Migration guide
Salesforce CDP to Adobe Real-Time CDP
Move unified profile and activation workloads to Adobe Real-Time CDP with XDM modelling and destination reconfiguration.
Overview
What this migration really involves
A Salesforce CDP to Real-Time CDP migration is two projects wearing one name: standing up Real-Time CDP correctly, and winding down Salesforce CDP without losing the history, integrations and team confidence built on it. Projects that treat it as a single lift-and-shift discover the second project mid-flight — usually at cutover, which is the most expensive possible moment.
Move unified profile and activation workloads to Adobe Real-Time CDP with XDM modelling and destination reconfiguration. The phased approach below keeps both platforms running in parallel while numbers are reconciled, so cutover is a decision you take on evidence rather than a deadline you brace for. Every phase has an explicit rollback path until decommissioning is signed off.
Just as important is what should not migrate. Legacy platforms accumulate years of unused reports, stale segments and integrations nobody can explain. The assessment phase separates what earns its place in Real-Time CDP from what should be archived — routinely shrinking the migration by a third before it starts.
Process
The migration, phase by phase
- 1
Audit existing data streams, identities and destinations
- 2
Design XDM schemas and dataset architecture
- 3
Configure identity namespaces and resolution rules
- 4
Rebuild audiences with validated size reconciliation
- 5
Reconnect activation destinations and verify delivery
- 6
Parallel run, then decommission the legacy CDP
Risks
What actually goes wrong
Every migration guide that omits these is selling, not advising.
- Audience sizes will differ — reconcile before trusting activation
- Identity namespace design decisions are expensive to reverse
- Destination-side configuration often needs partner coordination
Salesforce CDP to Real-Time CDP — frequently asked questions
How long does a Salesforce CDP to Real-Time CDP migration take?
Most land in three to six months including the parallel-run window. The drivers are data volume, customization depth on the legacy side and how much historical continuity you need — the assessment phase gives you a committed timeline within two weeks.
Will we lose historical data?
Identity namespace design decisions are expensive to reverse We plan this explicitly: what migrates, what gets archived in an accessible form, and what the reporting continuity strategy is during the transition — agreed before cutover, not discovered after.
Can we run both platforms in parallel during the migration?
Yes — a parallel-run window is a standard phase, not an option. Both platforms operate simultaneously while numbers are reconciled and variance is understood, and cutover only happens once you've accepted the comparison. A rollback plan exists until decommissioning.
What does the migration cost?
Scope depends on data volume, integration count and customization depth, so we don't publish a number that would be wrong for most readers. The assessment produces a fixed-price proposal — and often finds scope that shouldn't migrate at all, which is the cheapest work there is.
What goes wrong most often in this migration?
Audience sizes will differ — reconcile before trusting activation It's the first thing our assessment checks, and the phased approach on this page exists specifically to surface it while it's still cheap to fix.
Scope your Salesforce CDP migration
A short assessment gives you the real timeline, cost range and risk register for your specific setup — before you commit to anything.
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