18 TOPDESK MAGAZINE - JUNE 2015

Lukke van Bemmel

is a TOPdesk consultant. As a technical specialist, she mainly concerns herself
with links between TOPdesk and other programs, as well as custom web forms
that support company processes.

ONE-OFF CONVERSIONS:
TOPDESK LIGHTENS THE LOAD
Easy access to carefully composed service management data can
be an important condition for service providers when switching to
TOPdesk. It is of utmost importance for the transition process that
the data conversion goes off without a hitch. This is made possible by
standardized methods for the most common imports and customized
specific imports created by technical consultants.

The choice to switch to another service management tool is usually

import method. This is performed by a consultant in collaboration

the result of dissatisfaction with the old tool, too high costs or a

with the customer, and offers more options for how the data can be

change in requirements. TOPdesk is frequently selected when it is

processed in TOPdesk. The final option is a one-off conversion. Here the

already used by a different department and a new department wants

technical consultant not only takes care of the import into TOPdesk (to

to join in. Choosing a new tool for a department or organization often

all possible modules), but also prepares the data from the other tool.

offers many benefits, but it can be difficult to get started with a new

This method unburdens the customer, and is explained further below.

application and learn new work processes. Employees are wary of

losing a lot of data. During a TOPdesk implementation, the consultant

Step 1: retrieving data from the source system

takes the change process into account and ensures that data from the

The source system is the tool containing the data to be transferred

old tool is correctly transferred to TOPdesk.

to TOPdesk. There are different ways to retrieve the data. At TOPdesk

The options

customer Action, a retail chain in the Netherlands, the Service Desk

and Customer Service departments are switching to TOPdesk, which is

There are three options to import data into TOPdesk. The first option

already used by the IT, Human Resources and Facilities departments. In

is a standard import. This can be performed by the customer, who can

doing so, Action wanted to store their standard solutions in TOPdesk

request a free licence for this purpose. The customer enters their data

as well. Nadine Uljee, Service Desk team leader at Action, tells us more.

in an Excel file with set columns. The file can then be imported into

The standard solutions came from another registration tool. From

TOPdesk. Another option is an adjusted import, the most common

this system we put all standard solutions as a data dump in Excel

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using an automatic report. Importing from Excel is one of the many

this happened at Action. We verified the data with the technical

import options TOPdesk offers. In this case, the customer created the

consultant so that he could create an import plan. The plan outlined

data dump themselves. It is also possible to use a technical consultant

which Excel field had to end up in which TOPdesk field. Likewise, it

to prepare the data for the TOPdesk import. Beside Excel data

indicated which values could be used as a default. Creating a map

dumps, database views are another common method for importing

is always necessary because the old tools field names never match

into TOPdesk.

the TOPdesk field names. Moreover, some standard values can be

Step 2: manually or automatically adjusting data

Once all data has been retrieved from the source system and the

indicated, as Uljee says. In her case, all standard solutions were

invisible to callers.

source file is ready, you can check which data must be transferred

Step 4: importing data

to TOPdesk. This is an excellent time to optimize the data, make it

At this point you are ready to import data into TOPdesk. Depending

consistent and get rid of old, incorrect or superfluous information.

on the amount of data, the import can take anywhere from a few

Uljee says, We use standard solutions that can change internally as

minutes up to a few hours for the biggest imports. The import is

a result of changed processes. That is why we checked the content

first carried out in the test environment. This lets the customer

of all standard solutions before importing them into TOPdesk. It

check whether everything is correct in TOPdesk or determine that

concerned about 1500 FAQs. Even though we do our best every day

adjustments are required for the source file or mapping. Uljee tells

to keep everything up-to-date, we thought it was important to check

us about the steps taken for the one-off conversion, which was then

everything. This let us make a fresh start. We updated the standard

carried out in the test environment. For me, this part of the project

solutions and then got them ready in Excel.

has gone very smoothly so far, so I trust that everything will be all

At another customer, the TOPdesk implementation coincided with

right in the production environment. It saves us so much work, not

the implementation of a new switchboard that made it possible

having to copy this manually! When the customer is satisfied with the

to call telephone numbers directly via the computer. The technical

results in the test environment and gives the go-ahead, it is time to

consultant involved in the project tells us more. We had to remove

import the data into the production environment.

all spaces, dashes and plus signs from the telephone numbers for
the switchboard. First, I edited the telephone numbers outside the

One-off conversions to TOPdesk

source system, then I imported them into TOPdesk. When importing

During the tender phase, you can indicate whether you need

configuration items for a large government body switching to

to transfer data from your old tool to TOPdesk. Performing this

TOPdesk, the brand and make were in the same field in the old tool.

conversion is immediately taken into account in the project plan. Of

A technical consultant adjusted the source file so that this field was

course, you may realize at a later point that there is data available

separated. This made it possible to import brand and make separately

in your old tools that you would like to include in TOPdesk. In such

into TOPdesk.

cases, we create a plan outlining how much time this will take and

Step 3: mapping data

After completing the first two steps, an (adjusted) source file is ready
to be imported into TOPdesk. In agreement with the customer, the
technical consultant creates a map. This describes in detail which
information will end up where in TOPdesk. Uljee explains how

when it can be done. Simple imports of master data and assets can be
completed in a day, but more complex imports that take several days
are no problem for us either.