The document discusses planning for a SharePoint migration. It covers establishing a migration team, communicating the plan to stakeholders, surveying the current farm for customizations, and testing the migration process including customizations. The testing phase is emphasized to find issues early when migrating to the new SharePoint version using real customer data and fully evaluating the upgrade process.

1. The Path Through SharePoint Migrations
Brian Caauwe – Manager, Business Productivity
April 22nd, 2017

2. Session Agenda
• Overview
• Patterns
• Cycle
• Aftermath

3. Who am I?
• Brian Caauwe
• Manager, Consultant, Speaker and new dad
• Email: bcaauwe@avtex.com
• Twitter: @bcaauwe
• Technical Editor
• Professional SharePoint 2013 Administration
• Certifications
• MCM: SharePoint Server 2010
• MCSM: SharePoint

4. Thank you Sponsors!

6. Overview

7. Where are we coming from?
Where are we going?

8. SharePoint History
Release History and Roadmap
2001 2003 2006 2009 2012 201620112010
Core Collaboration
Content
Management
Cloud and
Enterprise
Social
Cloud
Connected

9. Poll
What are your “largest”, “time consuming”, “hardest to
overcome” issues with SharePoint Migrations?

10. Migration Overview
Typical Issues
Resources
Customizations
Available Disk Space
Customizations
I’m looking at you Branding
Testing
Or lack thereof
Knowledge
Customizations
That configuration from 3 years ago
Customizations
Workflow manager, SharePoint Apps
Customizations
That guy who wrote that code

11. Migration Overview
Scenarios – On Premise [Out of the Box]
• 2010 – Need to go through 2007
• 2013 – Need to go through 2010
• 2016 – Need to go through 2013

12. Migration Overview
Scenarios – On Premise [Tooling]
• Can bypass version requirement
• Comes with other restrictions

13. Migration Overview
Scenarios – Online
• Manual
• SharePoint Online Migration API
• Requires PowerShell 3.0
• Requires Azure Subscription
• 3rd Party tools

14. Patterns

15. Migration Patterns
On Premise
• Database Attach
• Service Application Databases
• Secure Store
• New-SPSecureStoreApplication (Upgrades SSS)
• Update-SPSecureStoreApplicationServerKey (Requires Passphrase from 2013)
• Business Connectivity Services
• New-SPBusinessDataCatalogServiceApplication (Upgrades BCS)
• Managed Metadata
• New-SPMetadataServiceApplication (Upgrades MMS)
• Search
• Restore-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication (Upgrades Search Admin DB)
• Does NOT retain index
• Auto-generates other search database names … GUIDS
Traditional “Forklift”

16. Migration Patterns
On Premise
• Database Attach
• Service Application Databases
• User Profile
• New-SPProfileServiceApplication (Upgrades Profile and/or Social DBs)
• IGNORE Sync database
• PerformancePoint
• New-SPPerformancePointServiceApplication (Upgrades PerformancePoint)
• App Management
• New-SPAppManagementServiceApplication (Upgrades AppMgmt)
• Project
• Migrate-SPProjectDatabase (Upgrades Project Server DB)
• Set-SPProjectDatabaseQuota (Disable database quota limit)
• Migrate-SPProjectResourcePlans (Migrates Resource Plans)
Traditional “Forklift”

17. Migration Patterns
On Premise
• Database Attach
• Content Databases
Test-SPContentDatabase
`–Name <databaseName> -WebApplication <url>
Mount-SPContentDatabase
`–Name <databaseName> -WebApplication <url>
`[-SkipSiteUpgrade]
Upgrade Content Databases to SharePoint 2016
• https://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/cc263299(v=office.16).aspx
Traditional “Forklift”

18. Migration Patterns
On Premise
• Site Collection Upgrades
• No more “preview” sites
• No more compatibility view
• Methods
• Upon database attach (DEFAULT)
• Upon first browse
• Admin upgraded with Upgrade-SPSite
Traditional “Forklift”

19. Migration Patterns
Online
• Same “structure” moved online
• No native tools from MSFT like database attach
Traditional “Forklift”

20. Migration Patterns
Tools

21. Migration Patterns
SharePoint Online Migration API
• Forklift content
• File shares
• SharePoint
• Requires
• Azure Subscription (Storage Account)
• SharePoint Online Management Shell
• Does NOT
• Create lists / libraries
• Create metadata fields
• Create views

22. Migration Patterns
Re-architect
• BEST time to tackle during migration
• Realign with the business
• Put EVERYTHING on the table
• On Premise, Online, Hybrid
• Web Applications
• Service Applications
• Customizations
• Managed Paths
• Site Collections
• Sites
• Lists / Libraries
• Permissions
• Metadata

