Migration playbook
Switching to Acadovia from Excel, Entab or Fedena
What the dual-run actually looks like, how long migration takes, where fee-desk risk lives, and how training works — written for principals who cannot afford a chaotic April.
Who this is for
- Excel / Google Sheets schools — roster and fees in files, receipts on paper, WhatsApp for dues.
- Incumbent ERP schools (Entab CampusCare, Fedena, SchoolPad, Teachmint-class stacks, local desktop ERPs) — where the product works for someone, but not for teachers on phones, or pricing/support has worn thin.
We are not claiming your current vendor is “bad.” We are claiming a switch is survivable if you respect the fee calendar.
Honest timeline
| Starting point | Typical time to first live week | What dominates the clock |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Excel roster + simple fee heads | 5–10 working days | Data hygiene, not software |
| Messy multi-sheet Excel, many concessions | 2–4 weeks | Cleaning names, sections, fee exceptions |
| Export from another ERP | 1–3 weeks | Mapping fields; partial re-entry of history |
Marketing lines that promise “live in 24 hours” usually mean “login exists,” not “fee desk trusts the balance.” We aim for a real working week: attendance marked, a receipt issued, principal dashboard credible.
The dual-run (non-negotiable)
Do not cut over on the morning of a major fee instalment. Run both systems briefly:
- Kickoff & exportYou share student master, class/section, fee heads, staff list (Excel or ERP export). We map fields and flag missing phone numbers / duplicate admissions.
- Sandbox weekSchool admin + fee clerk + 2 teachers click through on phones. Wrong data is free to fix. Old system remains system of record.
- Parallel fee cycle (recommended)One instalment or one class cluster is collected on Acadovia while Excel/old ERP stays as backup. Reconcile nightly for 3–5 days.
- Attendance go-liveTeachers mark only on Acadovia for selected classes; expand after a quiet week.
- Freeze the old ledgerOld system becomes read-only archive. Keep exports. Acadovia is system of record.
Fee-desk risk (what can go wrong)
- Double receipts — Clerk issues paper from old book and ERP. Mitigation: one receipt source rule for the dual-run week.
- UPI before student mapping — Parent pays; UTR cannot attach. Mitigation: import phones/admission numbers before advertising the QR flow.
- Concession drift — Sibling discounts only lived in someone’s head. Mitigation: list exceptions before import; we configure heads deliberately.
- Partial history — Opening balances matter more than five years of line items. We can import balances without replaying every old receipt.
If the fee desk is not confident, we delay parent-facing portals. Internal use can go live first. Pride is a bad migration schedule.
What we import (and what we do not pretend)
| Usually imported | Often re-created | Out of scope without project work |
|---|---|---|
| Students, guardians, classes/sections | Timetable aesthetics | Custom biometrics hardware glue |
| Staff roster & roles | Notice templates | One-click clone of proprietary reports |
| Fee heads, structures, opening dues | Fine-tuned permission matrices | Historical chat/SMS archives |
Price: standard data import is included — no setup fee. Custom multi-campus consolidations may need a scoped project; we say so before you start.
Training that actually sticks
- Principal (30–45 min) — dashboard, approvals, impersonation discipline, billing visibility.
- Fee desk (60–90 min) — collect, adjust, receipt, day-end, UPI UTR flow.
- Teachers (one staff-meeting slot) — attendance + leave; phone-first.
- Support during dual-run — WhatsApp/phone to the same people who built the product, school hours, English/Hindi.
We do not hide behind “raise a ticket, SLA 72 hours” during go-live week.
Coming from Entab / Fedena / similar
Expect to export CSVs (or print-to-Excel reports) rather than a magical API pull. Your exit rights with the old vendor vary — start that conversation early. We map columns together; leftover custom modules may not have a 1:1 twin, and we will tell you before you pay.
Live vs roadmap honesty matters in a switch: Acadovia’s fee path is UPI QR + UTR + cash/cheque today; gateway payment links and WhatsApp notice delivery are roadmap. If those two are must-haves this month, wait or pick another vendor. If phone-first ops, clear pricing and honest pricing matter more, we are built for you.
Exit from Acadovia (symmetry)
You can export full CSVs anytime. We think lock-in is a bad reason to keep any school software — including ours. Details in Terms and Privacy.
Book a migration walkthrough
Send a sample Excel or export. We will tell you — in writing — what imports cleanly and what needs a week of hygiene.
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