Migrate from Actionstep to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

Actionstep Matters map to Dynamics 365 Accounts as the primary firm or client record. The Account name is sourced from the Matter's client organization field. For solo-client matters, the Matter name becomes the Account name with a custom Actionstep_MatterName__c field for reference. The most recent Matter per Account can optionally generate a linked Opportunity for revenue-status tracking.

Where the firm tracks billing or revenue at the matter level, Matter records generate corresponding Opportunity entries in Dynamics 365 Sales. The Opportunity Name uses the Matter name + matter number. Estimated billing amount from Actionstep maps to Opportunity Amount. Closed-won/lost status is derived from Matter status flags (open, closed-billed, written-off). This is an optional mapping activated when the firm wants pipeline visibility for legal work.

Actionstep person records linked to a Matter via a participant association map directly to Dynamics 365 Contacts. The Contact is associated to the corresponding Account (Matter client). Role labels (Attorney, Client, Paralegal, etc.) are preserved in a custom Actionstep_ParticipantRole__c field on the Contact record. Where a person participates across multiple matters, a single Contact record is created with multiple role entries surfaced via custom related records.

Actionstep stores participant role labels on the link between a Matter and a person. Dynamics 365 has no native role-label field on the Account-Contact relationship. We create an Actionstep_ParticipantRole__c custom pick-list field on Contact and populate it with the source role value. For multi-role scenarios (one person with multiple roles in one matter), we create separate Contact records or a junction table — the mapping plan presents the options before migration runs.

Actionstep Data Collections are schema-per-matter-type: a Family Law matter might have 'Custody Arrangement' and 'Opposing Counsel' fields, while a Corporate matter has 'Entity Type' and 'Jurisdiction'. These map to Account custom fields named with an Actionstep_ prefix (e.g., Actionstep_CustodyArrangement__c). Where the firm has 50+ data collection fields across multiple matter types, we create a custom Actionstep_DataCollection__c table in Dataverse keyed by Account, with one row per matter and columns per data collection field.

Actionstep time entries (date, attorney name, hours, billing rate, description) are billable activity records. In Dynamics 365, these become either custom Activity records attached to the Account or Opportunity, or entries in a custom Actionstep_TimeEntry__c entity that preserves hours, date, rate, and narrative. Billing totals per matter roll up to Opportunity Amount if opportunity mapping is activated. Trust accounting transactions are handled separately — see Trust Accounting below.

Actionstep document references (file name, URL, upload date, associated participant) are retrieved from the API. Documents are re-uploaded to the Account's SharePoint document library (native Dynamics 365 SharePoint integration) with a folder structure mirroring the matter hierarchy. Where the firm uses a dedicated document management system, URLs are preserved in an Actionstep_DocumentUrl__c field on a custom Actionstep_Document__c table for reference.

Actionstep trust account balances are financial records with no equivalent in Dynamics 365 Sales. We create custom currency fields on the Account — Actionstep_TrustBalance__c for current balance, Actionstep_TrustIn__c and Actionstep_TrustOut__c for total inflows and outflows — and populate them from the Actionstep trust account ledger entries. This preserves the financial snapshot for reconciliation without requiring a full legal accounting module.

Actionstep Steps are ordered tasks within a Matter with due dates, assignees, and status. In Dynamics 365, Steps become Tasks attached to the Account or Opportunity with the Step name as Subject, due date as ScheduledEnd, and status as StateCode. For complex multi-step sequences, we create a custom Actionstep_Step__c table preserving the step order, assigned participant, and completion timestamp.

Actionstep Matter Types (Family Law, Corporate, Litigation, Real Estate, etc.) are mapped to a custom Actionstep_MatterType__c pick-list field on Account. Firms using Dynamics 365 Record Types for business-unit segmentation can alternatively map Matter Types to Account Record Types, with each Record Type associated with a distinct page layout and sales process. This approach is chosen during the pre-migration schema planning call.

Actionstep matter status values (Open, On Hold, Closed Billed, Written Off, Archived) are mapped to a custom Actionstep_MatterStatus__c pick-list on Account. If Opportunity mapping is active, Closed Billed maps to Opportunity Stage = Closed Won and Written Off maps to Closed Lost, enabling pipeline reporting continuity.

Actionstep does not store a billing total directly on the Matter — total billed amount is the sum of time entries and disbursements. We calculate this total during the extraction phase and write it to Opportunity Amount (if Opportunity mapping is active) or to a custom Actionstep_TotalBilled__c currency field on Account. This preserves billing history without requiring the firm to run an Actionstep report post-migration.

Actionstep user accounts (attorneys, paralegals, admins) are resolved against Dynamics 365 users by email match. A matched user becomes the OwnerId on migrated records (Account, Opportunity, Task). Unmatched users — those without a Dynamics 365 license at migration time — are flagged and either invited to Dynamics 365 before cutover or assigned to a fallback owner specified by the firm. All Actionstep user IDs are preserved in Actionstep_CreatedByUserId__c for audit traceability.