23. Migration Patterns
Moving content comes with some pain
• Workflows
• Running
• Embedded Urls
• Alerts
• Favorites
• Old Users
Moving Content

24. Migration Patterns
Moving Content
Native Methods (On Premise)
• Move-SPSite (Moves site between content databases)
• Set-SPSite (change URL for host based site collections)
• Backup-SPSite / Restore-SPSite
• Export-SPWeb / Import-SPWeb
• Get granular to lists and libraries with -Path

25. Migration Patterns
Moving Content
Native Methods (Online)
TOOLS / CODE

26. Cycle

27. Migration Cycle
Architecture
Revisit YOUR architecture

28. Migration Cycle
Managing a complex process
• Communication
• Farm Customization Surveys
• Migration Customization Testing
• Environment Cleanup
• Environment Build Out
• Customizations Deployment
• Operations Scheduling
• Rollback Plan
• Post-Migration Activities
• Ongoing Support Calls
Before you get your servers… or licensing

29. Migration Cycle
Learn
•Migration methods
•New capabilities
•Downtime mitigation
Prepare
•Document
environment
•Manage
customizations
•Plan upgrade strategy
•Make items
upgradable
Test
•Build test farms
•Use real data
•Evaluate techniques
•Find issues early
Implement
•Build production farms
•Deploy customizations
•Minimize downtime
•Monitor progress
Validate
•Troubleshooting
•Upgrade event failures
•UI/UX issues
•Data issues

30. Migration Cycle
Learn
About YOUR environment
• Customizations (Solutions / Features / Cowboy)
• Your code
• Branding
• 3rd party
• Authentication Provider
• Classic vs. Claims
• FBA
• Custom STS
• Hardware Requirements (YOU NEED MORE)
• Disk Requirements (include backup and restore sizing)
• Resource Requirements
• TechNet Reference: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/cc262485.aspx

31. Migration Cycle
Learn
Upgrade Methods
• Services Application (FIRST)
• Hybrid
• Point in time migration
• Swing migration
• Content Database
• Read-only outage acceptable to reduce
“downtime”

32. Migration Cycle
Learn
Web Browser Requirements
• IE 10+ / Edge
• Google Chrome (latest version)
• Mozilla Firefox (latest version)
• Apple Safari (latest version)
• What about mobile?
Office Requirements
• 2016, 2013, 2010?
• SharePoint Designer / InfoPath

33. Migration Cycle
Learn
“Deprecated” Features
• Sandbox Solutions
• code == bad
• XML == OK
• SharePoint Online Solution Inspector:
https://www.spcaf.com/blog/introducing-sharepoint-sandboxed-
solutions-inspector/
• SharePoint Foundation
• Forefront Identity Manager (FIM)
• Excel Services
• Tags & Notes
• What’s deprecated or removed from SharePoint 2016:
https://technet.microsoft.com/EN-
US/library/mt346112(v=office.16).aspx

34. Migration Cycle
Prepare
Reconnect with users
• Ask your users how they are using your
solutions
• Determine dead sites
• Remove data clutter
• Prioritize items that are fixed in 2016
• Re-visit information architecture
• Build internal buzz
• Start communication early!!

35. Migration Cycle
Prepare
Upgrade Strategy
• Different Roles, Different Upgrade Schedules
• SQL
• Office Web Applications
• Workflow Manager
• SharePoint
Upgrade Operations
• Roles on call, required, optional
• Downtime / Disruption limits
• URL adjustments (AVOID IF POSSIBLE)

36. Migration Cycle
Prepare
SharePoint 2013 Environment
• Validate / Complete Visual Upgrade
• Cleanup sites, webs, versions
• Isolate customized site collections into separate
databases
• Isolate ROOT (/) site collections into separate
databases
• Prepare site and list “templates” for migration
• Service Applications
• Swing Upgrade: Prepare Farm for Service Application
consumption

37. Migration Cycle
Prepare
Farm Insight
• Manual
• File / Folder comparison
• 15 hive
• web.config
• GAC
• IIS Bindings
• Host Headers
• SSL Certificates
• Service Application / Web Application settings
• Secure Store Passphrase
• User Profile Import Connection(s)
• Blobcache
• BrowserFileHandling
• Maximum Upload Size

38. Migration Cycle
Prepare
Farm Insight (Continued)
• Tools
• WinDiff / BeyondCompare
• PowerShell
• Xcopy
• PowerShell
• Get-SPServer
• Get-SPWebApplication / Get-SPSite / Get-SPWeb
• Get-SPFeature
• Get-SPWebTemplates
• Test-SPContentDatabase
• Get-SPContentDatabase | %{$_.Repair([bool])}
• $true = fix issues
• $false = list issues
• MANY, MANY MORE…

