Nexternal to Magento Migration - Step-by-Step Guide & Expert Services

A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning from Nexternal to Magento

Migrating your e-commerce store is a strategic decision that can significantly impact your business's future. For merchants currently on Nexternal looking to transition to the robust and scalable Magento platform, this guide provides a clear, step-by-step roadmap to ensure a smooth data transfer.

While Nexternal does not support a direct bridge connection for automated migrations, the process can be efficiently managed by exporting your valuable store data into CSV files. This method allows you to transfer a wide range of entities, including products, customer records, and order histories, to your new Magento store with precision and control. Magento offers extensive capabilities, from advanced product management and marketing tools to a vast ecosystem of extensions, making it an ideal choice for growing businesses seeking enhanced flexibility and performance.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before initiating your store migration from Nexternal to Magento, a thorough preparation phase is crucial. This helps minimize potential issues and ensures a more efficient transition of your valuable e-commerce data.

1. Nexternal Data Export: Since Nexternal does not utilize a direct connection method for automated migrations, you will need to export your store's data into CSV files. Consult Nexternal's documentation for instructions on how to export your products (including SKUs and variants), customer information, order history, categories, and other relevant data into a CSV format. This will serve as your source data for the migration process. For more details on this method, refer to our CSV.File Data Migration service.
2. Functional Magento Store: Ensure you have a fully installed and accessible Magento store. This includes:
   • Magento Installation: A clean installation of Magento (versions 1.1.0 or 2.0.0 are supported).
   • Admin Access: Full administrative access to your Magento backend.
   • FTP/SFTP Access: Access to your Magento server via FTP or SFTP to upload the connection bridge file. Understanding what a root folder is will be essential here.

3. Data Backup: Always perform a complete backup of your existing Nexternal data and your new Magento installation before starting the migration. This acts as a safety net in case any unforeseen issues arise during the data transfer process.
4. Data Cleanup (Optional but Recommended): Review your Nexternal store for any outdated or irrelevant data (e.g., inactive products, old customer accounts) that you might not wish to transfer. This can streamline the migration and improve the performance of your new Magento store.
5. Target Store Preparation: Familiarize yourself with the Magento platform and consider any specific configurations or extensions you might need post-migration. For more details, see our guide on preparing your target store.

Performing the Migration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to successfully move your e-commerce operations from Nexternal to Magento.

Step 1: Initiate Your Migration

Begin by logging into your migration service account. Select the option to start a new migration project. You'll typically be greeted with an interface prompting you to choose your source and target platforms.

Step 2: Configure Your Source Store (Nexternal via CSV)

As Nexternal requires a CSV export, you will select 'CSV File' or 'CsvToCart' as your Source Cart from the dropdown menu. You will then upload the CSV files containing your Nexternal store's data.

• Upload CSV Files: Provide the exported CSV files for your products, categories, customers, orders, and any other entities you wish to migrate. Ensure your CSV files are correctly formatted according to the tool's requirements.
• Supported Entities: The CSV method supports a wide array of data types, including Products, Product Categories, Product Manufacturers, Product Reviews, Customers, Orders, Invoices, Taxes, Stores, Coupons, CMS Pages, Blogs, and Blog Posts.

Step 3: Set Up Your Target Store (Magento)

Next, configure your target Magento store. Select 'Magento' as your Target Cart from the list. You will need to provide your Magento store's URL.

• Connection Bridge: The migration tool operates via a connection bridge. You will be prompted to download a 'connection_bridge.zip' file. Unpack this file and upload the 'bridge2cart' folder to the root directory of your Magento installation via FTP/SFTP. This bridge is essential for securely accessing your Magento data.

Step 4: Select Data Entities for Transfer

This critical step allows you to choose exactly which types of data you want to move from your Nexternal CSV files to your new Magento store. You can select all available entities or pick specific ones based on your needs.

• Common Entities: You can transfer Products, Product Categories, Product Manufacturers, Product Reviews, Customers, Orders, Invoices, Taxes, Stores, Coupons, and CMS Pages.
• Customization: Review the list carefully to ensure all necessary data, such as product SKUs, customer details, and order histories, are selected for the replatforming process.

Step 5: Configure Data Mapping and Additional Options

This stage involves mapping your source data to its corresponding fields in Magento and selecting advanced migration preferences.

• Data Mapping: Crucially, map customer groups and order statuses from your Nexternal data to the appropriate fields in Magento. This ensures consistency and proper functionality in your new store. For example, ensure 'Pending' orders map correctly to Magento's 'Pending Payment' status.

• Additional Migration Options: Enhance your data transfer with various options specific to Magento, such as:
• Clear Target Store Data: This option allows you to clear current data on your Target store before migration, ensuring a fresh start.
• Preserve IDs: Retain original Category IDs, Product IDs, Customer IDs, and Order IDs. Learn more about how Preserve IDs options can be used.
• Password Migration: Migrate customer passwords. Note that this feature often requires a specific Magento module to be installed.
• SEO URLs & 301 Redirects: Migrate your existing SEO URLs and create 301 redirects to maintain your search engine rankings and link equity.
• Migrate Images in Description: Ensure product images embedded in descriptions are transferred.
• Create Variants from Attributes: Properly transfer product variants based on attributes.
• Migrate Invoices: Transfer existing invoice records.
• Migrate Store Config: Migrate relevant store configuration settings.
• Magento Specific Notices: Be aware that reviews table dependency needs to be checked, and password migration requires a specific Magento module.

Step 6: Perform Demo and Full Migration

Before committing to the full replatforming, run a demo migration.

• Demo Migration: This free step transfers a limited number of entities, allowing you to preview the results and verify data integrity in your Magento store. It's a crucial checkpoint to ensure everything is mapped correctly.
• Full Migration: Once you're satisfied with the demo, proceed with the full migration. Review the summary of items to be transferred and the total cost. You might also consider a Migration Insurance Plan to allow for re-migrations if needed. During the full data transfer, it's recommended to avoid making any changes to your Nexternal or Magento stores to prevent data corruption or discrepancies.

Post-Migration Steps

After your Nexternal data has been successfully moved to Magento, several crucial steps are required to ensure your new store is fully operational and optimized.

1. Verify Data Integrity: Thoroughly check your Magento store.

• Products: Confirm all products, SKUs, variants, descriptions, and images are correct.
• Customers: Verify customer accounts, addresses, and historical data.
• Orders: Ensure all past orders, statuses, and associated information are accurate.
• Reviews: Check that product reviews have been transferred correctly, keeping in mind Magento's reviews table dependency.

• 301 Redirects: If you opted to create 301 redirects during migration, verify they are working correctly to preserve your SEO rankings and link equity.
• Sitemap & Robots.txt: Update your sitemap and robots.txt files in Magento to reflect your new store structure.
• Google Search Console: Monitor your new Magento site in Google Search Console for any crawl errors or indexing issues.

• Password Migration Module: If you migrated customer passwords, ensure the necessary Magento module for password handling is installed and configured.
• Essential Extensions: Install any other essential Magento extensions or plugins that enhance your store's functionality, security, or user experience.

• Checkout Process: Place test orders, confirm payment gateway integration, and shipping calculations.
• Customer Accounts: Test login, registration, password reset, and account management.
• Site Navigation: Ensure all links, categories, and filters work as expected.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Verify the store's appearance and functionality across various devices.