SharePoint 2010 and Content Migration

By Nadir KamdarIT Project Manager – SharePoint Konsult

Agenda

• Introduction• The challenges with Migration into SharePoint• Migrate Content using AIIM’s Best Practice• 3rd party tools and migration• Alternatives to migration

Introduction

• Hello, my name is Nadir Kamdar– ASP.NET developer for 9 years– SharePoint architect for 4 years – IT Project Manager for 4 years+– Degree in Bachelor of Commerce (IS) via UCT– Diploma in IT Project Management via FTI– First Certified SharePoint Master via AIIM in Africa

SharePoint Konsult

• Specialist in SharePoint delivery and support • A division of SMC Enterprise (Pty) Ltd• SMC - Established in 1999 • Microsoft and SAP Partner status• BEE - AAA Level 1 Empowerdex Rated• Staff compliment of 60.• Operating from Cape Town (Head Office),

Johannesburg, Durban and USA

Key SharePoint Offerings

• ECRM Maturity Assessment• SharePoint Roadmap• Enterprise Content Management

(DMS, RMS, Social Networking, Scanning & Imaging, BPM)

• Internet, Intranet & Extranet implementations• User Interface/User Experience Services• SharePoint-SAP Integration• Change Management • SharePoint Management Services

Our Customers Include:Public Sector• City of Cape Town• City of Tshwane • PetroSA• TCTA• Services Seta• LG Seta• Broadband Infraco• PGWC• W. Cape Provincial Parliament• Parliament of the RSA• SAMSA• CTICC

Private Sector• Old Mutual • Woolworths• Vodacom• Pick n Pay• LabCorp (USA)• Saudi Aramco (Middle East)• Pioneer Foods• Foord Asset Management• Acsis• SharePoint Konsult • Luxottica/Sunglasses Hut• E-TV

Our PartnersAccess SharePoint Offline / Outlook Integration• Sync SharePoint sites to laptop• Take document libraries offline

SharePoint DRP Management• Data protection• SharePoint storage optimization• SharePoint integration and migration

Ontolica Search• Advanced FAST like features without the cost• Full document preview in search results• Detailed search reports

AIIM SharePoint Certification Program• Internationally recognized SharePoint training for Business Users

What is content?

• Typically Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF files• Also includes email, images, audio and video• Not forgetting metadata, structure and access

controls, business rules

What is content migration?

• Copying documents from source content store to a new target content store

• Content Migration ≠ Upgrade (talk about this later)

• “Source Content Store” may include Legacy Content Repositories like File Shares, Public Folders, Documentum, Open Text, etc

The challenges with Migration• There is no magic OOTB solution for file shares or

other ECM systems• Copy and Paste is not good enough– Source is not clean (Garbage in = Garbage out)– Content is not classified correctly – Metadata are not defined – Permissions are not defined– Content is not structured– SharePoint restrictions will prevent all files from migrating

• Poor Content Migration = Poor ROI

SharePoint Program via AIIM to the rescue

“Learn best practices for

managing and sharing

information on the

SharePoint platform”

Why AIIM for Best Practice?

• AIIM is the community that provides education, research, and best practices to help organizations find, control, and optimize their information.

• For over 60 years, AIIM has been the leading non-profit organization.

• As a neutral and unbiased source of information, AIIM serves the needs of its members and the industry.

• If SharePoint is the vehicle, than AIIM is the guidance system

The AIIM SharePoint Course• The course objectives and content is defined and

reviewed by AIIM Education Advisory Groups in the US and Europe, and these Education Advisory Groups have subject matter experts from the following companies:

SharePoint Specialist

• The SharePoint Specialist course covers global best practices for implementing SharePoint and complementary solutions, and it builds on the Practitioner track.

• The course consist of 11 modules

SharePoint Specialist modules

Content Migration – Doing it Right

• It’s a separate project with proper staff and management

When Planning …

• Identify what content should be migrated and content should be ignored

• How much downtime can be tolerated• Identify Content Owners and power users• Look at existing content inventory, security

model, business logic, policies• Determine why we are migrating to SharePoint –

What is SharePoint offering?