39. Migration Cycle
Prepare
Moving Content
• PowerShell
• Move-SPSite
• Backup-SPSite / Restore-SPSite
• Export-SPWeb / Import-SPWeb
• 3rd Party Tools
• MANY out there
Customization Gathering
• PowerShell
• Get-SPSolution
• Export-SPInfoPathAdministrationFiles

40. Migration Cycle
Test
SharePoint 2016 Environment
• Build / Prepare SQL environment
• Ensure Max Degree of Parallelism
• Migrate Associated Services
• Office Online Server
• Workflow Manager
• Microsoft Identity Manager

41. Migration Cycle
Test
SharePoint 2016 Environment
• Build SharePoint environment
• Use YOUR real data
• Use similar hardware as production
• Farm Configurations
• Web Applications
• Create Managed Paths
• Manual web.config changes
• Service Applications
• Build out new service applications NOT being
migrated
• Swing Upgrade: Prepare Farm for Service
Application publishing (2016) / consumption (2013)
• Apps configuration
• Get/Set-SPAuthenticationRealm

42. Migration Cycle
Test
Service Applications
• Test service applications to upgrade
• User Profile: Create Import Connections
• Search: Perform crawl to populate index
• Swing Upgrade: Publish service applications and
consume for validation
Content
• Run Test-SPContentDatabase prior to Mount-
SPContentDatabase
• Test Site upgrades outside of database attach
• Browse
• Scripted

43. Migration Cycle
Test
Perform MULTIPLE test upgrades
• Create a checklist
• Document your process AND procedures
• Create scripts for repeatable process
• Take user error out of the equation as much as possible
• Identifies YOUR time requirements
End user Testing
• Real accounts
• Customization Testing
• They know their sites better than you
• Performance / Load Testing

44. Migration Cycle
Implement
Service Application Upgrade Order
• Secure Store
• Business Connectivity Services (might require SSS)
• Managed Metadata
• User Profile (requires BCS and MMS)
• Search (crawl account needs to have access to UPA)
• PerformancePoint
• App Management
• Project
• Make sure associated services are also running

45. Migration Cycle
Implement
Content Database Upgrade Order
• Root level site collections
• Easy (less customization)
• Hard (most customization)
• ALWAYS Test-SPContentDatabase before Mount-
SPContentDatabase
Upgrade Order for Social Experience
• Upgrade MySite Host Site Collection
• Upgrade Personal
• PowerShell initiated
• User Initiated (First Accessed)

46. Migration Cycle
Validate
Logs
• Server logs
• Event Logs
• ULS Logs
• Upgrade Logs
• Site Collection Maintenance Logs
• Do NOT ignore “warnings”
Issue Resolution Order
• Authentication
• Customizations
• Content

47. Migration Cycle
Validate
Data Integrity
• Orphans / DB issues
• Missing Data
Site Sampling
• Choose all high impact / visibility sites
• Choose some simple sites
• Get at least one of each site definition
• Choose most high customized sites
• Ensure what you are validating WORKED before
upgrade

48. Migration Cycle
Validate
Verify Services
• New Service Application functionality
• Upgraded Service Application functionality
Customizations
• Might need to deploy to -CompatibilityLevel All
User Experience
• Master Pages, Page Layouts
• CSS and Themes

49. Aftermath

50. Aftermath
Fixing Issues
• You WILL miss something
• Solutions / Features
• Templates / Definitions
• Fab 40 … don’t go there
• Large Lists / Wide Lists
• User Experience
• Use Site Collection Health Checks to help
• Unghosted pages
• Non-reghostable pages
• Incompatible HTML

51. Aftermath
New Features
Plan for new feature rollouts
• Data Loss Prevention
• eDiscovery
• Retention Policies
• Hybrid
• Search
• User Profiles
• App Launcher
Plan for what’s next
• Take a hint from what’s coming in Office 365

52. Aftermath
Support
• Support calls WILL happen
• “something changed”
• “what is this new button”
• Who will receive support calls?
• Can they solve the problems
• Do they have permissions to do so
• What is the escalation process
• Proactive vs. Reactive Support

53. Aftermath
Patching
• Is your architecture ready for Zero Downtime
Patching?
• Redundant Services
• Load Balancer
• Microsoft Shipping Public Updates (PU)
MONTHLY
• Features Packs
• Get new features from SPO before new major version
• Requires Software Assurance

54. Aftermath
Patching
• Turn OFF Windows Update!!!
• For Public Updates, Service Packs and Feature
Packs, same cycle applies
• Learn
• Prepare
• Test
• Implement
• Validate
• Deploy Software Updates for SharePoint Server
2016
• https://technet.microsoft.com/EN-
US/library/cc263467(v=office.16).aspx

55. Aftermath
Ongoing Training
What Method(s) work for your organization
• Classroom
• Train the Trainer
• Self Service
• User Group
• Feature Focuses
• Lunch and Learns
• General vs. Solution based

