Axiell Collections expert, Ben Doty, provides an overview of the stages involved in upgrading to Axiell Collections
Axiell Collections represents the evolution of Adlib – a massive web-friendly evolution that adds many modern features, while still sharing enough of Adlib’s DNA that it is familiar and easy to start working with.
However, if you’ve been using Adlib for years (or even decades!) it can be intimidating to think about making a change like this. You won’t have to do it alone, though. We will be there with you through the process, and we’ll even do the heavy lifting for you.
In this blog, we’ll give you a summary of what to expect during the upgrade process. However, our projects team have also written a more comprehensive guide, which you can download here:
So what might you expect in an upgrade?
First, get in touch
Contact us via the website or get in touch with your account manager to get the process started. It’s helpful for us to know the version number of Adlib you are on, what type of collection you have, and any modifications that may have been made, but we can walk you through the process of getting this information if necessary. We’ll also discuss any extras you may need as part of the project, which may include add-ons like Axiell Move or additional training to prepare your users. After analysing your system, we can give you an idea of the cost of the project*, allowing you to make an order when ready.
*Whilst the upgrade process for an out of the box system is included as part of your annually recurring maintenance or hosting fee, charges may apply for setup (e.g. a remote installation onto a local server or setup of an Axiell hosted environment) and modifications made to the system which impact the complexity of the upgrade. We can identify these at the quoting stage and provide a full overview of associated costs.
This is the time to think about what you want, because the order that you make will define the broad strokes of what is done in the project later.
Project Kick-off
Now your project is in motion! This may not happen immediately after you order, but you will be given an estimate of when things will start, then contacted once everything is ready. At this point, you will meet the Axiell project team and together plan a schedule for how the project will go and exactly what will need to happen. We will probably need some more technical information from you about the set-up of your system, especially if your Axiell Collections system will be hosted locally (and not by Axiell). If we do not already have a copy of your system, we will need one in order to produce a first draft of your new system. Axiell has an easy-to-use tool for sending over your data.
At this point, it’s important that we get everything we need from you (access, data, requests) as quickly as possible, so that we can begin working.
Testing
With your data in hand, we will find appropriate locations for it in the new system. This is usually straightforward – being an evolution of Adlib, Axiell Collections has either the same fields or fields that are designed to hold the same information in a better way. Once the initial test system is built, you will be given access to try it out. If training is part of the project, you may choose to have that training now. This is your chance to make sure everything has come through correctly and to report any issues to us. While we also check your data, you know your data best. Depending on the complexity of your system, we may need to do multiple test rounds but we will continue until we get it right!
Make sure that you check the system carefully – this is when you sign off on the plan to say it meets your standards and you would be happy to accept it. Any problems ignored here will be harder to fix in the future.
Migration
This is what it’s all been leading up to – actually moving the data into Axiell Collections. At this point, we’ll need a final copy of your data to execute the migration you agreed on in the previous stage. Up until now, you’ve been able to keep working in your Adlib system, but now you will have to stop adding and editing records until Axiell Collections is set up. For most systems this should take a day or a few days at most, but very large databases may take longer.
Much like at the Kick-off stage, we will mainly need specific things from you, like a final copy of Adlib system and possibly access to your servers, so that we can get on with the migration.
Handover
Finally, things will be wrapped up. You will need to check over the final migrated system and make sure it is what you expected. If you’re happy, the project can be signed off and you will go back to working with customer services as your main contact. For projects with training, this is also a great time to schedule that because your users will now be using Axiell Collections for their day-to-day work. Now, you become an Axiell Collections user yourself – and get to take advantage of all the new features and technological advances – good luck!
Download the Upgrade Guide
Want to learn more about the stages involved in your upgrade from Adlib to Axiell Collections. Our projects team have written a comprehensive guide to walk you through the process.
Learn more about upgrading to Axiell Collections
For more information on upgrading from Adlib to Axiell Collections, including benefits of upgrading, FAQs, feature comparison and case studies, visit the Upgrading to Axiell Collections hub.
