How to Migrate a Training Matrix from a SharePoint List

Quick answer

Export the list to Excel or CSV, normalise worker names and requirement columns, decide what “blank” means (missing versus not required), import into the live system, re-attach certificate files, run a parallel check for one cycle, then lock the SharePoint list to read-only. Do not run two editable masters.

Pre-migration cleanup

• One row per person (or a clear person key if you use multiple rows)
• Consistent requirement names — merge near-duplicates like “CSCS” and “CSCS card”
• Real expiry dates, not free-text “ok” or “current”
• Leavers archived or filtered out of the live import
• Evidence URLs or folder paths listed so files can be re-linked
• Owner column for who updates each area after cutover

Migration steps

1. Announce a freeze window so mid-edit rows are not lost.
2. Export and spot-check ten high-risk people against physical cards.
3. Map columns to roles and assigned requirements in the destination system.
4. Import dates; mark blanks explicitly as missing or not required.
5. Upload certificate evidence against the matching requirement rows.
6. Compare filters: expired, due in 30/60/90 days, missing evidence.
7. Set SharePoint to read-only archive and point teams at the live matrix.

Why SharePoint lists stall

Lists are flexible, which is why they accumulate personal views, calculated columns nobody trusts, and attachments that never match the date field. Software migration fails when those ambiguities are imported unchanged. Spend time on the mapping workshop; the technical import is usually shorter than the conversation about which columns still matter.

Honest limits

FieldClear can import spreadsheet-shaped data and hold evidence against requirements. It does not automatically interpret every custom SharePoint column or migrate arbitrary Power Automate flows. See the SharePoint alternative guide for when to leave the list behind. This is operational guidance, not IT architecture advice.