports:

• Multiple legal entities
• Shared master data
• Financial dimensions
• Intercompany transactions
• Consolidated reporting
• Separate operational companies

It offers substantial flexibility, particularly for organizations with complex governance or reporting requirements, but implementations may involve more design decisions around entity structures and data sharing.

Supply chain planning

NetSuite

Planning includes:

• Demand planning
• Supply planning
• Purchase planning
• Inventory forecasting
• Order management
• Procurement
• Vendor management

Many organizations appreciate the integrated workflow from sales order through fulfillment and accounting.

Dynamics

Supply Chain Management includes:

• Demand forecasting
• Master planning
• Production planning
• Distribution planning
• Transportation management
• Warehouse optimization
• Asset management
• Procurement

It is particularly well suited for manufacturers with intricate production and logistics processes.

Reporting and analytics

NetSuite

Offers:

• Saved Searches
• SuiteAnalytics
• KPI dashboards
• Financial reporting
• Operational dashboards

These tools are integrated into the platform and are often sufficient for many finance and operations teams.

Dynamics

Benefits from close integration with:

• Microsoft Power BI
• Excel
• Power Platform
• Microsoft Fabric (for organizations that adopt it)

This ecosystem can be especially attractive if your organization already relies heavily on Microsoft tools.

Implementation considerations

For your migration from QuickBooks Enterprise:

NetSuite may be a stronger fit if you prioritize:

• Faster cloud ERP adoption
• Strong native multi-subsidiary accounting
• Seamless currency consolidation
• A unified cloud architecture
• Finance-led implementations

Dynamics 365 may be a stronger fit if you prioritize:

• Highly sophisticated warehouse operations
• Complex manufacturing execution
• Deep supply chain optimization
• Extensive customization using Microsoft's platform
• Tight integration with Microsoft business applications

Based on your stated priorities

Your two stated priorities are:

1. Advanced multi-warehouse inventory routing
2. Seamless multi-currency and multi-entity consolidation

Those priorities pull in slightly different directions:

• If warehouse sophistication is the dominant requirement—particularly if you expect advanced picking strategies, warehouse automation, or complex distribution workflows—Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management generally offers deeper warehouse management capabilities.
• If global financial management—including multiple subsidiaries, currencies, and streamlined consolidations—is equally or more important, NetSuite OneWorld has a strong reputation for handling those scenarios within a unified cloud architecture.

Because your company is also migrating from QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise with manufacturing assemblies, I would recommend asking each vendor to demonstrate your own workflows rather than relying on feature checklists. For example, have them walk through:

• Receiving raw materials into multiple warehouses
• Transferring inventory between warehouses
• Producing finished goods from bills of materials
• Selling from one legal entity while fulfilling from another
• Posting intercompany transactions
• Closing the month and producing consolidated financial statements in multiple currencies

A scripted demonstration using your actual processes is often the clearest way to distinguish how each system will perform in day-to-day operations.

Hiring the right implementation partner often has a bigger impact on the success of an ERP project than the software you choose. A strong consultant will help you redesign processes, validate data, manage change, and avoid expensive rework—not just configure screens.

Here are the areas I'd examine closely.

1. Relevant manufacturing ERP experience

Look beyond "ERP implementation" in general. Ask for experience with organizations that resemble yours in:

• Discrete manufacturing (or your specific manufacturing type)
• Company size (revenue, employees, transaction volume)
• Number of warehouses
• Number of legal entities
• International operations
• Similar inventory complexity (assemblies, BOMs, routings, work orders)

Ask questions like:

• "How many manufacturing ERP migrations have you completed in the last five years?"
• "What percentage of your projects are manufacturers versus wholesale or professional services?"
• "What manufacturing modules do you typically implement?"

2. Experience migrating from QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

This is especially important because QuickBooks Desktop has data structures and workflows that don't map directly to enterprise ERPs.

Look for consultants who have migrated:

• Chart of accounts
• Customers and vendors
• Inventory items
• Assemblies/BOMs
• Open sales orders
• Purchase orders
• Historical financial data
• Inventory valuation
• Multi-currency transactions (if applicable)

Ask them to describe the biggest migration challenge they've encountered and how they resolved it.

3. Platform-specific expertise

If you're evaluating both NetSuite and Dynamics 365, the implementation team should have deep experience in whichever platform you select.

Useful credentials can include vendor-recognized certifications for implementation consultants, administrators, developers, or solution architects. Certifications alone aren't enough, but they indicate familiarity with the platform and ongoing education.

