--- title: "Xperience by Kentico to Payload CMS Migration | ClonePartner" description: "Xperience by Kentico to Payload CMS: Languages → Localized Content: Languages configure locale support in Payload localization. Engineer-led, zero downtime." source: Xperience by Kentico target: Payload CMS canonical: "https://clonepartner.com/migrate/xperience-by-kentico-to-payload-cms" --- # Xperience by Kentico → Payload CMS migration Xperience by Kentico to Payload CMS migration — content items, media, and taxonomies moved with content fidelity. ## Entity mappings - **Content Types (Page Types)** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Collections** (Payload CMS) - **Pages (Web Pages)** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Documents (Collection Items)** (Payload CMS) - **Content Items** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Global Documents** (Payload CMS) - **Media Library Files** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Media (Upload Collection)** (Payload CMS) - **Users** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Users** (Payload CMS) - **Roles** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Roles & Access Control (field-level)** (Payload CMS) - **Languages** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Localized Content** (Payload CMS) - **Content Item Language Variants** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Localized Content** (Payload CMS) - **Taxonomies (Tag Groups)** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Collections** (Payload CMS) - **Taxonomy Tags** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Documents (Collection Items)** (Payload CMS) - **Form Definitions** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Collections** (Payload CMS) - **Form Submissions (Records)** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Documents (Collection Items)** (Payload CMS) - **Custom Module Data (Object Instances)** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Documents (Collection Items)** (Payload CMS) - **Email Channel Templates** (Xperience by Kentico) → **Custom Collection (e.g., 'email_templates')** (Payload CMS) ## Frequently asked questions ### Which Xperience by Kentico objects don't have a direct equivalent in Payload CMS? Nine of the fourteen entity types we migrate require a workaround rather than a direct mapping. Taxonomies and tags become separate relationship collections, roles must be re-implemented as Payload's code-defined field-level access control, form definitions are recreated as collections, and email channel templates land in a custom collection because Payload has no native email concept. Languages configure Payload's locale support rather than mapping as data objects, and custom module instances migrate as documents in hand-crafted collections. For each of these, your development team will need to define the matching Payload collection schema in TypeScript before ClonePartner can import the data. ### Do Kentico user passwords and roles migrate to Payload CMS? Passwords do not transfer from either side: Xperience by Kentico does not expose plaintext credentials, and Payload only stores bcrypt hashes, so all users must reset their passwords after migration. Roles present a separate problem: Kentico's role model has no structural equivalent in Payload, where access control is defined in TypeScript code rather than stored as data records. ClonePartner migrates the user accounts themselves directly, but your team must re-implement the equivalent permission logic in Payload's access control functions before go-live. ### How does ClonePartner handle Kentico's Management API rate limits and the lack of a bulk import endpoint in Payload? Xperience by Kentico requires individual API calls per object type and enforces rate and payload-size limits, while Payload has no official bulk import endpoint and requires record-by-record writes through its REST or Local API. ClonePartner's pipeline accounts for both constraints by pacing requests, retrying on transient failures, and using Payload's Local API (which runs inside the same Node.js process for higher throughput) where possible. Language variants add further overhead because Kentico requires a separate Management API call per variant per content item, with no batch endpoint available. ### What has to be in place in Payload CMS before the migration can start? Payload's collections and globals are defined entirely in TypeScript code, not created at import time, so every target collection (including workaround collections for taxonomies, form definitions, custom modules, and email templates) must exist in your Payload codebase and be deployed before ClonePartner begins the import. Relationship fields in Payload reference internal document IDs, which means ClonePartner's pipeline resolves and remaps all cross-content references (such as Kentico linked content items) during migration rather than after. If a referenced collection is missing or misnamed in the schema, referential integrity checks will surface the gap before any records are written to production. ### Are Kentico form submissions and custom module data included in the migration, and how are they extracted? Both are included, but neither has a standard REST endpoint in Xperience by Kentico. Form submission records require direct database access or the C# API, and each custom module needs its own extraction script because there is no generic endpoint for object instances. ClonePartner handles this extraction as part of the migration scope; the resulting data lands as documents inside corresponding Payload collections, provided those collections are defined in your Payload schema ahead of time. Confirm during the scoping call which custom modules and forms are in scope, as the schema mapping for each one affects the overall timeline. ### Do I need professional help for this migration? Yes. Professional help ensures proper field mapping and preservation of relationships between records. Our engineer-led approach catches edge cases that automated tools miss. ### Does ClonePartner provide guidance before committing? Yes. We provide a free consultation and assessment. We'll review your data structure, discuss your requirements, and provide a detailed migration plan and fixed-price quote before you commit to anything. ### Do you use an off-the-shelf tool to migrate from Xperience by Kentico to Payload CMS, or is this built for our data? It is built for your data. Each migration is a set of custom scripts written for your data model, not a generic import tool. That is also why we start with a sample migration: you see your own records in Payload CMS before the full migration is committed. ### Can we see a sample of our Xperience by Kentico data migrated to Payload CMS before the full migration runs? Yes. We run a sample migration on your own data first, so you can review how your records look in Payload CMS before the full migration goes ahead. We run validation scripts to confirm the record counts match your source, and you check the sample against your source records; if a field is missing or mapped wrong, or anything else needs adjusting, we fix it in the migration scripts and re-run the sample as many times as you need. The full migration only runs after you've approved the sample. On projects delivered in phases, each phase gets its own sample migration for you to approve. ### Will original ownership, authorship and created dates be preserved? Yes. Created-time