Before migrating your historical documents to Canopy using the ToCanopy tool, you'll need to verify your file organization and prepare your environment.
Why it matters: File migrations require your files to be organized consistently and accessible to the migration tool. Planning ahead ensures the tool can run smoothly and your files land in the right client records.
Table of Contents
Verify Your File Storage and Organization
Your files must be accessible to the ToCanopy tool and organized in a specific way.
File storage must be:
Stored locally on your computer, OR
Stored on a network drive, OR
Stored in a virtual drive that you can access through Windows Explorer
Folder organization:
All client folders must be in the same directory (the same parent folder).
If your client folders are split across multiple locations (e.g., "Clients A-D", "Clients E-M"), you'll need to run the tool multiple times — once for each location.
Folder structure:
The file structure you have on your drive will be mirrored in Canopy as-is.
If you want to reorganize folders or rename anything, make these changes before running the tool.
Once the migration starts, any changes to folder structure will need to be redone afterward.
Prepare Your Computer and Team
Dedicate a computer or server:
You'll need a dedicated computer or server to run the ToCanopy tool during the migration.
The machine should remain connected and available for the duration of the upload.
Notify your team:
Let your firm know that no one should add or remove files from client folders during the migration.
This includes moving files between folders or modifying existing files.
File changes during migration can cause files to be missed or mismatched.
Prepare Your Migration Plan
Before your migration specialist reaches out, think through these three questions:
1. Client Name Matching
Do your folder names match your Canopy client names exactly (spelling, capitalization, spacing)?
The closer they match, the easier it is for the tool to assign folders to the correct clients.
If names don't match, prepare a mapping of folder names to Canopy client names.
2. Volume
What is the approximate total size of your folders? How many client folders are you expecting?
This helps your migration specialist estimate timeline and resources needed.
3. Folder Structure
Do you want files nested under a specific parent folder (e.g., "Historical Docs" or "Legacy Files") in each client profile?
If yes, note the parent folder name you'd like.
If no, your current folder structure will be maintained as-is.
Contact Your Migration Specialist
Once you've verified your file organization and thought through the three discovery questions, reach out to your Data Migration Specialist with:
Confirmation that your files are accessible and organized correctly
Your answers to the three discovery questions
Information about your file storage location (local, network drive, or virtual drive)
Any questions about the migration process
They'll coordinate the migration timeline and next steps from there.
Summary
This article covered verifying your file storage and organization, preparing your computer and team for the migration, and preparing your answers to key migration planning questions. Once you're ready, contact your Data Migration Specialist to proceed.
Need help?
Contact Support or ask Penny, our AI Support Bot, for assistance.