Preserving original identifiers during a tracker change

Keep each person’s original employee ID when you move certification records into a new tracker if the system supports ID reuse. That ID is the link between a worker, their role, their location, and every card they hold. If you reassign numbers during the switch, past certificates no longer match the person, and an inspector cannot verify training history.

Match records before you move them

Open your old roster and list every employee with their current ID, full name, role, and location. Open the new tracker and create one record per person using that same ID if the system allows record creation. Do not generate new IDs for existing staff. Attach the certificate PDF or a phone photo of the card to each record as supporting paperwork if the system supports attachments.

Copy certification data without changing the source

For each person, enter every card they hold: certificate type, issue date, expiry date, and issuing body if the system allows data entry. Do not edit the original certificate number or expiry date to fit a new format. If a card expired three days ago, record it as expired, not as current. Sort the list by what runs out next so overdue items appear first if the system supports sorting.

Verify each transferred record

Compare the new record against the source document one field at a time: ID, name, certificate type, dates, and attached file if the system supports file review. Mark the record as verified only when all fields match. Run a check for duplicate IDs before you rely on the tracker for expiry emails at 60, 30, and 7 days if the system supports duplicate checks.

Sample entry

Employee ID: 4482 Name: Sam Okafor Role: Shift lead Location: North dock Certificates: CPR / AED, expired 3 days ago; Forklift evaluation, expires in 24 days Attached files: CPR card photo, forklift evaluation PDF Status: Needs attention

Decision rule

If an employee already has an ID in the old roster, reuse that exact ID in the new tracker if the system supports ID reuse. Create a new ID only for someone who has never appeared in any previous record.

Exception

When a worker legally changes their name, keep the original employee ID unchanged and update only the name field. The ID continues to connect the person to their prior certificates.

The observable change is that every transferred record keeps its original employee ID, so inspectors can match certificates to the correct person without cross-referencing old lists.

Related: Cert Expiry Tracker features.