The migration decision is mostly about feature gaps and team size. Audit the gaps, then pick the destination edition.
- Confirm the current edition
Setup, Company Information. The Edition field shows the current tier. Confirm Group Edition is the active subscription.
- Count users vs. cap
List active users. If the team is at or near five, plan an upgrade regardless of feature needs because the cap is hard.
- Identify feature gaps
Catalogue every feature the team wishes existed: API access, workflow rules, validation rules beyond the small allowance, custom apps, sandboxes. Each gap maps to a specific higher tier.
- Pick the destination edition
Essentials/Starter for modern Lightning UX on a small team. Professional Edition for moderate automation and integration. Enterprise Edition for full platform features.
- Coordinate with the Salesforce account executive
The upgrade requires contract changes; the AE confirms pricing, contract term, and data-migration support.
- Plan the cutover
One-click upgrades within Sales Cloud editions (Group to Professional) keep data and configuration intact. Cross-product migrations (Group to Essentials/Starter) may need UX retraining and field-mapping reviews.
- Group Edition is no longer sold to new customers. Any reference in current Salesforce marketing material is to existing accounts only.
- The five-user cap is hard; adding a sixth user fails until the org is upgraded. Plan ahead when the team is at four or five users.
- Group Edition lacks API access. Integrations expected to come with newer editions (HubSpot, QuickBooks, Outlook Sync) cannot be added.
- Migration from Group Edition to Essentials/Starter is supported but is not a one-click operation; expect a project, not a settings change.