Clients (from Zoho CRM)
Pike: Customers
Carries over: Account name and contacts, imported through the Zoho CRM integration.
You set in Pike: A customer number on each customer, so the projects file links to it.
Migration guide
Move from Zoho Projects to Pike
Export Zoho Projects modules as CSV, upload them to Pike templates, and connect Zoho CRM for clients and deals. Budget five to six weeks.
Available now
Zoho Projects exports projects, phases, tasks, issues, time logs and users as xlsx or csv from the more options menu, across every project from Overview or for one project from its tab.
- On the Projects tab, open the more options menu and choose Export. Under Overview, export Tasks, Phases, Issues, Time Logs and Users the same way, as csv.
- For tasks and time logs, set Project Category to Both so archived projects export too, and choose one sheet for all projects.
- Use Select Columns to add every column you map. Zoho exports only the columns you select. Set the time log date range to cover every year you keep.
- Upload customers, projects, phases, members, tasks, then time entries under Workspace settings → Integrations → CSV, using the Zoho Projects column mapping.
Zoho’s export article lists no export for clients. Take the customer list from Zoho CRM or your ledger, and use the client name on each project to link it.
Available now
Zoho Projects creates projects from Zoho CRM deals and adds the deal’s CRM contacts as client users. Connect Zoho CRM to Pike and Pike imports the same companies, contacts and deals.
- In Pike, go to Workspace settings → Integrations, connect Zoho CRM and run Import data before you upload any Zoho Projects file.
- After the import, give each Pike customer the customer number you use for its client in your Zoho projects file, so projects link on upload.
- Leave deals out of the CSV upload. Pike imports deal amount, closing date and owner from Zoho CRM and maps each stage in the integration settings.
Zoho Projects invoices through Zoho Invoice or Zoho Books, and Pike has no connector for either. Export your invoice history from Zoho Books or Zoho Invoice for the archive, and connect the ledger Pike will send invoices to from cutover.
Entity map
What each Zoho Projects record becomes in Pike
Column one uses Zoho Projects labels. Pike matches people on each portal user’s email and links records on project number and customer number.
Projects
Pike: Projects
Carries over: Name, owner, status, start and end date, client, budget type and billing method, active or archived.
You set in Pike: A project number on every row, and one billing type per project.
Template columns: projectNumber, title, customerNumber, status, billingType, budgetAmount, budgetHours, hourlyRate, startDate, endDate, leadEmail
Phases
Pike: Phases
Carries over: Name, project, start and end date.
You set in Pike: Nothing.
Template columns: projectNumber, phase, startDate, endDate
Tasks
Pike: Tasks
Carries over: Name, project, owner, status, dates and the columns you select, from active and archived projects.
You set in Pike: A status mapping from your Zoho task statuses, and one assignee per row.
Template columns: title, projectNumber, description, status, phase, assigneeEmail, startDate, dueDate, billableStatus
Issues
Pike: Tasks
Carries over: Title, project and the columns you select.
You set in Pike: A task property in Pike that marks them as issues, set after upload.
Template columns: title, projectNumber, description, status, assigneeEmail, dueDate
Users
Pike: Members
Carries over: Name and email from Overview → Users.
You set in Pike: Workspace role, team and a cost profile.
Template columns: email, displayName, team, position
Time Logs
Pike: Time entries
Carries over: Date, hours, user, task or issue, notes, billing status, approval status (Pending, Approved, Rejected).
You set in Pike: Check whether your export includes an invoiced flag. Zoho bills only approved time logs.
Template columns: date, hours, email, projectNumber, taskTitle, note, billableStatus, approvalStatus, invoiced
Invoices (Zoho Invoice or Zoho Books)
Pike: Invoice archive
Carries over: Invoices raised from Zoho Projects time logs and tasks.
You set in Pike: No CSV import and no Pike connector. New invoices go out from Pike from cutover.
Billing methods show in Zoho Projects only with the Zoho Invoice or Zoho Books integration. Based on Project Hours bills one project rate, Based on Staff Hours bills each member’s rate, and Based on Task/Issue Hours bills a rate per task with a default rate.
Put the project rate into `hourlyRate`. For Based on Staff Hours and Based on Task/Issue Hours, an admin sets member or task rates in Pike after upload.
A revenue budget Based on Project stores a cost per hour and a rate per hour. Set member cost profiles from the cost per hour, and put the budget into `budgetAmount` or `budgetHours`.
The plan
Seven steps out of Zoho Projects
The same steps as the main migration guide, with this tool's screens and settings.
Week 1
Migration owner, finance
Week 1 · Migration owner, finance
Freeze scope and export
On CSV the first export is your migration data. Note its date: you export the time logs after it again at cutover.
- Pick a cutover Friday after the month’s invoices go out from Zoho Invoice or Zoho Books.
- Export projects, phases, tasks, issues, time logs and users as csv, with Project Category set to Both and every column selected.
- Export the invoice list from Zoho Books or Zoho Invoice, and save every file untouched in one dated folder.
