The Artlogic migration checklist
Migrations fail on surprises, not on volume. This is the whole sequence, including the caveats — written for our importer but honest enough to use with any destination.
- 1. Export your works
- In Artlogic, export works to CSV or XLSX with the built-in export tool. Include every column — especially the stock number (it prevents duplicates on re-import) and the Images column.
- 2. Check what's in the Images column
- Artlogic exports carry image URLs on some accounts and bare filenames on others. URLs import automatically; filenames mean you'll want the image files exported alongside. Look at a few rows before you start.
- 3. Export contacts and sales history
- Both come across as CSV. Contacts de-dupe on email during import, so an overlapping export is safe.
- 4. Run the inventory import first
- Works before contacts before sales — sales rows reference works and buyers, so order matters. The Artlogic preset maps Status × Availability nearly 1:1; confirm the mapping at the wizard's Map step rather than trusting it blind.
- 5. Verify the sensitive fields
- Spot-check ten works: prices and currency, edition numbers and sizes, consignment status, dimensions. Custom fields beyond Artlogic's standard set aren't guessed — map them explicitly.
- 6. Import contacts, then sales
- Contacts first (so sales can attach to buyers), then transactions. Historical sales land as records, not as new invoices — nothing gets re-charged.
- 7. Reconcile before you cancel anything
- Compare total work count, total contacts, and a quarter's sales figures between systems. Keep the Artlogic account read-only until the numbers agree — a month of overlap is cheap insurance.
- 8. Re-point the public surfaces
- Viewing rooms, website embeds, QR labels — republish from the new system, and set up your custom domain so collector-facing links carry your name.
The step-by-step product walkthrough lives at /migrate/artlogic, and the honest comparison at /compare/artlogic-alternative. Stuck on a weird export? Ask us.