Tip#2 - Insane mode for a document copy
It is always preferable to use the insane mode to copy documents faster to source SharePoint environment. Here, we can also specify the custom storage account to use. Also, the insane mode will help to maintain the IDs of items from the source environment.
Migration of Choice Fields
In SharePoint, we commonly use Choice fields as part of our information architecture. The major issue with using choice field is that it does not keep track of changed values.
As an example, if we create a choice field called Status with below values to start with,
Over time, we realize that we need to drill down more into the business process and need more choices to support our business scenarios. We then change the choice values as below,
- Draft
- Approved by Manager
- Approved by HR
- Approved by all
- Rejected
Notice how the Approved status is broken down to support the business process. In this scenario, the items in the list which were created before with Status as Approved remain as they were. SharePoint does not complain about it. But when it comes to migration as we are no longer supporting “Approved” status, the items tagged with the “Approved” status start to complain. At this point, it might not be feasible to go back and change all approval statuses.
A simple resolution to this is to set the problematic choice column to allow fill-in choices.
This will allow Sharegate to enter any value in the choice column and proceed with the migration.
Version Mismatch or missing versions of documents
When any document has huge versions, it might occur that a few versions go missing. Sharegate simply skips the versions. To resolve this kind of issue, simply re-migrate the document with any of the below options.
- Copy and Replace
- Copy if newer (incremental)
Lookup Lists
Lists which have lookup are always troublesome to migrate. Firstly identify and start from parent list to avoid any reworking of migration.
Another solution is to set the default value in Sharegate to use when the source item contains an invalid value for the destination lookup column.
Support from Sharegate
Sharegate provides the best support to resolve our migration issues. For any outstanding issues, we can email
[email protected] and their representative will help us further.
Summary
Sharegate is one of the best migration tools available in the market. We cannot consider the migration will be always as easy as lifting and shifting the content. We may face few challenges due to data inconsistency. The above tips and tricks will definitely help to tackle common behaviors.