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Switching LMS Platforms: How to Migrate Courses and Learner Records

17 hours ago
2 min read

Disclosure: Kaz Software publishes this guide and builds the DTCLMS learning platform. We have tried to keep the advice useful whichever vendor you choose.

Changing LMS is easier when you know what moves cleanly and what does not. Course packages usually move well. Learner history needs a plan.

What moves, and how

Item

Does it move easily?

How

SCORM and HTML5 course packages

Usually

Re-upload the original package and test it

Courses built only inside the old LMS

Often not

May need re-exporting or rebuilding; ask both vendors

Learners and organisation structure

Yes, with a clean file

Export from the old system or HR and import as CSV

Completion history and scores

Depends

Export a report from the old LMS and load it as historical records

Certificates already issued

Depends

Keep old verification links alive, or re-issue with care

xAPI statements

Often

If both systems use a learning record store, statements can be exported and loaded; confirm with both vendors

Question banks

Depends

Export formats vary; ask early

SCORM covers the course package, not your learners' history, so plan the records separately. For the standards themselves, see SCORM vs xAPI: What's the Difference and Which Does Your LMS Need?.

Eight steps

  • 1. List everything: courses, learners, groups, certificates, reports.

  • 2. Decide what to keep, archive or retire.

  • 3. Export the originals and the records from the old system.

  • 4. Clean the data: duplicate users, changed IDs, missing fields.

  • 5. Test an import with a small group.

  • 6. Run both systems side by side for a short time.

  • 7. Cut over and tell learners and managers.

  • 8. Keep an export archive of the old records.

Common traps

  • A course that exists only inside the old LMS editor.

  • Duplicate users, so history cannot be matched.

  • Certificates tied to old web addresses.

  • A compliance deadline falling during the cutover.

  • Paying for two systems for longer than planned.

Ask your new vendor

  • Will you load our course packages and test them with us?

  • Can you import historical completions, and in which format?

  • How will old certificates stay verifiable?

  • What is the plan if a package does not play?

  • How long does migration take against our scope? See How Long Does LMS Development Take? What Drives the Timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Can we keep our existing SCORM courses?

Usually yes, if the new LMS supports the SCORM version they use. Test each package before you commit.

Will learners lose their history?

Not if you plan for it. Export the records and ask the new vendor how historical completions are loaded.

Should we run both systems for a while?

A short overlap lowers the risk. Agree an end date so you do not pay for both indefinitely.

Planning a move? Bring your course list to our custom LMS development page and ask for a test import.

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