Migrate from Knack to Mailchimp

Knack Tables storing subscriber or contact records map to Mailchimp Audiences. If the Knack app uses one Table for all subscribers, it maps to one Audience. If the app separates subscribers into multiple Tables (for example, one Table per newsletter, one per customer type, or one per region), we either consolidate into one Audience using Tags to preserve the Table distinction, or create multiple Audiences aligned to Mailchimp's one-Audience-per-list best practice. The customer chooses the strategy during scoping. Audience-level settings (opt-in requirements, GDPR fields, permission reminders) are configured in Mailchimp after migration.

Knack Table rows containing subscriber data (email address, name, phone, custom properties) map to Mailchimp Members within the target Audience. We use Mailchimp's PUT /lists/{list_id}/members/{subscriber_hash} endpoint with MD5 hashed email as the dedupe key to upsert contacts. Status fields (subscribed, unsubscribed, cleaned) migrate from Knack records that may contain an explicit status field or an unsubscribe flag; contacts without a clear status default to subscribed and are flagged for the customer's review. Historical timestamps (created date, last modified date) migrate as merge fields or as a note on the contact.

Standard Knack text fields containing first name, last name, and email address map to Mailchimp's built-in merge fields FNAME, LNAME, EMAIL, and PHONE. We inspect every field in the source Knack Table during discovery, match field types to Mailchimp's supported merge field types (text, number, date, phone, address, image, birthday, website), and create custom merge fields for any Knack field that has no built-in Mailchimp equivalent. Email address field is required; if the Knack Table has no email field, the migration cannot proceed without customer-provided email enrichment.

Knack numeric, currency, and date fields (for example, subscription tier, signup date, account balance, lifetime value) map to Mailchimp custom merge fields of the corresponding type. Numeric merge fields can be used in Mailchimp segmentation for filtering by value ranges. Date merge fields enable date-based automation triggers (for example, anniversary campaigns or renewal reminders). We preserve the original field label as the merge field name and add a description note for the customer's admin.

Knack Connection fields that link a subscriber Table to other Tables (for example, linking a Contact to a Company, a Subscription to a Plan, or a Member to a Group) have no direct Mailchimp equivalent because Mailchimp contacts are flat records without relational foreign keys. We document each Connection field, propose a workaround using Mailchimp Tags (for one-to-many labels) or custom merge fields (for one-to-one values), and let the customer's admin choose. Many-to-many relationships are the most difficult to preserve; we flag them as lost and recommend rebuilding in Mailchimp's tagging and segmentation model.

Knack File fields containing profile images, uploaded documents, or attachments linked to a subscriber record are downloaded from Knack (via authenticated URLs) and re-uploaded to Mailchimp's content storage or embedded as image URLs in a custom merge field. Mailchimp supports image merge fields for profile pictures and content blocks within campaigns. Standalone file attachments (PDFs, contracts) do not attach to contacts in Mailchimp; we store the URL as a text merge field and recommend the customer host the file externally for sharing via campaign links.

Knack roles and permissions that determine which subscribers can access which content or have which status (for example, admin, premium member, trial user) have no direct Mailchimp equivalent. We map role names to Mailchimp Tags applied at the contact level, which enables segmentation for role-based campaigns. If the customer needs more granular permission-based content in Mailchimp, we recommend Mailchimp's interest groups and Marketing API segment-based content personalization.

Knack automation rules (Pro and above) that trigger email notifications, field updates, or record creation based on conditions do not migrate to Mailchimp because the trigger logic, action types, and delay configurations differ fundamentally. We document every active Knack Workflow during discovery, describing its trigger, conditions, actions, and the Mailchimp Customer Journey Builder equivalent step (for example, a Knack 'send email when subscription expires' rule becomes a Mailchimp 'Automation: Best Time' or 'Date-Based' journey). Workflows are out of migration scope; the customer's admin rebuilds them in Mailchimp post-migration.