Migrating a bank’s data to Temenos is like charting a course through unknown territory, if the map is wrong the journey goes off-track.
Temenos data migration depends on aligning legacy fields and structures to the Temenos Transact model via precise Temenos data mapping.
Poor mapping leads to incomplete or incorrect data in the new core, causing issues long after go-live.
With millions of records and complex relationships involved, banks must get mapping right at the start of any core banking data mapping effort.
Background: Temenos Data Mapping Essentials
Temenos Transact (T24) uses a multi-value field schema where many attributes live in just two physical columns with multi-value segments. Legacy systems normalize data across multiple tables.
For example, customer addresses might be split into separate tables in a legacy core, yet T24 expects them within a single record.
In a Temenos data migration, banks also pull data from various sources - deposits, loans, payments each with unique formats, codes and definitions.
All of this must map accurately to Temenos’s unified model. Legacy silos, inconsistent formats, duplicate records and outdated entries can derail a migration if not addressed early.
Core Pain Point: Data Mapping Difficulties
Volume and Variety
Tens of millions of customer, account and transaction records must move to Temenos.
Every element from interest-rate codes to regulatory flags needs a precise destination in your core banking data mapping plan.
When legacy fields lack direct equivalents, teams decide how to transform, split or consolidate data. A misjudged mapping can leave loan accounts without proper interest settings or customer records missing compliance details.
Incomplete Legacy Knowledge
Undocumented fields or quality issues such as miscoded transaction types plague many legacy systems.
Without understanding what each field truly represents, errors propagate into the new core. Garbage in, garbage out: dirty data leads to invalid results, even when migration tools run without error.
Risky Manual Processes
Traditional mapping relies on massive Excel sheets.
For large projects, this can mean hundreds of tables and endless manual updates. Spreadsheets are slow, prone to typos and hard to version-control.
When requirements change or new data emerges, reworking those sheets and re-aligning stakeholders becomes a major task.
Evolving Temenos Configurations
Each Temenos implementation may have unique product configurations, especially when upgrading between versions.
Banks must map not only from external sources but also from an older Temenos schema to a newer one. Analyzing differences between T24 R17 and Transact R24 without automated support is daunting.
Best Practices
- Early, Thorough Design: Start with mapping workshops that bring together legacy experts and Temenos specialists. Document each source-to-target relationship in a Data Mapping Sheet per domain (customers, accounts, transactions). Leverage existing templates and proven patterns to reduce effort.
- Automate Your Temenos Data Migration and Mapping: Trade spreadsheets for a migration platform pre-configured for Temenos. Automated tools provide a visual design studio, version control and built-in business rules. They flag discrepancies - such as a legacy interest rate that doesn’t fit Temenos’s tier model so you catch issues early.
- Iterative Validation: Run test migrations on data subsets as mappings complete. Each iteration uncovers unexpected results data truncation, misclassification or missing fields giving you time to correct them before cutover.
- Combine Mapping and Cleansing: Embed data-quality rules within the mapping tool. Standardize formats, split free-form text and purge obsolete records as part of mapping. Clean data entering Temenos saves time and rework.
- Leverage Domain Expertise: Re-use proven mapping logic for common banking domains SWIFT codes, country/currency tables, product-code conversions. Experienced partners bring libraries of templates and lessons learned, avoiding pitfalls and accelerating progress.
Case Study
A mid-tier Asian bank migrated from a 20-year-old core to Temenos Transact.
The legacy system stored “Customer Name” in one field, while Temenos required separate first- and last-name segments.
An automated rule split names at the last space, avoiding thousands of manual corrections.
Pre-built templates aligned 95% of product codes automatically. What was estimated as four months of mapping finished in eight weeks test migrations confirmed every legacy field mapped correctly or was intentionally archived.
Key Takeaways & Next Steps
- Treat mapping as your blueprint. Define where every field lands - or why it’s omitted.
- Embed data cleansing. Apply quality rules during mapping to ensure reliable data entry.
- Automate for speed and accuracy. Purpose-built platforms cut mapping time by up to 75%.
- Validate iteratively. Perform multiple test migrations to refine rules.
- Partner with experts. Proven frameworks and templates help avoid common pitfalls.
Next Steps: Finalize your Data Mapping Sheets and secure business-owner sign-off on data formats in Temenos.
Then prepare for rigorous validation and reconciliation your next critical phase toward a successful Temenos data migration.