If you have purchased or are interested in data migration services, use this guide to understand the data migration process.


Summary


1. You fill in and sign the Database Retrieval Release Form


Before we can perform a data migration, we need signed authorization from your department to receive and temporarily store a copy of your old RMS database and related files so that our team can review and migrate the data.


The form is an online form that can be filled in and signed electronically. Use this link to access the form (opens in a new tab): Database Retrieval Release Form



Next, you or your IT will send us a copy of your RMS database and, if necessary, any additional files needed to perform a data migration (such as file attachments).


What you'll need to send us will depend on which RMS you are migrating from. Choose the article related to your current RMS below to see what files to send us and how to send the files to us:



Note: If you are migrating from an RMS not listed here, let us know. Data migration services for other RMS systems may be available at an additional cost.


3. You send us sample reports


To facilitate the migration process, we also ask that you send us a few reports generated from your current RMS so that we can cross-check the data in these reports with your migrated data to ensure everything is coming over as expected.


You can send these reports to us via our secure upload page (How to securely send files to our support team). Specifically, please send us:


  • At least three (3) incident or case reports, ideally containing at least one suspect, victim, witness, and related property or vehicle
  • One (1) person record
  • One (1) vehicle record
  • One (1) property/evidence record


We may request additional sample reports if needed during the migration process.


4. We assess your data


Our team will review the files and ensure we've received all of the files that we will need for a migration. We may reach out if we need additional files from you or your IT staff. If we haven't already provided pricing for your data migration, we will provide a price quote after assessing your data based on the estimated time and effort needed to convert your data.


5. We migrate your data


Once we receive the necessary files, we'll migrate your data on our end and double-check it for correctness. If no issues are found, this process will usually take no more than one week, but it can be less, depending on the size of your database and other factors.


What's migrated?


We always migrate, at a minimum, the equivalent of Incident and master index records from your old RMS into Informant, and may migrate additional data where feasible. Each RMS system is unique, and the similarities and differences in data formats between your old RMS and Informant determine what data will be migrated into Informant. Please refer to the data migration article specific to your previous RMS vendor in the previous section for details on what will be migrated from your current RMS into Informant.


Master index de-duplication


Informant is designed to store a single "master" copy of certain records, such as persons, vehicles, and locations, which collectively comprise what's referred to as the "master index" in Informant.


The data migration process will merge duplicate persons, vehicles, and certain other records to maintain a clean master index with minimal duplication. For example, if the same person appears several times in your old RMS, a single "master" record for that individual will be created in Informant that contains the full history for that individual (i.e., all of the records that relate to that person will be linked to that person's master record).


Data cleansing


Where possible, your data will be reformatted to align with the design and layout of Informant's modules.


6. You review the data


After we migrate your data, we'll give you a two-week window to review the migrated data, either by giving you remote access to a copy of your migrated data or by installing a copy of the migrated database and Informant at your department. You'll be able to open and view the data to ensure it looks accurate, and you can take the time to compare it with data from your previous system.


During this time, you and your staff should review the migrated data only: any records entered in Informant during the review process may be lost if your data needs to be migrated again.


Here are some tips for reviewing your migrated data:


  • Review records from a few weeks prior to the backup: Because you'll be reviewing data migrated from a backup of your current RMS data, more recent records may either be missing or may be incomplete (such as missing narratives or supplementals) if officers were still working on those records at the time that your data was backed up. To counter this and prevent reporting issues that may simply be due to the data not being present, we ask that you review records from a few weeks before the backup was taken to increase the likelihood that you're reviewing complete records.
  • Review a small random sample of records: Review a small sample of records chosen at random, checking Incident records and any records linked to them (persons, vehicles, property, etc.) to ensure everything is coming over correctly. If you still have access to your old RMS system, we highly recommend comparing records side-by-side to ensure the data has been migrated as expected. A quick way to do this is to print an Incident report from Informant and from your current RMS and compare them side by side.
  • Keep a running list of any discrepancies or questions: We highly recommend maintaining a document that lists any issues or questions you encounter as you do your review. If you find a potential issue with a record, include the record ID with your notes so that our team can cross-reference anything you find on our end. At the end of the review period, you can then share your notes with our team, and we'll go over anything you find.


