Migrate from OpenCATS to Zoho Recruit

OpenCATS Candidate records extract from the MariaDB candidates table with all standard fields (first_name, last_name, email, phone, address, source). Zoho Recruit requires Last Name as a mandatory field — we transform any OpenCATS Candidate with a blank last_name by setting it to 'Not Provided' per Zoho's import guidelines. Skills from OpenCATS are stored as comma-separated tags in the candidate_skills join table; we map these to Zoho Recruit's Skills field or create them as tag entries in Zoho's skill repository during import. Resume file paths are extracted from candidate_attachments and flagged for separate SFTP file transfer post-migration.

OpenCATS Job Orders map to Zoho Recruit Job Openings with joborder_id, title, description, status, and assigned recruiter extracted from the joborder table. OpenCATS job order status values (published, on-hold, closed, cancelled) map to Zoho Recruit's Active, On Hold, Closed, and Cancelled status equivalents. Assigned Recruiter email resolves against the migrated User records to populate the Zoho Recruit Owner field. Job order custom fields migrate to Zoho Recruit custom fields created during schema pre-configuration.

OpenCATS Companies map to Zoho Recruit Clients. The company_id, name, address, website, and industry fields transfer directly. We resolve the owner recruiter reference from OpenCATS and map it to the Client's Owner field in Zoho Recruit. If OpenCATS stores multiple contacts per company as separate Contact records, we preserve the association via the candidate_company join table before creating individual Contact records in Zoho Recruit linked to the same Client.

OpenCATS Contacts (hiring managers, client representatives, cold call list entries) map to Zoho Recruit Contacts. We extract first_name, last_name, email, phone, title, company_name, and notes. The last_name mandatory constraint applies here as well — any Contact with a blank last_name is set to 'Not Provided'. We resolve the owner recruiter by email match against migrated User records.

OpenCATS Activity records (notes, call logs, meeting entries) extract from the activity_log table with activity_type, activity_date, subject, and notes content. Call entries map to Zoho Recruit Tasks with TaskSubtype set to Call and call duration preserved. Meeting entries map to Zoho Recruit Events with StartDateTime and EndDateTime from the activity timestamp. Notes content migrates as Zoho Recruit Notes linked to the parent Candidate or Job Opening via ContentDocumentLink. We resolve parent candidate and job order references at migration time using the OpenCATS join table keys.

OpenCATS Saved Lists are user-curated candidate groupings stored in the saved_list and saved_list_entry tables. We extract the list name and all member candidate IDs, then create equivalent tag-based groupings in Zoho Recruit by tagging each Candidate record with the list name as a Zoho Recruit tag. List ordering and ranking within the saved list do not transfer. The customer chooses during scoping whether to create Zoho Recruit Tasks from the list entries or use tags only.

OpenCATS Users extract from the userconfig table with user_id, username, email, first_name, last_name, and is_admin flag. We match by email against Zoho Recruit User accounts. If a Zoho Recruit account already exists for a given email, that account must be closed or consolidated per Zoho's migration requirements before User records can be imported under that email address. Role-permission structures in OpenCATS map conceptually to Zoho Recruit's recruiter and admin role model but require manual configuration post-migration.

OpenCATS stores resume files as filesystem paths on the server, not as database BLOBs. We extract every candidate_attachment record containing the file path and build a file inventory with candidate ID and file path. The actual PDF, DOC, and RTF files must be transferred via SFTP or file share to a location Zoho Recruit can access for re-attachment. We provide a CSV mapping file (candidate ID to file path) so the customer's admin can run the file-transfer independently or with our SFTP handoff runbook. This step is not included in the standard migration scope unless explicitly scoped.

OpenCATS calendar entries extract from the calendar_event table with event_title, event_date, event_time, and associated candidate or job order IDs. We map event titles, dates, and associations to Zoho Recruit Events. Recurrence patterns, reminders, and all-day flags in OpenCATS do not transfer — Zoho Recruit Events use a simpler event model and these attributes are not preserved. The customer reviews event history post-migration for any events that require manual re-creation.

OpenCATS Cold Call List entries are a specialized contact type used for outreach tracking. We extract them as Contact records in Zoho Recruit with a custom field cold_call_list__c set to true so the customer can filter and manage them separately from standard client contacts. Phone number, email, and notes content migrate cleanly; the cold call tracking disposition values migrate to Zoho Recruit Tasks linked to the Contact.

OpenCATS tracks which Candidates are associated with which Job Orders via the candidate_joborder join table, including status within the job pipeline (new, phone screen, interview, offered, hired, rejected). We preserve the full pipeline association in Zoho Recruit by creating Job Opening Candidates with the corresponding pipeline stage. The candidate pipeline status values map to Zoho Recruit's candidate status options per job opening.

OpenCATS Report definitions are generated from live database queries using its own report engine and are not exportable as artifacts. We do not migrate report definitions. We deliver a written inventory of every OpenCATS report with its name, filters, and fields, and the customer's admin rebuilds the equivalent reports in Zoho Recruit's Report Builder. Report data (the underlying record results) is preserved in the migrated records themselves and available for reporting from day one.