How to migrate from Salesforce to Reuben AI
A practical guide for investment teams moving off Salesforce, a general-purpose sales CRM, to Reuben AI, an AI-native investment operating system. Standard and custom objects carry across, and the diligence, IC, portfolio and LP reporting work that Salesforce is not built for joins the same data layer.
Salesforce is a fine sales CRM. It is not a private capital platform. Funds that adopted Salesforce early usually sit on years of custom objects, Flow automations and Apex code built to force it into the shape of an investment workflow. The upgrade to Reuben AI is not just a data move, it is a chance to retire that custom scaffolding.
This guide covers exactly what to export, how each object maps, and how to run Salesforce and Reuben AI in parallel for two weeks before archiving.
Estimated time
3 to 4 weeks
Before you start
- Salesforce system administrator access with Data Export enabled
- List of custom objects, fields, Flows and Apex triggers in active use
- Named migration owner inside the fund
- Access to mailboxes for Outlook or Google reconnection
Field mapping from Salesforce to Reuben AI
| Salesforce | Reuben AI | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Company | Standard and custom fields preserved. Record types collapse into a single Company entity. |
| Contact | Contact | Role, seniority and relationship owner preserved. |
| Opportunity | Deal | Stage, amount, close date and custom fields preserved. Opportunity products map to deal-level line items. |
| Lead | Sourced company or contact | Leads are triaged into Company or Contact records with a Sourced status. |
| Custom Objects | Custom entities or entity extensions | Standalone objects become entities. Junction objects become relationships. |
| Tasks & Events | Activity feed | Owner, timestamp and linkage preserved. |
| Notes & Attachments / Files | Notes and file attachments | Author, timestamp and file preserved. ContentDocuments are re-linked. |
| Reports & Dashboards | Reuben AI pipeline views and dashboards | Recreated during onboarding from the standard dashboard library. |
| Flows, Process Builder, Apex | Reuben AI workflow templates | Automations translate into workflow templates. Complex Apex logic is rebuilt as templates that also drive audit trail. |
Step by step
- Step 1
Run Salesforce Data Export
Use Setup > Data Export to pull all standard and custom objects, including Notes, ContentDocuments and Chatter feed, into a single ZIP package.
- Step 2
Inventory the customisations
Document custom objects, fields, Flows, Process Builder rules and Apex triggers actually used by the fund team. Retire anything that exists only for historical reasons.
- Step 3
Map Opportunity stages
Line up Opportunity stages against Reuben AI investment stages (New, Screening, Diligence, IC, Closing, Portfolio, Passed).
- Step 4
Import into a staging tenant
Reuben AI loads the export into a staging environment. Validate a sample of ten Opportunities, ten Accounts and any critical custom object before promoting.
- Step 5
Reconnect email and calendar
Team members reconnect Outlook or Google. Historical activity is backfilled from Tasks and Events.
- Step 6
Translate automations
Flows and Process Builder rules become Reuben AI workflow templates. Reviewer SLAs and approvals map to the standard templates.
- Step 7
Run in parallel for two weeks
New deals go into Reuben AI. Salesforce is kept read-only. After two weeks with no missed activity, revoke Salesforce licences.
- Step 8
Turn on the investment layer
Switch on Blueprint scoring, AI diligence, IC memo automation, portfolio KPIs and LP reporting. This is the work that a general-purpose CRM does not do.
Nothing gets lost checklist
- Every open Opportunity has a Reuben AI Deal in the correct stage
- Every Account and Contact is imported with owner and history
- Custom objects the team actually uses are represented
- Tasks, Events and Notes are attached to the right record with original author and date
- Email and calendar sync are live for every team member
- Salesforce Flows have equivalent Reuben AI workflow templates or are consciously retired
- One team member owns the archive of the Salesforce Data Export
Frequently asked questions
We have significant Apex customisation. Does that carry over?
Apex logic is not ported line for line. During onboarding, the intent behind each significant trigger is captured and rebuilt as a Reuben AI workflow template. Most fund teams find that 60 to 80 percent of Apex was working around Salesforce not being an investment platform, and is no longer needed.
Can we keep Salesforce for the wider firm?
Yes. Many firms keep Salesforce for fundraising, IR or non-investment functions while moving the deal team to Reuben AI. Contact and company records can be synced back to Salesforce if useful.
How long does a switch typically take?
Three to four weeks for most funds, including the two-week parallel run. Firms with heavy Apex or many integrations should plan for four to six weeks.
Do we lose Chatter conversation history?
No. Chatter posts are exported and re-linked to the corresponding Deal, Company or Contact record in Reuben AI.
Talk to the team before you migrate
Book a working session with the founder and a senior engineer. We will map your Salesforce export against a live Reuben AI environment.
Book a demo