metadata is carried across, and ownership and authorship are carried across where the original users are set up in Payload CMS. Where Payload CMS cannot store one of them natively, it is kept as embedded metadata on the migrated record. ### If the new system can't natively support an old record type, what are my options? We handle it case by case. While mapping your data, we identify every record type without a direct counterpart in Payload CMS, review sample records from it and propose how it can be represented, based on what Payload CMS supports: map it to the closest native object, create a custom field or object, fold it into the parent record as text or a note, attach it as a file, or keep it in a read-only archive. You choose the approach, we write the migration scripts to place the data there, so it comes across in the form you choose instead of being left behind, and you see how it looks in a sample migration before we run the full set. ### We've built custom modules and integrations on Xperience by Kentico. Can you migrate their content to Payload CMS? We migrate the content and data your custom modules hold, as long as it can be read from Xperience by Kentico programmatically. Every migration we run is written as custom code for that project rather than pushed through an off-the-shelf tool, so unusual module data is not a blocker. During scoping we review each custom module and integration with you and agree how it will be handled before any work is committed. ### Will the migration set off automations or send emails or notifications to customers, our team or anyone else? No. Before the sample or full migration starts, we confirm with you that nothing in Payload CMS will send messages about the migrated data: we import with notifications switched off wherever Payload CMS allows it, and either pause any automation that could send them for the migration window or give it a condition, such as a suppression tag, that skips migrated records, which lets your live automations keep running for new records. We only proceed once you have confirmed it. If you want anyone told about the move, that message is sent separately, once the migrated data has been checked. ### Can you migrate data that Payload CMS can't take in through an API? In many cases, yes. Where something can't be written through an API, we recreate it through Payload CMS's user interface where the interface allows it, and where that work is repetitive we script and automate it. We tell you up front which items are handled this way, because recreating them through the interface can add time to the schedule. ### What happens if Payload CMS requires fields our Xperience by Kentico data doesn't have? We check the destination for required fields your source data cannot fill and bring each one to you before those records are migrated. Together we agree how each one is handled, such as a mapping from an existing field, a default value, or, where Payload CMS lets that field be made optional, setting it to not required for the migration so you can make it required again once the migration is complete. The migration then runs with that rule applied, so no records are rejected or left behind. ### Can you change our URL structure when we move from Xperience by Kentico to Payload CMS, such as moving a blog or docs from a subdomain onto our main domain? Yes, where Payload CMS and your site's front end support the structure you want. Each page is created in Payload CMS by the migration, so it can be given its new address, for example a blog moved from a subdomain to a path on your main domain, and you get a map of every old URL to its new one so redirects can be set up from the old addresses wherever they are served. ### How long does the Xperience by Kentico to Payload CMS migration take? Most migrations complete within 1–5 business days, depending on data volume and complexity; very large migrations, such as several hundred thousand records, take longer. We provide a detailed timeline after the initial assessment and can often complete small migrations in under 24 hours. ### Will there be downtime when migrating from Xperience by Kentico to Payload CMS? No. Our migration process is designed for zero downtime. Xperience by Kentico stays fully operational throughout: the bulk migration runs in the background and the cutover is fast, so there is no disruption to your live business operations. ### Can we whitelist a single IP instead of opening our network to your migration tool? Yes. All migration traffic runs through a centralized system using one fixed IP, which your IT team can whitelist instead of opening broader network access. ### Is migration pricing a flat fee, or does it scale with data volume? It's a flat fee with no hidden costs. The price we agree with you for your scope is the price you pay, and small variances in the final volume, a bit more or less, are included. ### How do I validate that everything migrated correctly? Every client receives a Migration Validation Report with comprehensive metrics including record-count comparison, attachment integrity verification via checksum, and full audit logs of the migration run, showing every record created, skipped or failed. If any item didn't come across, the report names each one, the specific reason, and how to bring it across if you want it there. We also offer unlimited sample migrations, so you can check your data before the full migration runs. ### What support do you provide after the migration goes live? At ClonePartner, we consider ourselves your partners in this journey. We take full accountability for your migration's success. Once your migration goes live, we provide 30 days of comprehensive post-migration support as standard, and longer support, such as 60 or 90 days, can be agreed for your project. During this period, we help with anything related to your migrated data, so your migration is a complete success. ### Will we get a migration report and a mapping sheet linking old record IDs to new ones? Yes. We provide a comprehensive migration report along with an ID-mapping sheet that links each old Xperience by Kentico record ID to its new ID in Payload CMS. This ensures full traceability, simplifies post-migration verification, and helps your team validate that records have been migrated accurately. ### After migration, do I contact ClonePartner or the platform's own support if something looks wrong? ClonePartner is the contact for anything about the migrated data itself. Questions about the platform itself, such as how its features and settings work, go to the platform's own support or to whoever administers it for you. ### Will our existing Xperience by Kentico page URLs and links keep working after we move to Payload CMS? They can, through redirects and link rewriting. Links between your own pages are updated to point at their new URLs as part of the migration, and the files and images your pages use are re-hosted on Payload CMS, wherever it can host them, with their links rewritten. For every old URL we give you a map to its new address, so redirects can be set up where your site is served and old bookmarks, search results and external links open the right page. ## Get a fixed-price quote [Talk to an engineer](https://clonepartner.com/talk-to-us?duration=30&utm_source=xtoy&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=demo_bookings&utm_content=cta_click&utm_term=demo_button_click) about your Xperience by Kentico → Payload CMS migration.