Switch from CDK Global in 12 minutes.

1. Step 01

   Export your CDK data dump

   Open CDK, drop into Service Connect (or Drive Reports on older accounts), run the Customer + Lead CSV export. Pull everything — no date range, no source filter, all rooftops. We've seen this format; if your CSM has it gated behind a data-services request, we'll help you draft the ticket and the request usually clears in 1-2 business days.

   Path: Service Connect → Data Export → Customer + Lead CSV · We have walked dealers through this export on 30-min screen-shares.

2. Step 02

   We map your fields to Gladius schema in 48h

   Drag the CSV onto the Gladius admin import surface (or email it to us — we'll run the import for you). The file streams up over HTTPS, lands in an immutable archive table (ImportSourceRow), and we hand back a column map within 48 hours. Custom CDK fields land in importCustomFields (JSON), searchable from day one.

   Files up to 250 MB stream in chunks. The original CSV is preserved verbatim, queryable forever.

3. Step 03

   Two-week parallel run (CDK + Gladius both live)

   New leads dual-write to both systems through a feature-flagged adapter. Your reps see Gladius on their cockpit, CDK stays read-only as a safety net, and your manager team gets the full Gladius reporting stack alongside the CDK dashboards. Two weeks is the standard parallel window; longer if your team wants it.

   Dual-write is per-source, so ADF, web forms, and DNI all stream into both stacks simultaneously. No lost lead during the cutover window.

4. Step 04

   Flip the switch — your reps see no downtime

   When you're ready, we flip the feature flag and CDK goes idle. Reps see no UI change because they've been on the Gladius cockpit for two weeks already. Your CDK contract keeps running until renewal — we don't ask you to break it — but the floor is fully on Gladius, with rollback still available if anything looks off.

   Rollback window stays open for 24h post-cutover. Per-batch, atomic, one button.

Inside CDK Global: Service Connect → Data Export → Customer + Lead CSV (or the legacy Drive Reports → Export path on older accounts). CDK ships a wide CSV with the customer file, the deal file, the long activity thread, and the custom fields your store has been writing since the ADP / Cobalt era. Our importer reads every column verbatim — including the CDK-specific custom fields — and projects them into Gladius without a schema reshape. If your account is gated behind a CDK data-services SOW, we have a separate playbook for that path too.

• Every row archived in ImportSourceRow

  The raw CSV is stored verbatim before any projection. The original payload is recoverable forever, even after column-map changes.

• Rows without identifiers are QUARANTINED, never dropped

  If a row is missing a phone, email, or external ID, it does not silently disappear. It lands in a Quarantine bucket you can review and re-process by hand.

• Custom columns preserved in importCustomFields JSON

  Custom DealerCenter / VinSolutions / Elead fields the standard schema doesn’t recognize survive the move as a typed JSON blob, queryable from day one.

• Full audit trail with timestamps + user attribution

  Every projected row carries the importBatchId, the operator who ran the import, the source row ID, and the exact timestamp. Compliance teams love this part.

• Per-batch rollback via single button

  If the first 24 hours show anything you don’t like, one click reverses the entire batch. The archive table is untouched, so a second import can run after we tune the column map.

Want the full matrix? See gladiuscrm.com/compare for the 40+ row breakdown.

• Will I lose my call recordings?

  No. If your call recordings live in the CDK / Cobalt call vault, the recording URLs come out in the export and we backfill them onto the Gladius lead record. If a recording is gated behind a CDK-only system, we wire a forwarding rule so all new calls land in the Gladius vault from day one — and we keep a link to the legacy recording for the old ones.

• What about my existing texting and email templates?

  Templates port over as plain markdown and we re-bind them to the matching Gladius communicationTemplate slots. CDK token names (Customer.FirstName, Vehicle.Year, etc.) auto-map to our equivalents; anything custom shows up in a review screen during step 3.

• What if my CDK contract isn't up yet?

  Run both. Most CDK contracts are 3-5 year terms with auto-renewal — we migrate, you save the difference between $999 and the CDK bundle, and you cancel CDK when the renewal window opens. The 90-day non-renew notice is the deadline to watch; we'll send you a calendar reminder on the day you sign with us so you don't miss it.

• Can I keep my existing DMS?

  Yes — Gladius is DMS-agnostic. We integrate with Reynolds, Dealertrack, Auto/Mate, and the major DMS providers via the standard ADF and direct feeds. You don't have to switch DMS to switch CRM, and we explicitly recommend you don't bundle the two — the CDK bundle problem (one breach = both systems down) is the failure mode we're trying to help you exit.

• How long until my reps are productive in Gladius?

  Same day. The Gladius cockpit was designed by a 20-year operator (Sales → F&I → GSM) and the muscle-memory paths — search a lead, log a call, write an appointment, send a text — are 1-3 keystrokes each. We run a 90-minute live training the morning of cutover, and our team is on the floor (literally or via screen-share) for the first three days.