Done when: Every Zoho export in one dated folder, and a cutover Friday on the calendar.
Week 1 to 2
Operations lead
Week 1 to 2 · Operations lead
Clean the exported files
Clean the csv files. Nobody edits Zoho Projects after export day.
- Give every project a project number and the customer number of its Zoho CRM account.
- Map each billing method to one `billingType` and `hourlyRate`, and each task status to a Pike status.
- Map Approved time logs to `approved` and Pending to `submitted`. Decide with finance whether Rejected logs import at all.
Done when: Every project row has a number, a customer number, a billing type and a rate.
Week 2
Workspace admin
Week 2 · Workspace admin
Build the workspace shell
Connect Zoho CRM and your ledger first, so customers exist before projects reference them.
- Create teams and workspace roles, and choose who approves time in place of Zoho timesheet approval.
- Connect Zoho CRM and the accounting system you will invoice from, and run Import data on each.
- Set a cost profile for each member from the Zoho cost per hour.
Done when: Pike shows the Zoho CRM accounts as customers. Every billable person has a cost profile.
Week 2 to 3
Workspace admin
Week 2 to 3 · Workspace admin
Upload in dependency order
Projects, phases, members, tasks, then time entries. Pike reports a row it cannot match with its line number.
- Upload each file with the Zoho Projects column mapping open next to it.
- Upload issues to the tasks template after tasks, then set the task property that marks them as issues.
- Compare three projects with Zoho: billing method, rate, last month’s hours.
Done when: Project, user and last-month hour counts match Zoho Projects.
Week 3 to 4
Delivery lead, finance
Week 3 to 4 · Delivery lead, finance
One team in Pike for a sprint
CSV has no ongoing sync. The pilot team logs time in Pike only, and everyone else logs in Zoho Projects until cutover.
- Pick a team with a billable project and an invoice due. They stop logging time in Zoho from Monday.
- Finance approves pilot time in Time admin and sends one invoice from Pike in place of Zoho Books or Zoho Invoice.
- Compare the pilot project’s budget use with the Zoho project budget. A gap means a rate or cost profile needs a fix.
Done when: One invoice sent from Pike. No pilot team time logs in Zoho after the pilot start date.
Week 4 to 5
Migration owner
Week 4 to 5 · Migration owner
Cutover weekend
Close Zoho Projects on Friday evening and upload the time logged since your first export.
- Friday: approvers clear every Pending time log in Zoho.
- Export Time Logs from the day after your first export to Friday and upload those rows.
- Deactivate portal users. Deactivation removes access but does not cancel licences, so lower the total user licences as well.
Done when: Time admin shows every active member by Monday afternoon. Zoho Projects shows no time after Friday.
Week 5 to 8
Finance
Week 5 to 8 · Finance
First month-end in Pike
Done when finance closes a month without opening Zoho Projects.
- Approve all time and invoice every billable project from Pike.
- Export every module again for the archive, including archived projects.
- Under Subscription Details → Change Plan, downgrade to the free plan now or at the end of the billing cycle.
Done when: Month closed in Pike. Final Zoho exports saved with two owners. Plan downgraded.
Rebuild
Set these up in Pike by hand
- Staff and task ratesSet member and task bill rates for projects billed on staff or task hours.Pike docs
- Cost per hourCreate a cost profile per member from the Zoho cost per hour.Pike docs
- Timesheet approvalChoose who approves time for each team.Pike docs
- IssuesAdd a task property that marks imported Zoho issues.Pike docs
- Invoice layoutSet numbering, terms and layout in invoice settings.Pike docs
Questions
Moving from Zoho Projects: common questions
Why are archived projects missing from our task export?
Task and time log exports have a Project Category option with Active, Archived and Both. Set it to Both and export again, or time logs reference projects Pike cannot find.
Why are columns missing from our Zoho export?
Zoho exports only the columns you choose in Select Columns. Add every column the Pike template needs, such as owner, dates and billing status, and export again.
What happens to time logs that were never approved?
Zoho marks each time log Pending, Approved or Rejected, and bills only approved logs. Map Approved to `approved` and Pending to `submitted`, and decide with finance whether Rejected logs import.
Can Pike import our Zoho Books invoices?
No. Pike has no Zoho Books or Zoho Invoice connector, so export the invoice history from Zoho for your archive. From cutover, Pike sends new invoices to the accounting system you connect.
Do deactivated users still cost money in Zoho Projects?
Deactivating a portal user removes their access, but Zoho bills the licence until you downgrade your total user licences. Lower the count at cutover.
Zoho Projects documentation used for this guide
- Zoho Projects: Export Zoho Projects data
- Zoho Projects: Approve timesheets
- Zoho Projects: Project level time log reports
- Zoho Projects: Revenue budget
- Zoho Projects: Project template operations
- Zoho Books: Zoho Projects integration
- Zoho Invoice: Integrate with Zoho Projects
- Zoho CRM: Zoho Projects integration
- Zoho Projects: Portal users
- Zoho Projects: Cancel subscription
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