Plan where content is going

• Identify– Hardware and Software (know what features are available)– Architecture– Site Hierarchy– Content Types (avoid “unclassified” content)– Security Model– Information Design– Records Management– Workflows– Metadata (if source don’t store it, where can you get it?)

Decide how to handle …

• Duplicated content• Inappropriate content• Multiple versions of content• Invalid metadata• Obsolete content formats• Target systems restrictions (special characters)• Records (All content must be unchanged)

Do a Proof of Concept

• Migrate a small portion of content to determine– Potential risk– Time required for processing– Storage required for processing

Pre-migration steps

• Creating custom elements• Backing up databases• Create new DNS name• Clean up content with content owners

Migration Phases

• Use the ETL Process– Extract– Transformation – Load

• Define a Migration Strategy– Big Bang, Incremental, etc.

Extract

• The first part of an ETL process involves extracting the data from the source systems

• Content may come from different sources• Look at capabilities of source to determine if

custom script of third party tools can be used • Extracted content are stored in a holding area

for transformation

Transform

• Preparing the extracted content for loading• Activities include– Structural– Logical– Metadata enrichment and mapping– Security Model– Content Format

Load

• The load phase loads the data into SharePoint• Avoid manual operations• Automated process should be robust and

efficient• For business continuity, perform after hours• Loading places great stress on target system

Post-migration steps

• Verify the following – Did everything move correctly?– Did all transformations occur?– Is content classified correctly?– Is security applied correctly?

• Run people and search crawls• Configure scheduled tasks (e.g. backup’s)• Execute exit strategy for original source

Change Management

• Manage end-users expectations for new system• Allow time for administrator and end-user training• Educate your helpdesk with answers to :– Where’s my stuff now?– How do I … ?– Why can’t I … ?

• Expect user feedback and plan for enhancements

What about Upgrading?

• Upgrade : Replacing your existing SharePoint with a newer version

• Approaches available– In-Place– Database attached– Hybrid approaches with read-only or detach database

• Well documented by Microsoft• Tools like pre-upgrade checker is available

Issues with Upgrade

• Code in the GAC• Language packs• Web.config changes• Features• Custom web parts• Branding• Templates• Must first upgrade from 32 bit to 64 bit SQL or OS• Must from upgrade from SP 2003 to SP 2007 to SP 2010

3rd Party tools for migration

• Due to complexity, many 3rd party tools are available

• AvePoint offers tools to migrate from – SharePoint, LiveLink, Public Folders, Vignette, File

Systems, Oracle/Stellent, Lotus Notes, Websites, eRoom, EMC Documentum

Why use 3rd party tools• Advantages– Easy to use user-interface– Granular selection of content– Graphical mapping of metadata– Automated scheduling and business continuity – reduce the risk and provide quicker turnaround

• But …– 3rd party tools cannot do all the work for you, it’s a tool

to help you (you cannot skip the planning phase)– Costs for purchasing additional software

Alternative to migration

• Integration with SharePoint Search – Indexing other data systems– Not true integration, may need 3rd party search conn.

• Connect (data in available “through” SharePoint)– Via BDC or BCS (Web Services, WCF, etc.)– EBS or RBS API (provides users access and interaction)– 3rd Party tools that that allow interaction to source

data via SharePoint

SharePoint Connector Products

• AvePoint offers products to allow users to interact with files from file systems via SharePoint

• Content is stored on the network drive but has all the features of a SharePoint Document Library– Workflows, indexed for search, versioning, custom

columns, views, etc.• Metadata is stored in SharePoint

Migrate or Connect

• Check value of legacy system• Maintenance costs verses Migration Cost

Maintenance Costs Migration Costs

Hardware Migration Process

Licensing and Support Tools

Knowledge Training

Reference• AvePoint – File Share Connector– http://www.avepoint.com/sharepoint-

management-of-file-share-content/• AvePoint – SharePoint Migration– http://www.avepoint.com/sharepoint-

migration-tools/• AIIM – SharePoint Cert. Program– http://www.aiim.org/Training/

SharePoint-Course

Thank you

• Twitter– @NadirKamdar

• Blog– nadirkamdar.blogspot.com

• E-mail– nadir@sharepointkonsult.net

• Company URL– www.sharepointkonsult.net

LinkedIn Profile