7. We make adjustments to the migrated data if needed


If you discover any inconsistencies or missing data during the review period, we'll make adjustments on our end and supply you with an updated database to re-review. The review and adjustment process will be repeated as needed until the migrated data is approved.


Note: Some issues may not be correctable due to data quality issues in the original data, or may exist due to differences between your previous RMS and Informant.


8. You sign off on the migrated data


Once you review and have approved the migrated data, you'll sign off on the migrated data by filling in and electronically signing the approval form online: Data Migration Acceptance Form


After you submit the form, our team will reach out to confirm your intention to move forward with the implementation process and will work with you to schedule an implementation date.


9. We get a final copy of your current RMS data if needed


If you've been using your current RMS during the previous steps, we'll request and migrate a final copy of your current RMS data files within a week of your scheduled implementation date to ensure your migrated data contains up-to-date records. We recommend not entering new data in your current RMS during this period: any records entered in your current RMS after we receive a final copy of your data will need to be re-entered into Informant.


10. We implement Informant with your migrated data


We will install Informant with your migrated data, and you can begin using Informant for data entry.


11. Post-migration steps


After we implement Informant with your migrated data, you'll want to perform a few additional cleanup tasks to streamline data entry in Informant:


  • Create user accounts, user groups, and assign permissions: When your data is migrated, users and groups from your previous RMS are not migrated over. Instead, you'll start with the default "admin" account in Informant, which you'll use to set up Informant for us, including setting up user groups and user accounts for anyone who will need access to Informant. Our support team can walk you through creating a new user group and user, and the Informant Help Center in Informant (accessible via Help > Informant Help Center in the application menu bar) also contains a detailed "Getting started" guide for first-time setup.
  • Configure other settings/preferences: You'll also want to configure the rest of the system to match your department's preferences and needs. Here again, the Informant Help Center provides comprehensive information on the various settings and options that can be configured in the system, and our support team can also assist with any setup questions you may have.
  • Merge similar selection list values: A migration may result in selection list values that describe the same thing with different labels. For example, your old RMS may have a phone type called "Cell," while Informant provides a phone type called "Mobile." Similar selection values like this can be manually merged to consolidate them, simplifying data entry for your users after a migration. In some RMS systems that allow free-form data entry, you may also find multiple versions of the same selection list value have come over due to misspellings and typos in your previous RMS. You can merge these into a single, standard value.
  • Re-label selection list values where needed: Sometimes, a selection list value from your old RMS may get truncated during the migration into Informant, or may come over in a format that doesn't translate well in Informant. We recommend editing any selection list values that are unclear to give them more meaningful names where appropriate.
  • Merge duplicate street names: In Informant, street names are stored in a standardized list, but in some RMS systems, street names are hand-entered each time they are needed, which can result in multiple variations of the same street name due to typos or incorrect street types (i.e., "Broad Street" vs. "Broad Road"). We recommend that you use Informant's built-in ability to merge street names to consolidate multiple different versions of the same street into a single entry to streamline and clean up your streets list after a migration.
  • Review property/evidence storage locations: If your data migration brought over evidence storage locations for property/evidence tracking, you'll want to review your storage locations in Informant to make sure they are set up properly. Due to differences in chain of custody tracking between RMS vendors, some locations may be migrated into a special "Other Locations" category and will need to be assigned to the correct category ("Sign-In Locations", "Sign-Out Locations," etc.) so that evidence appears in the correct place in your new system. In other cases, some locations may be assigned to a category that needs to be changed, such as an external location incorrectly being listed under "Sign-In Locations" if your original database didn't include complete chain of custody information. In Informant, it's easy to move or recategorize locations to create an accurate representation of how your phyiscally manage evidence.