To switch ATS without losing your database, agree the export scope, preserve the links between records and test the import before your team changes systems. Keep the old ATS available as a safety net and give one system clear responsibility for new activity during the transition.
A candidate count is a useful check. It is not proof that the database arrived intact. A profile without its CV, notes or relationship to a live job can be present and still be practically useless to the recruiter opening it.
Your migration plan should therefore describe the work your database supports. Start with a candidate on two jobs, a client with several contacts and a completed placement with revenue history. If those examples survive, you have tested more than a spreadsheet.
Define what a complete move means
Create an inventory before requesting an export. Include candidates and CVs, clients and contacts, jobs and stages, notes, emails and call logs, ownership, placements, revenue history and attachments. Record which parts you need to remain searchable and which can be kept as an archive.
Ask the source vendor to identify anything outside the standard export. A list-view CSV may contain the columns you can see while leaving documents or activity in separate areas. Confirm the method for retrieving those items, the permissions needed and any charges before cancelling access.
Preserve original record identifiers. Names are not reliable joining keys: two candidates can share a name, and a company can have several trading names. A stable source identifier helps the migration team connect a note to the correct person and a placement to the right job.
What should you check in Bullhorn, Vincere, JobAdder and Loxo?
The table below distinguishes published export guidance from the scope you still need to agree. Checked 24 September 2026. It does not claim that the ordinary export is the only migration route available.
| Current ATS | What the documentation establishes | What to agree before moving |
|---|---|---|
| Bullhorn | Individual email and SMS exports cover inbound messages; record CSV and CV downloads are separate | Full communication history, attachments and linked records |
| Vincere | Its import/export guidance includes CSV exports for candidates, contacts, jobs and companies | Complete history and files; scope and cost of retrieval |
| JobAdder | Its published security FAQ describes customer-requested exports on termination | Current procedure, formats, complete scope and delivery timing |
| Loxo | People/company CSV exports omit CVs and activity, work and education history | A migration route that includes the omitted content |
Bullhorn's communication-export guide is about responding to individual data requests. Do not mistake it for a complete agency migration specification. In particular, that documented route excludes outbound messages, so ask how those will be handled if they belong in your migration.
Vincere's pricing page says retrieval costs depend on the request. Get a written answer for your database rather than assuming a CSV button settles the whole question. JobAdder's cited security FAQ is an older document; confirm the current process directly before setting a cutover date.
Loxo's CSV article is particularly explicit about its exclusions. That is useful information, not evidence that your data cannot move. It tells you which additional work to scope with the vendors before relying on that export.
What tends to break when an import is too simple?
Relationships are an easy thing to overlook. Importing candidates, jobs and clients as separate lists does not by itself recreate who was submitted to which role, which consultant owned the relationship or which placement generated a fee.
History also needs interpretation. A note's author and date affect its meaning. A call log without its timestamp may look like a current conversation. An email copied into plain text may lose its link to the candidate. Decide what must be recreated inside the new system and what may need an agreed archive format.
Documents can look present while pointing to locations that disappear after cancellation. Open files in the test system rather than accepting a filename as proof. Include an older Word CV, a PDF and a record with several attachments in the review sample.
Pay attention to stages. Two consultants may have used similar labels differently. Map the meaning of each stage, not merely its spelling, and agree the treatment of closed jobs before migrating active pipelines.
Clean carefully before you move
Do not use migration as an excuse for a frantic database purge. Keep a protected copy of the original export, make changes in a working copy and record what changed. If you merge duplicates, retain enough information to explain which source records became one target profile.
Separate data corrections from disputed business decisions. A malformed date can be repaired against the source. Deciding which consultant owns a longstanding client relationship needs someone in the agency to make the call. The migration team should not have to guess.
Review records you no longer have a reason to retain through your established privacy process. Moving software does not reset retention obligations or turn an old consent record into fresh consent. This is an operational guide, not legal advice; obtain appropriate advice for unresolved retention questions.
