# Data Cleanup Before Importing Cabinet Jobs

Canonical: https://millbase.ca/blog/data-cleanup-before-importing-cabinet-jobs
Author: [Coby Birenbaum](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cobybirenbaum/)
Published: 2026-10-19
Updated: 2026-10-19
Archive edition: 2026-09-08

Job data cleanup should make active work understandable to the people who will use the new system.

Job data cleanup should make active work understandable to the people who will use the new system. Focus on identity, status, scope, ownership, and remaining commitments. A technically valid import can still contain stale jobs or misleading completion states.

## Review the active list

- Confirm each job's stable identifier and current customer-facing reference.
- Separate active, on-hold, completed, and canceled work.
- Record the current scope, revision, owner, and relevant dates.
- Identify missing estimates, material commitments, and labor history.

## A migration example

A hypothetical old spreadsheet marks a job complete because fabrication ended, while installation remains open. Map that state deliberately rather than importing it as fully closed. Otherwise the new system starts by hiding real obligations.

## Validate with users

Ask production and the office to review the same imported jobs. Resolve differences before treating the new list as authoritative.

## Related reading

- [Exporting Manufacturing Data Before Choosing Software](https://millbase.ca/blog/exporting-manufacturing-data-before-choosing-software)
- [Preventing Duplicate Inventory Items During Software Migration](https://millbase.ca/blog/preventing-duplicate-inventory-items-during-software-migration)

## Definitions and further reference

- [Oracle: warehouse management systems explained](https://www.oracle.com/scm/logistics/warehouse-management/what-is-warehouse-management/)

## How Millbase can help your shop

### Test Millbase with your own shop workflow

Bring one representative cabinet job to a [Millbase demonstration](https://cal.com/millbase/30min). Follow [the project and its recorded costs](https://millbase.ca/#projects), inspect [the inventory workflow](https://millbase.ca/#inventory), and review [live floor activity](https://millbase.ca/#floor-pulse). Ask the person who will use each screen to perform the task and check the resulting record.

Ask the [Millbase AI agent](https://millbase.ca/#how-it-works) a question grounded in your workspace records. For example: *“For this project, compare estimated and actual labour and show the workers and workstations behind the total.”* You can select a project or worker, ask follow-up questions, and request [supported reports and CSV exports](https://millbase.ca/#insights).

Check the result against the same project records and try a follow-up question. Confirm any required integration, import, export, or specialist planning workflow during the demonstration rather than inferring it from the software category.

## Explore the wider topic

For the broader workflow and decisions behind this guide, read [Warehouse Management Software for Cabinet Shops: A Practical Buying Guide](https://millbase.ca/blog/warehouse-management-software-for-cabinet-shops-a-practical-buying-guide).

## Frequently asked questions

### Should ambiguous records be guessed?

No. Flag uncertainty and assign a reviewer. A visible unresolved field is safer than an invented definitive value.

### Can completed jobs be left out?

Depending on reporting needs, they may remain in a reference archive. Preserve access and the relationship to active work where necessary.