Migrate from ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus to Zoho Desk

SDP Requests map to Zoho Desk Tickets with all standard fields (subject, description, status, priority, category, subcategory, resolution) transferred via REST API. The SDP request ID is preserved as an external ID field sdp_request_id__c for cross-reference. Custom request fields (e.g., team assignment, customer tier, service impact) require per-record detail API calls since they do not surface in the bulk list response; we enumerate all custom field names and data types during scoping and map them to Zoho Desk custom ticket fields.

SDP Requesters map to Zoho Desk Contacts. The requester's name, email, phone, department, and site fields transfer directly. Requester-to-request associations (the submitter of each ticket) are preserved as the Contact-to-Ticket lookup in Zoho Desk. We use email as the deduplication key; if a matching Contact already exists in Zoho Desk, we link the ticket to the existing record rather than creating a duplicate.

SDP Technicians map to Zoho Desk Agents with a role and department assignment reconstructed from the SDP technician group and role definitions. The SDP technician email becomes the Zoho Desk agent login, and the agent's first name and last name map from SDP technician name fields. We run owner reconciliation by email against the Zoho Desk agent list; any SDP technician without a matching Zoho Desk agent is held in a provisioning queue for the customer's admin to address before ticket migration.

SDP Asset records (hardware, software, IT components) have no native Zoho Desk equivalent. We export asset records with fields including name, type, serial number, purchase date, vendor, and status, then map them into either Zoho Inventory (if the customer has a Zoho Inventory subscription) as inventory items, or as a Zoho Desk custom module with custom fields matching the asset schema. Asset-to-request associations (which SDP assets are linked to which tickets) migrate as custom ticket fields referencing the asset identifier.

SDP Contracts (vendor agreements with start/end dates, terms, and cost) are not standard Zoho Desk objects. We export contract records and map them to a Zoho Desk custom module with fields for vendor name, contract type, effective dates, renewal date, and cost. Contract-to-asset associations are preserved as lookup relationships within the custom module. This requires pre-creation of the custom schema in Zoho Desk before any contract data is imported.

SDP Solutions (knowledge base articles) map to Zoho Desk Articles with content, category assignments, and approval status preserved. Article content migrates with inline images extracted and re-uploaded to Zoho Desk's file repository. The SDP article approval workflow status is noted but does not replicate the approval action; articles are published in Zoho Desk as a post-migration step by the customer's admin. Category hierarchy from SDP maps to Zoho Desk section and subsection structure.

SDP Problem records (ITIL Problem Management entities linking multiple incidents) do not have a native Zoho Desk equivalent since Zoho Desk lacks an ITIL Problem Management module. We map Problems to either linked Cases (using the Case's Related To field to reference the originating ticket) or to a custom Problem module that we pre-create in Zoho Desk. The Problem-to-Incident association migrates as a custom lookup field on the linked tickets. Problem severity, root cause, and status transfer as custom fields. Available only on SDP Professional and Enterprise tiers.

SDP Change records (ITIL Change Management with approval workflows and risk assessments) have no standard Zoho Desk equivalent. We export change records with fields including change type, risk level, impact, implementation plan, and approval status, then map them to a Zoho Desk custom module. The change-to-request associations migrate as custom ticket fields referencing the change ID. Approval Board configurations and risk scores are preserved as custom fields but approval actions must be completed manually in Zoho Desk post-migration. Available only on SDP Enterprise or with the Change Management add-on.

SDP Release records (deployment packages and rollout plans) do not exist in Zoho Desk standard objects. We export release records with metadata including release name, type, planned start and end dates, status, and associated change requests, then map them to a custom module in Zoho Desk. Release checklists migrate as a related custom list within the module. Available only on SDP Enterprise or with the Release Management add-on.

SDP Projects track IT initiatives linked to requests and changes. Zoho Desk does not include a native project management object. We export project metadata, task lists, and resource assignments and map them to either a Zoho Desk custom module (with task sub-records) or recommend the customer establish a Zoho Projects workspace and link projects to tickets via custom fields. Project-to-request associations preserve during migration as custom ticket field references. Available only on SDP Enterprise.

SDP Service Catalog items (orderable services with request templates, approval workflows, and fulfillment steps) are not migratable to Zoho Desk because Zoho Desk does not include a service catalog feature. Service catalog is an ITSM-specific capability that Zoho addresses with a separate Zoho ServiceDesk Plus product, not Zoho Desk. We document the catalog items in scope during scoping and flag them as items requiring a separate rebuild decision in Zoho ServiceDesk Plus or as manual setup in Zoho Desk.

SDP request attachments (file references with filename, size, type, and URL) are extracted via per-record API calls to the attachment endpoint. We download attachment binary content where the SDP API grants access and re-upload to Zoho Desk as ticket attachments linked to the migrated Ticket record. This requires per-record API calls, which multiplies against the 60 reads per minute SDP rate limit. Large attachment volumes extend migration timelines significantly. Zoho Desk's 20 MB per attachment limit is enforced during re-upload; attachments exceeding this limit are flagged for manual handling.

SDP conversation threads (internal notes and public replies attached to requests) are extracted via the per-request detail API. We store these as Comment records in Zoho Desk linked to the corresponding Ticket. The author (SDP technician or requester) resolves to the mapped Zoho Desk Agent or Contact. Conversation timestamp and visibility (public/internal) preserve as Comment metadata. This requires per-record detail calls, multiplying against the SDP read rate limit.

SDP SLA definitions (escalation rules, response time, resolution time, and holiday lists) are internal workflow configurations that do not expose a portable data format. We document which SLA policies are active in the SDP instance during scoping and flag them for manual setup in Zoho Desk's SLA policies section (available on Professional and Enterprise tiers). The customer admin rebuilds SLA rules in Zoho Desk after migration.

SDP Business Rules (automated actions triggered by conditions) and Help Desk Rules are internal workflow definitions without a public export mechanism. We do not migrate automation as code. We deliver a written inventory of every active SDP Business Rule with its trigger, conditions, actions, and a recommended Zoho Desk Blueprint equivalent (for Professional and Enterprise tiers). The customer admin rebuilds rules in Zoho Desk Blueprint post-migration.