Use a sandbox to test real recruitment work
Agree a dry run before the final move. Compare counts by record type, then test linked examples from different consultants and different periods. Include active jobs and historical placements, because a migration can preserve one well while mishandling the other.
A useful acceptance checklist is short enough that someone will actually finish it.
- Record totals reconcile, with documented reasons for any difference.
- CVs and other attachments open from the correct profiles.
- Notes and activity retain the agreed author and date information.
- Job stages, candidate-job links and owners match the source.
- Placement fees and revenue history reconcile to agreed reports.
- Permissions and privacy records have been checked by the responsible people.
- The agency has recorded approval or a specific correction list.
Counts should be checked alongside samples, not instead of them. A perfect total can conceal a systematic mapping error. Equally, one excellent sample does not establish that every file arrived.
How do you run two systems without creating two versions of the truth?
Keep the old system available, but decide where new work belongs. Before cutover, the old ATS can remain the working system while the new one is reviewed. After cutover, instruct the team to record new activity in the new ATS and use the old one for reference.
Agree how changes made after the initial export will be captured. That may require a final update import or a carefully controlled pause in edits. The right method depends on what the source supports; do not assume two systems automatically synchronise because both are open.
Keep a change log for the transition. If someone must update the old system after cutover, record the exception and arrange reconciliation. Otherwise, the safety net becomes a second desk that someone later has to untangle.
Build a timeline around decisions, not a promised hour count
Preparation comes first: inventory the records, establish export permissions and agree responsibilities. Next comes extraction and mapping, followed by the sandbox review. Schedule cutover only after the team has accepted the dry run and the final-change process is clear.
For a move into Crumblelead, our migration wording is: Typically done within a week, depending on your data size and format. That is not a promise that every source vendor will provide an export to the same timetable. Obtain their delivery commitment separately.
You can keep your old ATS running for the first 30 days as a safety net. Check what that means under your existing vendor agreement and budget for any overlap. Close the old account only after you have tested access to the information you still need.
Staying with your present platform can be the better decision when it supports necessary workflows the replacement cannot handle. That is especially relevant for established integrations or temp and contract operations. A successful import cannot compensate for choosing the wrong operating system for the business.
Where Crumblelead fits
We offer free migration from Bullhorn, Vincere, JobAdder, Loxo and the other supported systems, or from CSV and spreadsheets. We use the source's official API where supported, otherwise an export, and load a dry run into a sandbox for review. The migration preserves candidates and CVs, clients, contacts, jobs, activity, ownership, placements, revenue history and attachments.
Crumblelead is built for perm-focused independent and small-to-mid agencies that want the whole 360 desk linked in one workspace. It is not built for large temp or contract staffing firms needing timesheets, payroll or VMS integrations. Those requirements should determine your shortlist before migration planning begins.
FAQ
Is a CSV export enough to switch ATS?
Sometimes it covers a simple dataset, but it should not be assumed to contain CVs, activity history or relationships. Request a field and file inventory and test the imported result.
Should we cancel the old ATS before the move?
Keep access until you have accepted the migration and reconciled changes made during the switch. Confirm notice periods and overlap costs early so the final cancellation is a controlled step.
Who should approve the migrated database?
Give one person responsibility for collecting checks from recruiters and whoever owns finance and privacy processes. Approval should include working examples and reconciled totals, rather than a statement that the upload finished.
Sources
Bullhorn export management. Checked 24 September 2026.
https://kb.bullhorn.com/ats/Content/BHATS/Topics/exportManagement.htm
Vincere import and export guidance. Checked 24 September 2026.
https://help.vincere.io/en/collections/19539464-import-export
Access Vincere Evo pricing. Checked 24 September 2026.
https://www.vincere.io/pricing/
JobAdder security FAQs. Checked 24 September 2026.
https://jobadder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JobAdderSecurityFAQs2023.pdf
Loxo export people and company records. Checked 24 September 2026.
https://help.loxo.co/en/articles/1238814-export-people-and-company-records-from-loxo
ICO storage limitation. Checked 24 September 2026.