Migrate from Trigger to Microsoft Project

Trigger Clients are organizations or companies to which projects are billable. Microsoft Project has no native customer or account object. We map the top-level client relationship by creating a Microsoft Project summary task named for each Client and nesting all Client-associated Projects beneath it. Client name, email, and billing address are stored in custom task-level text fields on the summary task. If the destination is Project Online connected to a SharePoint list, we can alternatively maintain client records in a linked SharePoint list and reference them via a custom lookup column.

Trigger Projects map directly to Microsoft Project files (MPP) or Project Online projects. Each Trigger Project becomes a distinct Project in Microsoft Project with the project name, start date, due date, status, and project manager assignment preserved. The Trigger client ID maps to the summary Client task or the SharePoint-linked client list. We use Trigger project IDs as a reference key throughout the migration for cross-validation.

Trigger Tasks map to Microsoft Project tasks. We map Trigger task name to Task Name, start/due dates to Start and Finish, estimated hours to the Estimated Work field (converting hours to duration based on the project calendar), assignee to a Resource assignment, priority to a custom Priority field, and status to the Percent Complete or Status field. Sub-tasks in Trigger require flattening during export; we reconstruct the WBS hierarchy at the destination by matching parent task IDs to the appropriate summary task level.

Trigger supports nested sub-tasks under tasks. Microsoft Project natively supports hierarchical sub-tasks via outline indent. We export the flat CSV with parent_task_id, then reconstruct the hierarchy by ordering tasks by their Trigger parent relationship and indenting them in the Microsoft Project outline. The maximum nesting depth supported in Microsoft Project is 65,000 characters of WBS codes; we flag any deeply nested structures that may exceed this limit.

Trigger time entries are individual log entries linked to tasks with duration, billable flag, user, and date. Microsoft Project tracks work on task assignments rather than free-form time logs. We aggregate Trigger time entries by task and user, converting the sum of durations into assignment Work hours on the corresponding task in Microsoft Project. If a task has multiple users logging time, we create separate Resource Assignments with individual work totals. Non-billable time entries are flagged and optionally excluded based on the customer's scope.

Trigger Users with name, email, role, and hourly rate map to Microsoft Project Resources. We map Trigger user names to Resource Name, emails to the Notes field, and hourly rates to the Rates Cost field in the resource sheet. Admin and Member roles in Trigger do not have a direct Microsoft Project equivalent; we document the role assignment in a custom Resource field for the PMO's reference. Resources are created before any task assignment work is imported.

Trigger Invoices are derived records whose amounts are computed from billable time entries. Microsoft Project has no invoice object. We do not migrate Invoices as records. Instead, we export the invoice totals, associated time entries, and computed line items as a structured CSV deliverable for the customer's admin to re-enter in their billing system or to attach as a document to the relevant project summary task. Invoice status (draft, sent, paid, overdue) is documented as a separate CSV column for manual record-keeping.

Trigger allows custom fields on Projects and Tasks. We export the custom field definitions and values alongside their parent records. Before importing into Microsoft Project, we create matching custom fields in the destination project using the Custom Fields dialog, matching Trigger field types to the closest Microsoft Project field type (Text, Number, Cost, Flag, or Date). Custom fields on projects become project-level fields; custom fields on tasks become task-level fields.

Task-level custom fields from Trigger (such as billing category, client reference, or workflow stage) are mapped to task-level custom fields in Microsoft Project. We preserve the Trigger field label as the Microsoft Project field name and the original value as the field value. Formula fields, conditional logic, and rollup calculations in Trigger do not have equivalents in Microsoft Project; these are documented in the handoff deliverable for the customer's admin to rebuild using Microsoft Project's custom field formulas or Power Automate if the destination is Project Online.

Trigger projects that are archived or locked require separate handling. We flag all archived projects during the export phase and present them to the customer for a decision: migrate as read-only or inactive projects in Microsoft Project, or archive as a static CSV export. Microsoft Project does not have a native archive state, so archived projects are imported with an IsInactive custom flag set to Yes and excluded from resource leveling calculations.

Trigger file attachments stored within tasks or projects are not accessible via any documented export method. We do not migrate attachments. Customers should download files manually from Trigger before the migration window closes, or use Trigger's manual export feature to bundle attachments per project. We provide a manifest of all attachment references (file names, sizes, task associations) so the customer's team can reattach files post-migration in Microsoft Project.