I have been experimenting with automation to move items between boards based on specific statuses or due dates. However, I’ve run into a challenge: the source and destination boards don’t always have identical column structures.
In some cases, the destination board is missing certain columns / has different column types (e.g., status in one, dropdown in the other). This leads to data not transferring cleanly or worse, disappearing altogether.
What’s the best way to manage / prevent data loss during these board-to-board item moves? Are there platform best practices or tools (like Make or Zapier) that can help standardize data formats before the transfer? Checked Platform discussions - monday Community Forum for reference. I also found myself exploring Excel Interview questions to better understand how data structuring principles apply across different platforms.
I would love to hear how others are handling similar use cases especially those with complex workflows across multiple teams.
Can you give some more about your process ie which board is it moving from/to? For most companies I work with, we don’t move the item. We create a new item on the destination board and use a connected column to link the two boards. This ensures we don’t lose information and we’re able to track it where we need to.
Our company manages this workflow on a daily basis.
For example, we move items from the Grant Applications board (GA) to the Approved Grants board (AG) once an application is approved—similar to how leads transition to deals in a sales pipeline.
Most of the columns on GA and AG are the same, but some fields are no longer needed once the item moves. However, we still retain that information for historical or auditing purposes.
To clarify:
All GA entries originate from a form submission.
The form submission is automatically stored in the Files column when submitted, so the record is already captured.
We ensure all essential data is transferred from GA to AG. This includes:
Required fields for AG operations
Any tracking, analysis, or reporting data
The original form submission
However, not all information in GA comes from the form—some of it is added internally. To preserve this information, we use a workdocsMonday doc template that houses all internal documentation.
Here’s how the automation works:
When a GA item is ready to move to AG, the template is triggered.
Once the doc is created and populated, the item is moved to AG, bringing the doc with it.
This ensures no data is lost in the transition, and all relevant information—whether form-based or internal—is properly archived.
I actually solved this exact problem by creating a universal column structure across all my boards.
Here’s what I did: I added every single column used throughout my entire workflow to every board in the process. Even if a board doesn’t need certain fields, the columns still exist. I just hide the ones that aren’t relevant for that board.
For example:
Board A might show columns 1, 3, 5, 7 (with 2, 4, 6, 8 hidden)
Board B might show columns 2, 4, 6, 8 (with 1, 3, 5, 7 hidden)
But all columns are present on both boards.
This setup ensures that when items move between boards, all the data transfers correctly because the destination board already has every possible column in place. Nothing gets lost or mismatched.
The initial setup takes a little extra time, but it pays off in a big way:
No data loss during item transfers
No need for complicated field mapping or external tools
Full data history is always preserved
You can unhide columns at any time to review past details
It’s like having one master structure that supports your entire process, while each board stays focused by only showing what it needs.
Hope this helps others dealing with similar challenges!
However, I’ve run into a challenge: the source and destination boards don’t always have identical column structures. 
