> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pidgeon.health/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get started with Migrate

> Run a sample FHIR Bulk Data export with preflight checks, de-identification, reconciliation, and resume.

Migrate moves healthcare data between systems via FHIR R4 Bulk Data Access (NDJSON per the HL7 IG): export from a source EHR, convert, and load into a successor system. It is built for migration projects, not synthetic data; if you need test populations, that's [Flock](/getting-started/flock).

Migrate requires a Pidgeon account sign-in.

## Before you start

* [Install Migrate](/getting-started/install-windows) (or on [macOS](/getting-started/install-macos)) and sign in.
* You can walk the whole loop against a sample source first. Real source credentials are optional until you're ready.

## One loop: preflight, export, reconcile

<Steps>
  <Step title="Configure a migration">
    From the first-run screen, choose **Configure a migration**. The **Dashboard** is the working surface: source connection, destination, and output directory.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pass the preflight">
    The Dashboard shows a preflight checklist before anything runs: engine round-trip validation, source connection test, and output directory selection. A migration does not start until preflight is green. Failures appear as named blockers, not crashes.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run the export">
    Start the export. Progress streams into the **Migration Log** dock at the bottom of the window. Optionally enable de-identification so the exported set carries no direct identifiers.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reconcile">
    When the run completes, review the reconciliation output: resource counts per type on the source side versus the exported set, so you can prove nothing was dropped.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Resume if interrupted">
    If a run is interrupted (machine sleep, network drop), Migrate detects the checkpoint on next launch and offers to resume from where it stopped instead of starting over.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## When something fails

| What you see                                         | What it means                                                       | Next action                                                                                                                                |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| A preflight blocker names missing source credentials | The source connection isn't configured or can't authenticate        | Add credentials in the source connection panel and re-run preflight. Nothing exports until this passes.                                    |
| A preflight blocker names an unsupported source      | The source system or endpoint shape isn't supported in this release | The blocker states what was detected. If your source should be supported, contact [support@pidgeon.health](mailto:support@pidgeon.health). |
| The export stops mid-run                             | The run was interrupted; a checkpoint was written                   | Relaunch: Migrate offers to resume from the checkpoint.                                                                                    |

## Next steps

* [CLI quickstart](/getting-started/quickstart-cli)
* Sidebar entries marked **Soon** (Export Wizard, Mappings, History) are not active in this beta; the Dashboard runs the full loop above.