How to Migrate from Excel to Cloud PLM: A Practical Guide

A spreadsheet can be a perfectly good place to start a bill of materials. Trouble begins when that same file becomes the only record of which parts are approved, who changed them, and what manufacturing should build. At that point, every copied tab and emailed attachment adds another question: Is this still the right version?

Moving to cloud product lifecycle management (PLM) gives engineering and manufacturing teams a shared, controlled product record. The move does not have to happen all at once. This guide shows how to choose what to migrate, prepare the data, test a pilot, and switch over while active production continues.

When does Excel stop being enough?

Excel remains useful for analysis and quick tracking. It becomes harder to rely on as a product system when several teams edit the same information, products have multiple levels or variants, and changes require formal review. The warning signs are usually familiar:

• Different teams keep their own copies of the same BOM.
• Part names, attributes, and revision labels differ between files.
• Approvals live in email or chat, separate from the product record.
• Manufacturing must ask engineering which drawing or BOM is released.
• Finding every product affected by a component change takes a manual search.

The issue is not the spreadsheet itself. It is the work required to keep many spreadsheets aligned. As that work grows, the risk of using outdated product information grows with it.

What changes when product data moves to cloud PLM?

A PLM platform organizes parts, BOMs, documents, revisions, and changes as related records. Teams can work from the same product definition while permissions and workflows control what can be edited or released.

PLM only delivers this clarity when its data and workflows are set up well. Importing every column unchanged into a new system will carry old inconsistencies into a new place.

Example: a multi-level BOM in Excel and Nora IPLM

The example below follows an RPC-1000 robotic palletizing cell. In Excel, the Level column indicates the hierarchy: the structural cell frame sits under the top-level cell, while the robot pedestal sits under the frame. In Nora IPLM, those same items appear as an expandable product structure. Instead of reading indentation and level numbers to infer the relationship, a user can navigate the parent-child links directly.

Notice the mixed states. The top-level cell is In Approval, its structural frame is In Work, and the robot pedestal is Released. A migration should preserve those distinctions, not flatten every row into an apparently approved BOM. The Nora view also displays revision and iteration values, making it easier to check which record a team is reviewing.

For a pilot like this, compare each imported item with its source row, verify the parent-child relationships, and check the state and revision of representative components. Then ask both engineering and manufacturing to confirm that the structure tells the same product story they expect to see.

What should you migrate first?

Start with information needed to make and change products that are active now. That usually includes:

• Active parts and assemblies, with clear identifiers and owners.
• Current approved BOMs, including quantities and parent-child relationships.
• Critical attributes, specifications, and classifications.
• Released drawings and other documents used by production.
• Revision and lifecycle status needed by downstream teams.
• Open changes, issues, and approvals that affect active products.
• Supplier information required to define or source a part.

Decide separately which historical records need to move. Compliance requirements, service needs, and how often people consult old data should guide that choice. A smaller, reliable first release is more useful than a large import nobody trusts.

A five-phase migration that protects active work

1. Map the current process

List the spreadsheets and files that engineering, product, operations, and manufacturing use. Identify who owns each one, how changes are approved, and which records production relies on today. Include the people who will consume the data, not only the people who maintain it.

Set a few measurable goals before configuring software. For example: reduce time spent finding the approved BOM, make change ownership visible, or eliminate manual reconciliation between teams. Record the current baseline so you can tell whether the new process helps.

2. Clean and prepare product data

Agree on part numbering, names, units, required attributes, revision rules, and the meaning of each lifecycle state. Find duplicates and incomplete records. Check BOM quantities and parent-child relationships against an approved source. Assign an owner to resolve exceptions instead of guessing during import.

Protect sensitive design and supplier information throughout the move. Decide who can access migration files, who can approve corrections, and how temporary copies will be handled.

3. Configure the PLM model and workflows

Map each spreadsheet field to a PLM item type, attribute, relationship, document link, or lifecycle state. Define how BOMs, revisions, and approvals should work before importing data. Keep processes that serve manufacturing well, and simplify steps that exist only to compensate for spreadsheet limitations.

Check the connections your team depends on, including CAD and any downstream ERP or manufacturing systems. Be explicit about which system owns each field and when approved information is passed along.

4. Pilot with a real product

Choose a product line or team with representative parts, documents, and a manageable number of users. Import its data and run real work through the system. A useful pilot checks more than whether the import finished:

• Do item counts match the approved source?
• Are BOM relationships and quantities correct?
• Do revisions, release states, and linked documents match expectations?
• Can engineering and manufacturing find and interpret the same approved product definition?
• Can users complete an actual review or engineering change using migrated records?

Document every exception. Fix the data or workflow, then repeat the affected check before expanding the rollout.

5. Roll out by role and retire old workflows

Train people on the tasks they perform: updating a part, reviewing a change, releasing a BOM, or finding a drawing. Give each team a clear cutover date and an owner for questions. During the transition, make it obvious whether the spreadsheet or PLM record is authoritative for each product.

Once a workflow is working in PLM, retire its spreadsheet-based version. Keeping two systems of record indefinitely recreates the uncertainty the migration was meant to solve.

How do you know the migration worked?

A successful import is only the beginning. The better test is whether people can make product decisions with less ambiguity. Engineering and manufacturing should be able to find the same approved BOM, identify its revision, see what changed, and understand who approved it. Production should continue with the information it needs while old file-based handoffs are phased out.

Measure the goals you set in phase one. Track, for example, time to locate an approved record, unresolved data exceptions, change cycle time, or the number of spreadsheet handoffs still required. These measures make the next rollout decision more concrete.

How Nora IPLM can support the move

Nora IPLM brings product information into a connected environment for engineering and manufacturing teams. Its item management, BOM management, revision control, document management, workflows, and change processes help teams keep related product records together. CAD integration can help connect design work to that product context.

For a team moving out of Excel, a sensible first use case is one active product family and its approved BOMs, documents, and revisions. Validate the data and the daily workflow with the people who use them. Then extend the approach to more products and processes.

Frequently asked questions

Do we have to stop using Excel?

No. Excel can remain useful for analysis and temporary work. The key is to establish which system controls the approved product definition, revisions, and changes.

Should we migrate every historical BOM?

Usually not at the start. Prioritize active and approved data, then bring in history where service, compliance, or business use justifies it.

What is the biggest migration risk?

Moving inconsistent data without checking how people will use it. Clean the source, map it to the PLM model, and validate a pilot with engineering and manufacturing before full rollout.

How can we avoid disruption to production?

Keep ownership of the current released definition clear throughout cutover. Pilot a limited scope, verify BOMs and documents against approved sources, train users by role, and expand only after the affected teams can complete their work reliably.

Make the next product decision easier

The move from Excel to cloud PLM is an opportunity to clarify how your team defines, changes, and releases products. Start with the data that matters to active work, test it with a real product, and let each successful rollout replace one more fragile file handoff.