Migrate from TOPdesk to Zendesk

TOPdesk Calls (both incidents and service requests) map directly to Zendesk Tickets. The Call status field maps to Zendesk Ticket Status (New, Open, Pending, On-hold, Solved, Closed). Priority, category, and branch assignment from TOPdesk map to custom ticket fields in Zendesk. Custom fields of type text, number, dropdown, date, and checkbox map to Zendesk custom fields of the corresponding type. Call notes and activity history migrate as ticket comments, with internal notes preserved as private Zendesk comments.

TOPdesk People records (requesters who submit calls) map to Zendesk Users with the End-user role. The person_id maps to the Zendesk user id, email to the primary email field, and the branch or department field maps to a custom user field (e.g., topdesk_branch__c). If a TOPdesk person also appears as an operator, we create one Zendesk user record and set the Agent role.

TOPdesk Operators (the agents who handle calls) map to Zendesk Users with the Agent role. Operator authorization templates and branch assignments map to custom user fields. The operator branch and department structure from TOPdesk is preserved as a custom field and optionally as Zendesk Group membership if the group names align with TOPdesk branches. We resolve operators by email match and hold unresolved operators in a reconciliation queue for the customer's admin to provision before record import.

TOPdesk Changes (Simple Change, Extensive Change, Request for Change) map to Zendesk Tickets with a custom field (change_type__c) storing the TOPdesk change classification. Authorization activities from TOPdesk become internal comments on the Zendesk ticket, preserving the activity log. The original TOPdesk change template type (status=1 or status=2) is stored in a separate custom field (change_template_type__c) for audit traceability. Changes that reference TOPdesk People as submitters and Operators as assignees require those user records to exist in Zendesk first.

TOPdesk's Asset Management module stores hardware, software, licences, and network components with a full parent-child hierarchy. Zendesk does not have a native asset object at Suite Growth and below; at Suite Enterprise it requires the paid Asset Management add-on. We create a custom Zendesk object (IT_Asset__c) during schema preparation with fields for asset type, serial number, status, location, and a parent_asset__c lookup for hierarchy. The TOPdesk asset hierarchy is built recursively since the TOPdesk API does not return the full tree in a single call; we fetch child links iteratively and set parent_asset__c references during migration.

TOPdesk Configuration Management items store IT infrastructure components (servers, databases, services) and link to assets and calls. The TOPdesk configuration endpoint maps to a custom Zendesk object (Configuration_Item__c) with fields for name, type, status, and links to the IT_Asset__c custom object. Custom fields from the TOPdesk CI schema migrate to equivalent custom fields on the Zendesk custom object.

TOPdesk Known Error Cards store a problem cause and a possible solution. The Known Error description and workaround text migrate to a Zendesk Help Center Article, published in a dedicated Known Errors section. The TOPdesk-linked problem and the error cause are stored as article metadata in custom fields (known_error_cause__c, known_error_workaround__c). We link related articles to relevant tickets using Zendesk article linking.

TOPdesk Reservations track bookings of equipment, rooms, or other lendable assets. In Zendesk, reservations become Tickets with custom fields capturing the reservation item, date range, and booking status. The reserved asset is linked via the IT_Asset__c custom object lookup. Reservation status (reserved, in use, returned) maps to Zendesk Ticket Status values.

Attachments linked to Calls, Changes, and Assets in TOPdesk migrate as Zendesk Attachments linked to the corresponding Ticket or custom object record. We extract attachment metadata (filename, size, content type) and the binary via the TOPdesk API, then attach to the destination record using the Zendesk Attachments API. Inline images within call or change descriptions are extracted separately and re-attached.

TOPdesk allows up to five freely definable object types that organizations use for custom entities such as buildings, contracts, or service-level agreements. Each freely definable object type maps to its own Zendesk custom object (e.g., Contract__c, Building__c) with custom fields matching the TOPdesk free object schema. We pre-create the custom object schema during the Zendesk schema preparation phase before any data migration begins. Links between free objects and standard objects (Calls, Changes, People) are preserved as Zendesk custom lookups.

TOPdesk branches and operator groups organize operators and people by department, location, or team. We map each TOPdesk branch to a Zendesk Group and assign agents and users to the appropriate group. If the branch name does not map directly to a Zendesk Group structure, we use a custom user field (topdesk_branch__c) on the User record instead. Group membership is set during the People and Operator import phase.

TOPdesk supports custom fields of type text, date, checkbox, number, currency, and dropdown on Calls, Changes, Assets, People, and Operators. We map each custom field type to the equivalent Zendesk custom field type. Dropdown fields in TOPdesk that store multiple selections generate tags in Zendesk for reporting purposes; single-select dropdowns map to Zendesk dropdown fields. Currency fields from TOPdesk use the organization's base currency and map to Zendesk numeric custom fields.