56. Questions

57. Feedback Url :
http://whova.com/event/program/168169/?email=bcaauwe@avtex.com&simpl
e_agenda=True&platform=webapp
Give Me Feedback
Whova

58. How to get ahold of me?
• Brian Caauwe
• Email: bcaauwe@avtex.com
• Twitter: @bcaauwe

59. http://webinars.avtex.com/

60. Resources
• Create a Communication Plan (SharePoint 2013)
• https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263345.aspx
• Upgrade Worksheet (SharePoint 2013)
• https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30370
• Upgrade to SharePoint Server 2016
• https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc303420(v=office.16).aspx
• Upgrade Service Applications to SharePoint 2016
• https://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/jj839719(v=office.16).aspx
• Upgrade Content Databases to SharePoint 2016
• https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263299(v=office.16).aspx
• Upgrade to Project Server 2016
• https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg502590(v=office.16).aspx

61. Resources
• SharePoint Online Migration API User Guide
• https://support.office.com/en-us/article/SharePoint-Online-Migration-API-
User-Guide-555049c6-15ef-45a6-9a1f-a1ef673b867c
• SharePoint Online Solution Inspector
• https://www.spcaf.com/blog/introducing-sharepoint-sandboxed-solutions-
inspector/
• New and improved features in SharePoint Server 2016
• https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt346121(v=office.16).aspx
• What’s deprecated or removed from SharePoint Server 2016
• https://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/mt346112(v=office.16).aspx
• Deploy Software Updates for SharePoint Server 2016
• https://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/cc263467(v=office.16).aspx

63. Planning

64. Migration Team
Stakeholders
Server Admins
Database Admins
SharePoint Admins
Site Admins
Security Admins
Designers
Developers
Site Users
Migration Planning
Communications

65. Migration Planning
Communications
• Migration Team
• Roles & Responsibilities
• Timelines
• Issue Tracking Process
• Site Owners
• Surveys (NON Technical)
• Training
• Site Users
• Reason
• Plan
• Status Updates
• More, more, more…

66. Migration Planning
Farm Customization Surveys
• Gather Information
• Determine Impact
• Collect Customization
• Manual
• Scripted
• Sample Worksheet
• https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/download/details.aspx?id=30370

67. Migration Planning
Migration Customization Testing
• Upgrade Issues
• Wide lists
• Authentication Mismatch
• Modified Databases
• Customizations
• Recommendations
• Complete Customer & Farm Survey’s BEFORE testing
• Set Testing Goals
• Test customizations
• Use REAL data
• Evaluate branding requirements
• TEST YOUR Upgrade Process
• http://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/download/details.aspx?id=30366

68. Migration Planning
Environment Cleanup
• Remove Stale Content / Unneeded Versions
• Review Quotas / Locks
• Cleanup Templates, Solutions, Features,
Web Parts
• User Driven, OM / PowerShell can help
• Repair Data issues
• User Driven, OM / PowerShell can help
• Verify “Healthy” Environment (e.g. Health
Analyzer, Event Logs, SP Logs)
• Balance / Organize Content Databases
• Root sites
• “Issue Sites” in their own DBs

69. Migration Planning
Environment Build Out
SharePoint 2016 Migration Requirements
• SharePoint 2013 with SP1 and March 2013
PU
• Database version 15.0.4481.1005 or higher
• SharePoint sites need to be in 2013 mode
• CompatibilityLevel 15

70. Migration Planning
Environment Build Out
Hardware
• SharePoint Version(s)
• SQL Version(s)
• Office Online Server (Business Intelligence)
• Workflow Manager
• Microsoft Identity Manager (FIM Replacement)
Application
• Service Accounts
• Service Application Requirements

71. Migration Planning
Customizations Deployment
• Solutions
• Features
• Site Definitions
• web.config modifications
• Custom Files / Images
• Use the Upgrade Worksheet

72. Migration Planning
Operations Schedule
Sample Schedule
• Planned 36 hours outage (read-only)
• Up to 54 hours emergency outage if rollback is required
• Downtime mitigation process can reduce outage time
Schedule Operation
Friday
2200hrs
Start backups
Saturday
0000hrs
Start upgrade of content farm/databases
Sunday
1200hrs
Upgrade must be effectively complete, or rollback of
environment must begin
Monday
0600hrs
Environment must be completely working, either as original
version or new version

73. Migration Planning
Rollback Plan
• DNS, Load Balancer, Service Applications, SQL Locks
• Draw a line in the sand
• How long does it take to implement?
• How long does it take to rollback?
• Test, Test and Re-Test processes AND procedures
• Prepare communication

74. Migration Planning
After Upgrade
• Post Migration Activities
• Ongoing Support Calls