Migrate from Sunbase Data to Mailchimp

Discovery and extraction method confirmation

We audit every active Sunbase module in use (CRM, Project Management, HR, Financial) and identify which contain contact-related records. We confirm the extraction method with the customer's Sunbase team: direct database access for enterprise accounts, or manual CSV export from each module for standard accounts. We map the cross-module relationships (Contact-to-Deal, Contact-to-Project, Client-to-Work Order) using shared keys in the exported data. The discovery output is a written extraction plan, a custom field manifest request, and a confirmed migration scope with fixed pricing.

Custom field manifest and Mailchimp Audience setup

The customer provides a custom field manifest listing every Sunbase custom field to migrate, its data type, and the intended Mailchimp merge field. We create the corresponding merge fields in the destination Mailchimp Audience (Audience Settings > Merge fields) before any data loads, specifying text, number, date, or address types as appropriate. We set up initial Tags corresponding to Sunbase category labels at this stage so tagging can occur during import. We also configure the suppression import settings to receive unsubscribed and bounced contacts first.

Suppression list import

We extract all unsubscribed and bounced contact records from Sunbase's Contact, Lead, and Client modules across all active modules. We deduplicate by email address and import the suppression list into the Mailchimp Audience via the API before any subscriber records load. This ensures that any contact records subsequently imported with subscribed status are correctly suppressed by Mailchimp's own list hygiene rules. We reconcile the suppression import count against the source export count and flag any discrepancies before proceeding.

Contact and Lead migration

We run the primary contact migration in batches of up to 5,000 records per API call, applying the field mapping (standard fields to merge fields, custom fields per manifest, tags per category labels). We use the email address as the dedupe key and set subscribed status for records not on the suppression list. Each batch emits a row-count and error report. We validate a random sample of 25-50 migrated contacts against the source CSV to confirm field-level accuracy before proceeding to the next batch.

Segment verification and deliverability setup

We verify that Mailchimp segments built from migrated tags, lead source, and project metadata return the expected contact counts. We confirm SPF and DKIM domain authentication is configured in Mailchimp for the sending domain to protect inbox placement. We run a test send to a small internal list to verify deliverability and rendering across inbox clients. We do not rebuild Sunbase automation workflows in Mailchimp at this stage; the automation inventory document is delivered for the customer's marketing team to rebuild post-migration.

Cutover and handoff

We freeze new Sunbase contact creation during a short cutover window, run a delta export of any records modified since the initial extraction, and load the final batch into Mailchimp. We deliver the automation inventory document, the field-mapping reference, and a reconciliation report showing record counts by object and tag in both systems. We support a three-day hypercare window for deliverability or mapping issues. We do not provide ongoing Mailchimp administration or Customer Journey rebuild as standard scope; these are separate engagements.