Forum Discussion
Migrate file shares to sharepoint online
Hello All,
Firstly I may be asking an age old question but during my search, I was not able to find any related posts so her I go.
We have a client with a number of file shares running on a SBS 2011 server and their emails are now on Exchange online and we are planning to move the file shares to Sharepoint online.The shares contain data files so we are thinking to create a team site with document libraries to move the data files.
During my research, I found that this can be done through O365 import service and if its an import via the network the there is no additional cost for Azure storage.
What I was unable to find is the actual experience and issues encountered by someone who has done this migration using the above method because the documentation provided by MS does not state the actions that we need to take during the migration. Should we disable the shares that are being migrated until the whole process is completed?
What about user experience if we map the sites as network shares? There are a number of workstations running Win 7/8.1 and I heard that the user experience on these systems is not good due to issues such repeated password prompts etc.
In addition, I would really appreciate if I can get some feedback from other members who actually used this method to find out the possible pitfalls.
Thirdly I notice that many advocates to use various 3rd party tools, is it easier to use these tools over the native methods and will those tools allow something like the delta sync. similar to Exchange migrations.
Thanks,
-Dhanushka
Here I would like to refer another excellent third party SharePoint migration tool, from- https://www.nucleustechnologies.com/sharepoint-migration
It is a secure and easy-to-use SharePoint migration utility.
I would suggest you DMS-Shuttle for SharePoint, if you intend to migrate file shares to SharePoint / Office 365. The tool can move the entire folder structure with files to SharePoint, handles invalid characters and keeps original modified and created dates. You can use the tool also for copying SharePoint Sites to your local system. Additional feature: filtering, bulk operations, built-in reports. There is a trial version that you can use 15 days in your environment: http://dms-shuttle.com/downloads/ .
I would suggest you to give a try with Vyapin Dockit Migrator for SharePoint - http://www.vyapin.com/products/sharepoint-migration/dockit/sharepoint-migration-tools. This tool supports migration from / to any version of SharePoint. Download free trial version and review it whether it suits your requirement or not.
- There are many 3rd party migration tools. See e.g. https://collab365.directory/ My company has developed a browser-based tool (SLIM Companion) that allows migrations using drag and drop, uses parallel processes, supports file sizes up to 10 GB, support for custom metadata, keep original modify date, flatten folder structures, cater for illegal characters/blocked files,..
Thanks to everyone who posted their feedback.
Seems like shareGate is a popular solution so I have a few questions on that.
1. Licensing for 1 user is over $ 3000 per year. If we buy a single license then can we use it to migrate any client data or it is restricted to a single client?
2. Does ShareGate support delta syncs (similar to Exchange online) when it comes to file server migrations to Sharepoint online?
Thanks again,
Dhanushka
I believe there is a consultant license for just a little more money that would cover mulitple clients. Also in terms of delta syncs, you can re-run the tool and then set what to do if the files on the server are newer than the ones in SharePoint. (replace those, maybe leave the ones with the same date stamp)
I just spoke with someone at Sharegate and it appears this is no longer the case. She told me that I would need to purchase the license which would then remain at the client after the project. Seems a bit excessive to have an additional $4k cost for every migration.
I didn't try this method but 3rd party tools provide you more control
Nothing beats Sharegate. I'm not affiliated with them, just have had experience with most everything out there and that's my choice, bar none.
I am using Sharegate at this time to migrate SharePoint 2010 to SPO. I recently was given a file share migration project I thought Sharegate could handle but it doesn't. I have 4TB of image files that contain custom metadata like Camera maker, Camera model, ISO speed and others. Sharegate can't see this metadata on the image files.
- Yeap, Sharegate is a great alternative here :-)...and there are some other good ones such as Metalogix or AvePoint ones
I would recommend looking to a 3rd party tool to manage the migration. Not only can it handle the metdata but you can also perform transformation for users that are no longer with the company. ShareGate offers an affordable option and you can even request a trial to experiment with some of your data. Other options include Metalogix Content Matrix & AvePoint's migration tools.
I use Sharegate for migrations of SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint Online. I have one job that Sharegate is unable to complete. I have 4TB of images to migrate from a file share to SharePoint Online. Sharegate is unable to migrate the metadata of the images. This is a feature request for Sharegate at this time.
- I would agree with the 3rd party tool approach. They can also provide value for staging your content prior to move and working with content post move. And yes there are 3rd party tools that can support delta syncs.
Hi, you can refer the below TechNet gallery script. HTH.
https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Bulk-upload-the-files-from-8932fc26#content
Thanks Santosh, do you know if this method can move a large number of files/folders (over 200 GB) and will it retain file/folder attributes and metadata?
-Dhanushka
This script uses pnp which supports a single file size up to 250 mb and the file size will be calculated individually. So you dont need to worry about the total size of the library. We have modified the script to support meta details. You can use below script. Please be noted that you need to create the meta data columns in the destination document library.
Example:
"createdate"
"modifieddate"
"owner"$cred=Get-Credential $makeUrl ="https://<tenantname>.sharepoint.com/sites/contosobeta" $sourcePath = "<FolderPath>\"; $topSPOFolder = "Shared Documents"; # install pnp powershell..? #Install-Module SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline # connect to spo online Connect-PnPOnline -Url $makeUrl -Credentials $cred $fileNames = Get-ChildItem -Path $sourcePath -Recurse ; foreach($aFileName in $fileNames) { if($aFileName.GetType().Name -ne "DirectoryInfo") { $filepath= [System.IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName($aFileName.FullName) $Urlpath= ($filepath.Replace($sourcePath, '')); $foldername=$Urlpath.Replace("/","\"); $fn=$topSPOFolder+"\"+$foldername; $metadata = @{ "createdate" = $aFileName.CreationTime "modifieddate" = $aFileName.LastWriteTime "owner"= $aFileName.GetAccessControl().Owner } Add-PnPFile -Path $aFileName.FullName -Folder $fn -Values $metadata; $fn=$null } }If you have files sized more than 250 mb please let me know.
