Migrate Records Overview

The Migrate Records step is the primary step type in Precision Bridge and serves as the ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) workhorse of every data integration project. It extracts records from a source system, transforms the data using configurable field mappings, and loads the results into a target system.

If you are familiar with previous versions of Precision Bridge, the Migrate Records step is the equivalent of a Form Mapping.

When to Use Migrate Records

Use a Migrate Records step whenever you need to:

• Migrate data between systems — move records from one platform to another (e.g., ServiceNow to ServiceNow, Jira to a database, CSV to ServiceNow)
• Synchronize records — keep two systems in sync by extracting updated records and loading changes into the target
• Transform data — restructure, rename, translate, or compute field values during migration
• Maintain relationships — preserve parent-child and reference field relationships across systems using key mappings, lookups, and table correlations

High-Level Flow

A typical Migrate Records configuration follows this sequence:

1. Configure Tables — Select the source connection and table to extract from, and the target connection and table to load into.
2. Set the Filter — Define which records to extract from the source. You can use standard filter conditions or native query syntax (e.g., ServiceNow encoded queries, Jira JQL).
3. Map Fields — Configure how each source field maps to a target field. Mappings can be direct copies, constants, formulas, value translations, lookups, or ID translations.
4. Configure Key Mappings — Specify which fields identify whether a target record already exists, and what to do when a match is found (update, skip, or error).
5. Set Up Lookups — Define lookup configurations to retrieve values from related tables that are not directly available on the source record.
6. Configure Output — Set output variables to capture results (ID maps, record counts) and enable table correlations to track source-to-target ID pairs for use in subsequent steps.
7. Run — Execute the step to perform the extraction, transformation, and loading.

Tab Structure

The Migrate Records step is organized into tabs, each controlling a different aspect of the ETL process:

Tab	Purpose
Tables	Select the source and target connections and tables
Filter	Define which records to extract from the source
Fields	Configure field mappings that transform source data into target format
Key Mappings	Define key fields for matching existing target records and duplicate handling
Lookups	Set up lookup definitions for retrieving values from related tables
Output	Configure output variables and table correlations
Preview	Run a read-only dry-run against a sample of source records to verify mappings before committing to a full migration
Advanced	Access additional options including mapping variables, validation rules, attachment migration, batch sizing, keyset pagination, sampling validation, and per-chunk scripts

Each tab can be configured independently, and you can move between tabs in any order. However, the recommended order above ensures that dependent configurations (such as field mappings that reference lookups) are set up after their prerequisites.

What Happens During Execution

When a Migrate Records step runs, Precision Bridge performs the following operations:

1. Extract — Connects to the source system, applies the configured filter, and retrieves matching records. If lookups are configured, the lookup data is also fetched.
2. Transform — For each extracted record, evaluates all field mappings to produce the target field values. This includes direct mappings, formula calculations, value translations, lookup retrievals, and ID translations.
3. Load — For each transformed record, checks the target system for existing records using the configured key fields. Depending on the match result and the configured action, the record is inserted, updated, or skipped.
4. Output — After all records are processed, output variables are populated and table correlations are saved.

Supported Systems

Migrate Records works with any connection type configured in Precision Bridge, including:

System	Typical role	Notes
ServiceNow	Source or target	Full support including encoded query filters, attachments, and sys_id correlations
Jira	Source or target	Supports JQL native filters, issue types, and custom fields
Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite)	Source or target	Direct SQL access with batch insert/update support
CSV files	Source	Useful for bulk imports and data seeding
REST APIs	Source or target	Generic API adaptor for custom integrations

You can mix and match connection types freely — for example, extracting from a CSV file and loading into ServiceNow, or extracting from Jira and loading into a PostgreSQL database.

Next Steps

For a detailed reference on every configuration option available on the Migrate Records step, see the Step Type: Migrate Records article.

The remaining articles in this category walk through each tab and configuration area in detail:

• Using the Creation Wizard — Quickly scaffold a new step with auto-generated mappings
• Configuring Tables — Source and target table selection
• Configuring the Filter — Limiting which records are extracted
• Configuring Field Mappings — Defining data transformations
• Key Mappings and Duplicate Handling — Managing existing records
• Configuring Lookups — Retrieving related data
• Output and Correlations — Capturing results and maintaining ID relationships
• Previewing a Migration — Dry-run the step against a sample of source records before executing it for real
• Advanced Options — Validation rules, attachment migration, batch sizing, per-chunk scripts, and more