Migration acceptance evidence

Zendesk migration acceptance checklist

Verify the parts that can look successful in a dashboard while still being incomplete: attachment binaries, custom field mappings, comment history, and documented exceptions.

Test evidence, not totals Record ticket IDs and sampled objects so every result can be reproduced.

Separate metadata from files An attachment record or URL does not prove the binary is retrievable.

Approve exceptions explicitly Scope decisions need a reason, owner, date, and compensating evidence.

Complete the sample review, then print the checklist for sign-off.

Migration / project Reviewer Review date Sample size

Freeze the evidence set

Make the review repeatable before comparing source and destination.

Source export and destination snapshot dates are recorded. Original export files are preserved unchanged with file hashes when available. All split JSON or NDJSON parts and separate error files are included. The sample covers old, recent, large, attachment-heavy, and custom-field tickets. Source and destination ticket identifiers are linked in a reproducible sample sheet.

Reconcile attachment outcomes

Confirm the binary outcome, not only attachment metadata.

Expected attachment count is recorded for every sampled source ticket. Destination binaries open successfully and match filename and content type. Source URL or attachment ID is retained in the evidence record. Zero-byte, inaccessible, expired, and substituted files are reported separately. Every missing binary is either an approved exception or an unexplained failure.

Ticket / attachment	Expected	Destination result	Status / reason

Verify field mappings

Check IDs, types, option values, and fallbacks instead of matching labels alone.

Every required ticket, user, and organization field has a destination mapping. Field types and option values remain compatible after destination IDs are assigned. Null, retired, renamed, and unmapped values have documented handling. Multi-select, date, decimal, and lookup-style fields are sampled explicitly. Forms, triggers, groups, and automations are reviewed as separate dependencies.

Source field / value	Destination field / value	Sample result	Status / reason

Check comment completeness

Review chronology and visibility as well as raw comment counts.

Source and destination comment counts match for sampled tickets. Public replies and internal notes preserve their visibility state. Author identity, timestamp, order, and body are preserved or mapped explicitly. Tickets listed in Zendesk export error files are reviewed for omitted comments. Channel-specific author evidence is checked when the standard export is insufficient.

Classify exceptions and sign off

A successful job status is not acceptance evidence until every exception has an owner.

MigratedExpected content is present and verified.

Approved exceptionKnown gap with reason, approver, date, and evidence.

Unexplained missingExpected content is absent without an approved reason; fail sign-off.

Each approved exception records scope, reason, approver, date, and compensating evidence. No unexplained missing attachment, field value, or comment remains open. Residual risks, rollback ownership, and post-cutover monitoring are assigned. The reviewer can reproduce the sample results from the stored evidence set.

Acceptance decision Accept Accept with approved exceptions Reject pending unexplained failures Decision notes

What this checklist does not prove

It does not certify a migration automatically, replace a source-to-destination comparison, or verify attachment binaries from metadata alone. DeskLens can inspect supported Zendesk-style ZIP, JSON, and NDJSON ticket records locally, but it does not import or display attachment files or attachment metadata. Those results require separate evidence.

Zendesk documents that full JSON exports use NDJSON, large exports can contain multiple files, and comments can be omitted for tickets above the documented size limit. It also notes that account migrations require new destination IDs for objects such as tickets, users, groups, and custom fields.

Inspect the export before accepting the migration

Review supported Zendesk ticket records locally in the browser.

Open DeskLens