Field mapping specifies how data moves between two systems. It goes beyond matching similar labels: “Unit” might mean a display name in one PMS and an immutable identifier in another, while “rent” might mean contract rent, a posted charge, or cash received. A reliable map defines meaning before copying values.
The mapping artifact should list source object and field, destination object and field, data type, required status, transformation, default behavior, identity key, effective-date rule, direction, refresh timing, validation, and exception owner. Keep a version history because a vendor schema or internal policy can change.
During a three-unit migration, Unit 2B is renamed “Garden B” in the new PMS. If transactions map by display name, the opening balance may attach to a newly created duplicate unit. Mapping by a verified stable ID and reconciling property-unit-lease relationships catches the error before cutover.
Ask for a field-level mapping workbook, not only an import completion screen. Test blanks, zeros, credits, inactive tenants, duplicate names, amended leases, and dates around month-end. A transformed field should retain its source and rule so later reviewers can explain the destination value.
Mapping decisions that need an owner
The software can validate types, but a person must decide semantic questions such as which rent amount is authoritative, whether historical residents migrate, and how unapplied credits are represented.
Acceptance evidence
Approve the map only after record counts, control totals, relationship checks, and sampled source-to-destination traces pass. Preserve rejected rows and corrections rather than silently dropping them.
Related tools & guides
Editorial ownership
Written and maintained by the Aptoria editorial team
Repository and source review completed July 28, 2026. Aptoria reviews scope, source fit, examples, limitations, links, and publication gates. This record does not claim attorney, CPA, lender, appraiser, or other independent professional sign-off.
Primary and authoritative sources
Related terms
AI & autonomy
Migration reconciliation
The evidence-based comparison that proves material records and control totals survived a property-management system migration.
AI & autonomy
Data provenance
The trace of where a property-management fact originated, which people or systems transformed it, and which source evidence supports its current value.
AI & autonomy
Property management system of record
The designated property-management source whose current records are authoritative for each defined class of operational data.
Accounting & tax
Tenant ledger integrity
The condition in which every tenant charge, payment, credit, return, and running balance is complete, traceable, and arithmetically consistent.
From definition to done
Aptoria runs the routine work behind these terms — rent, books, and screening — inside limits you set. Free for your first unit.
Start free