Migrate from Simply CRM to HighLevel

Simply CRM API query cap of 100 records per call extends migration timelines significantly

Simply CRM's REST API enforces a hard limit of 100 records per query result with no JOIN support across objects. A migration with 50,000 contacts requires 500 individual API calls just for the contact export, plus additional paginated calls for Deals, Tasks, and Notes. This multiplies the extraction window considerably compared to platforms with bulk export endpoints. FlitStack AI manages pagination automatically, but the source-side rate means large Simply CRM databases take longer to extract than a naive estimate would suggest. Plan the migration window accordingly and account for the extraction phase in the overall timeline.

Simply CRM has no native bulk export — all data requires batched API reads

Unlike CRMs that offer a CSV export or bulk API endpoint, Simply CRM requires scripted pagination against its REST API to pull any dataset. The API uses session-based authentication, which expires and must be refreshed during long-running migrations. FlitStack AI manages session renewal and handles the offset-based pagination logic internally, but migration engineers should test the session TTL against the specific Simply CRM instance before scheduling the full run. Extended session timeouts on the Simply CRM server side reduce the risk of mid-migration auth failures.

HighLevel stores all contact attributes as key-value custom fields, not as schema-defined columns

HighLevel's contact record holds standard fields (name, email, phone, address) as structured columns, but all custom attributes are stored as a key-value attribute set on the contact record rather than as separate schema columns. This means a Simply CRM custom field named 'Lead Source' does not become a separate database column in HighLevel — it becomes a Contact custom field attribute that must be pre-created in HighLevel's field settings before migration. Multi-select pick-list fields from Simply CRM also require special handling since HighLevel's custom field types may not natively support multi-select arrays. We pre-create the full custom field schema in HighLevel before writing any contact records.

Simply CRM Deal-to-Contact associations do not map to HighLevel's Opportunity Contact Roles

Simply CRM allows a Deal to be associated with multiple Contacts directly through the Deals module's relationship editor. HighLevel Opportunities are primarily associated with a Company, and Contact linkage is handled through the Opportunity's linked contacts list rather than through a dedicated junction object with role labels. The association metadata — which contact is the primary buyer, which is a technical evaluator — has no native HighLevel equivalent. We preserve the full contact association list as a JSON-formatted custom field on the HighLevel Opportunity and surface it as a tag on each related Contact so the relationship context is searchable post-migration.

Simply CRM workflow definitions cannot be exported in a format compatible with HighLevel's Workflows engine

Simply CRM workflows are SugarCRM-style automation rules — record-change triggers, field-update actions, and assignment logic — stored in a database structure that has no direct export format. HighLevel's Workflows builder uses a trigger-action-condition model with visual branching, delay nodes, and external integrations that Simply CRM does not support. Attempting a mechanical translation produces broken workflows in HighLevel, confirmed by migration case studies where appointment confirmation automations broke because HighLevel's Workflow engine requires SMS, email, AND voicemail integration to fire a trigger. We export the Simply CRM workflow definitions as a written rebuild reference — trigger conditions, action sequences, and field-update rules — so your HighLevel admin can reconstruct the logic in the Workflows builder.