Ask:

• How many certified consultants will be assigned to your project?
• Will senior consultants remain involved after the sales process, or will work be handed off to junior staff?

4. Supply chain and manufacturing knowledge

A consultant should be able to discuss manufacturing concepts comfortably, such as:

• Bills of Materials (BOMs)
• Routings
• Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
• Work orders
• Capacity planning
• Inventory costing
• Warehouse management
• Lot and serial tracking
• Procurement

If they need you to explain these concepts, they're unlikely to guide process improvements effectively.

5. Data migration methodology

Ask them to describe their migration process in detail.

A mature methodology typically includes:

• Data assessment
• Data cleansing
• Mapping documents
• Trial migrations
• Validation reports
• User acceptance testing
• Cutover planning
• Rollback planning

A consultant who says, "We'll just export everything from QuickBooks and import it," is oversimplifying a complex task.

6. References from similar projects

Request references from companies that are similar to yours in:

• Industry
• Size
• Geographic footprint
• Manufacturing complexity

When speaking with references, ask questions such as:

• Did the project stay close to budget?
• Did it stay close to schedule?
• Were there unexpected change orders?
• How responsive was the consulting team?
• Would you hire them again?

7. Business process improvement experience

A strong implementation partner shouldn't simply recreate your QuickBooks setup.

They should help evaluate processes like:

• Purchasing
• Production scheduling
• Warehouse operations
• Inventory replenishment
• Financial close
• Reporting

Ask for examples of improvements they've recommended on previous projects and the outcomes those changes achieved.

8. Project management approach

Ask about:

• Governance structure
• Project milestones
• Risk management
• Issue tracking
• Status reporting
• Change management
• Executive steering meetings

A well-defined project management methodology is a good sign that the engagement will be organized and transparent.

9. Technical capabilities

If you anticipate integrations, ask about experience with:

• CRM systems
• E-commerce platforms
• Shipping software
• Payroll systems
• Manufacturing execution systems (MES)
• EDI
• Business intelligence tools

Request examples of similar integrations they've completed.

10. Change management and training

ERP implementations affect daily work across departments.

Ask how they handle:

• User training
• Role-based documentation
• Super-user development
• Communication plans
• Go-live support
• Hypercare after launch

Technical success doesn't guarantee user adoption.

Red flags to watch for

Some warning signs include:

• Promising unusually short implementation timelines without understanding your processes.
• Giving fixed estimates before conducting discovery.
• Focusing almost entirely on software configuration while spending little time on data quality or process design.
• Inability or reluctance to explain how they handle data migration validation and reconciliation.
• Few or no references from manufacturing clients.
• Heavy reliance on subcontractors without clear accountability.
• High turnover among consultants or uncertainty about who will actually work on your project.
• Resistance to documenting assumptions, risks, or out-of-scope items.

Questions that reveal real experience

Rather than asking broad questions like "Have you implemented manufacturing ERPs?", ask scenario-based questions. For example:

• "Describe the most complex bill of materials structure you've migrated."
• "How do you validate inventory valuation before and after migration?"
• "What is your process for reconciling the trial balance after go-live?"
• "Tell us about a project that encountered significant data quality issues. What happened, and how did you recover?"
• "What would you advise us not to migrate from a 10-year-old QuickBooks Enterprise database, and why?"
• "How do you handle customizations when a client's current process conflicts with ERP best practices?"

Specific, experience-based answers are generally more informative than generic descriptions of methodology.

Experience that often predicts success

For a company like yours, I'd place the highest value on a consultant who can demonstrate a portfolio of projects with characteristics such as:

• Manufacturing organizations of similar scale.
• Migrations from legacy accounting or ERP systems (including QuickBooks Desktop) to modern cloud ERPs.
• Multi-warehouse inventory and production planning implementations.
• Multi-entity and multi-currency financial environments.
• Successful cutovers with documented post-go-live financial reconciliation.
• Long-term client relationships that extend beyond the initial implementation.

One final recommendation: if you're evaluating both NetSuite and Dynamics 365, consider running a competitive selection process that includes both the software vendor (or reseller) and an independent implementation consultant. The software provider can demonstrate the product, while an independent advisor can review implementation plans, challenge assumptions, assess statements of work, and help ensure that customizations are driven by business needs rather than by a particular vendor's preferred approach. This separation can provide a more balanced perspective during a major ERP investment.