How to migrate from Sage 50 to NetSuite
To migrate a client from Sage 50 to NetSuite with superglue's AI agent, connect the client's Sage 50 company or upload its exports, and give superglue access to the client's NetSuite account. superglue assesses the data in minutes, plans every phase, recommends an answer to each decision, and runs a trial load that reconciles to the cent before cutover. You review, decide and sign off with the client.
This guide covers Sage 50 US, formerly Peachtree.
What are the steps to migrate from Sage 50 to NetSuite?
Migrating from Sage 50 to NetSuite takes six steps: connect both systems, assess the data, plan every phase, decide the mapping, run a trial load and cut over. Each load repeats exactly what you tested, and every write waits for your approval.
- 01
Connect Sage 50 and NetSuite
Connect the client's Sage 50 company read-only through the Sage 50 ODBC driver, or upload the standard exports. superglue writes nothing. The client then gives superglue access to NetSuite.
- 02
Assess the Sage 50 data
In minutes, superglue counts every record, finds the open items and lists the data issues with examples. You know the size of the migration before you quote it.
- 03
Plan every phase
superglue drafts the plan from discovery to cutover, with tasks, owners and the Sage 50 specifics already in it.
- 04
Decide the mapping
superglue brings each decision below with a recommendation from the client's own data. You confirm or change each answer, and the client signs the mapping.
- 05
Run the trial load
superglue loads a NetSuite sandbox account and compares it with Sage 50: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. superglue explains every difference before cutover.
- 06
Cut over
At cutover, superglue loads the final data with the same steps as the trial load, and you sign the reconciliation with the client.
How do you get the data out of Sage 50?
- The client sets a data access password in Sage 50, and the superglue gateway reads the company on a computer with Sage 50 installed. The standard exports work too.
- Ask whether old years were purged. Purged transactions are gone, so those years move as balances.
- Sage 50 keeps each company in its own folder, so ask for every company in scope.
The client installs the superglue gateway once: Connecting to on-prem systems
What needs to be configured in NetSuite?
The client turns on the SuiteCloud features and adds an integration record for superglue. superglue configures NetSuite and loads the data through that access, in a NetSuite sandbox account first, in this order:
- 01
Subsidiaries and their base currencies.
- 02
Accounting preferences and periods.
- 03
The chart of accounts, then departments, classes and locations.
- 04
Custom fields, records, segments, forms and workflows, and SuiteScript where the design needs it.
- 05
Customers, vendors, contacts and items, then the opening balances and the open items.
Access setup for the client: NetSuite configuration guide
What moves from Sage 50 to NetSuite?
| In Sage 50 | In NetSuite |
|---|---|
| Chart of accounts | Accounts |
| Departments in the account IDs | Departments, classes and locations |
| Customers | Customers |
| Jobs, phases and cost codes (Premium and higher) | Projects |
| Vendors | Vendors |
| Inventory items | Items |
| Cash accounts | Bank accounts |
Open items
Open invoices and credit memos, open purchases and vendor credits, open sales and purchase orders, and inventory on hand with its cost.
Open items load as invoices, credit memos, vendor bills and vendor credits with their original numbers and dates, so the aging in NetSuite matches on day one.
History
Sage 50 keeps every transaction that was not purged. superglue reads all of them and reports how far back the detail goes.
History loads as journal entries per month, account and segment.
Which decisions do you make when you migrate from Sage 50 to NetSuite?
- 01
Where do the departments in Sage 50 account IDs go?
NetSuite keeps one account and puts the department on the transaction. With per-line departments turned on, each line can carry its own department.
superglue splits each account ID into the account and the department, and proposes a NetSuite department for each code.
- 02
Where do Sage 50 jobs go?
NetSuite projects have project tasks, and phases fit those tasks.
superglue maps active jobs to projects and phases to project tasks, and moves closed jobs as history only.
- 03
How many subsidiaries does the client need?
In NetSuite OneWorld, subsidiaries set the currency, the tax and which customers and vendors each company can use. Changing them after go-live means reworking master data.
superglue recommends one subsidiary for each legal company in Sage 50, decided before any master data loads.
- 04
Which item types do the items become?
NetSuite separates inventory, non-inventory, service, other charge, kit and assembly items. Non-inventory and service items can be for sale, for purchase or for resale.
superglue proposes the type for each item from how the client bought and sold it.
- 05
How much history moves?
Most clients need the open items plus one to two years of monthly balances in NetSuite, and older years as yearly balances. The client keeps the older detail in an archive.
superglue recommends two years of monthly balances per account, and full transaction detail only where the client needs to look into single transactions.
What are the common challenges when you migrate from Sage 50 to NetSuite?
Purged transactions leave gaps in the history
Sage 50 lets users purge old transactions, and the detail of those years is gone. superglue reports the first year with full detail, and moves the earlier years as balances.
Expect the chart of accounts to shrink
Many Sage 50 companies repeat each account per department, such as 6100-01 and 6100-02, so the chart often shrinks a lot once departments become dimensions. Show the client the new chart early, because their reports change with it.
Reported years still change
Sage 50 keeps two fiscal years open, and clients post into the earlier year after its figures were reported. superglue compares each reported year with the approved trial balance before the history moves.
Multi-company clients need an intercompany plan
Clients with several companies keep one company folder for each, with intercompany balances between them. Agree early which companies merge, which become entities, and how the intercompany balances settle. superglue reads every company and matches the intercompany balances.
Lock the subsidiary structure before the first load
The currency of a NetSuite subsidiary is fixed once its first transaction is saved, so a late change means a new subsidiary and a reload. Get the structure signed in the design phase.
Plan the sandbox around refreshes
A sandbox refresh replaces everything in the sandbox, including your configuration. superglue keeps the configuration and applies it again, so a refresh does not cost you the setup work.
superglue also runs the rest of the NetSuite project. See the NetSuite implementation
Frequently asked questions
Which data moves from Sage 50 to NetSuite?
The chart of accounts, customers, vendors and items, the open items, and as much history as the client needs. The mapping table on this page shows where each record lands in NetSuite.
Does superglue write to NetSuite without my approval?
No. superglue only reads Sage 50. Before any write to NetSuite, it shows the target, the connection and a transformed sample, and waits for your approval.
How do I know the migration is complete?
superglue reconciles the trial load and the final load against Sage 50: the trial balance per period, the open receivables and payables per customer and vendor, and the inventory value. You get a reconciliation report to sign with the client.
What happens when I start this migration?
You sign up and connect the client's systems. If you want to see a full migration run first, superglue can set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client.
Start your Sage 50 to NetSuite migration
Sign up and connect the client's systems, or let superglue set up Pinecrest Supply, a sample client, to see a full migration run first.