The following are the steps you need to take to migrate your files.

1. Identification and organization of documents to migrate

a. Filter by file type, size, and access date.

b. Organize into standard folder structure if necessary.

c. Rename files or folders with invalid characters or with names that are too long.

d. Reorganize folder nesting that results in long file paths.

e. Plan needed security.

2.  Determine metadata requirements

3. Making the move

4. Providing access to the document library.

Identification and Organization of Documents to Migrate

The most important aspect of this migration is planning what will move and organizing it properly.  File shares even when intended for only user data may contain certain file types that do not work well under a SharePoint environment and that should probably continue to live in a file share.

Knowing what files to include in you SharePoint document libraries depends on the type of file and how it is used.  For example, while SharePoint can support files up to 100 MB in size, I have found that networks and sites will not behave responsively past 50 MB.  It is also important to make sure that the set of file types are only the most appropriate kind of files for SharePoint.  Here are some general guidelines:

Best file types for SharePoint:

o   Microsoft Word files (*.doc, *.docx)

o   Microsoft Excel files not dependent on links (*.xls, *.xlsx)

o   Microsoft PowerPoint files (*.ppt, *.pptx)

o   Other vendor document and spreadsheet files (*.wpd)

o   Scanned files with imbedded OCR text (*.pdf)

o   User text files (*.txt)

o   Drawings and picture files (*.dwg, *.jpg, etc.)

o   Periodically accessed files.

Worst file types for SharePoint:

o   MS Access databases (*.mdb)

o   Outlook Personal Folders (*.pst)

o   Excel files that depend on links

o   Application files (*.exe, *.dll, *.bat, *.log, etc.)

o   Large backup files (> 50 MB *.zip, *.iso, *.bak, etc.)

o   DVD images (*.ifo, *.vob)

o   Files not access for months

Organization and Security

No matter which method you use, keep security issues in mind. Permissions settings for the files on the file server are not transferred to the document library automatically. Decide what level of permissions you want to give users in your organization in the new document library, and set those permission levels before you begin moving files into the document library. If you move documents into a document library that uses default security settings, you might be giving access to users who should not have access.

As part of the preparation, it is good to search for documents with certain characters in the name so that the migration does not fail for any files.  Look for the following characters:

# <TAB> { } % ~ &

These characters are also not allowed:

\/:*?”<>|

But since Windows doesn’t allow them, we are not going to find them in any file names anyway.  Search for file names that begin or end with a dot.  Search for names that contain two consecutive dots.  Also check the list of blocked file extensions in SharePoint Central Administration and search for any files with those extensions.  Check the file size limit and find any files that are larger than the limit.  Look for file names or folder names longer than 128 characters.  Finally, make sure no URL will be longer than 260 characters by keeping the total Windows path length less than around 200 characters.

File and Folder Counts

It is also important to know how many folders and how many files within each folder you will have before performing the migration.  To maintain optimum server performance and ease navigation of the document libraries and folder structures, use the following guidelines as the upper limits when organizing your files:

o   1,000 files in a folder

o   1,000 folders per Document Library

o   1,000 document libraries per site

o   50 megabytes (MB) per file

When a site is maintained within these parameters, typical throughput is as follows:

o   10 saves per second per content database

o   300 reads per second per content database

Determine metadata requirements

Keep the following in mind when designing your metadata fields:

o   Most metadata columns should be mandatory

o   Folders and not metadata used for navigation

o   Folder structure not related to metadata

o   Fields from Microsoft Office files are generally useless in most cases.

o   Make sure metadata fields are meaningful, unambiguous, and mutually exclusive

Making the move

After you have organized your files, you can use one of the following methods to copy files onto the server:

The simplest method for moving files to the new site is to drag files or folders into the Explorer View of a document library.

Drag files by using Explorer View

If you receive any error messages while copying the files, see the Troubleshooting section later in this article.  This may seem like a simple method but it may just be the last step of a migration that involves removing old static files and folder structure clean-up.

Moving Files by Using Network Places

It is also possible to add a network place for the document library. The steps for creating a network place and copying the files to a Windows SharePoint Services document library vary, depending on the operating system you use.

Microsoft Windows XP

Move files by using My Network Places in Windows XP

1. On the Windows desktop, click My Network Places.

2. Double-click Add a Network Place.

3. Follow the instructions in the Add Network Place Wizard to add a shortcut to the server that is running Windows SharePoint Services.

4. After you create the new network place, open a Windows Explorer window, and then find the folder with the files that you want to copy to the document library.

5. Select the files you want, and then drag them into the document library in the network place.

Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Move files by using My Network Places in Windows Server 2003

1. Click the Start menu, click All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.

2. In the Folders list, click My Network Places.

3. In the right pane, double-click Add Network Place.

4. Follow the instructions in the Add Network Place Wizard to add a shortcut to the server running Windows SharePoint Services.

5. After you create the new network place, open a Windows Explorer window, and then find the folder with the files that you want to copy to the document library.

6. Select the files you want, and then drag them into the document library in the network place.

Moving Files by Using Other Applications

For uploading a smaller number of files, some applications compatible with Windows SharePoint Services allow you to save files to document libraries by using the file management tools in those applications. An example is the Upload Multiple Files feature that is included in Microsoft Office 2003. To use this feature, the client computer you are using must have Office 2003 installed.

Move files by using Upload Multiple Files

1. On the top link bar, click Documents and Lists.

2. Click the document library to which you want to add files.

3. Click Upload Document.

4. Click Upload Multiple Files.

5. In the left pane, navigate to the folder that contains the files you want to copy to the document library.

6. In the right pane, select each file that you want to copy to the document library.

7. Click Save and Close.

Moving Files by Using a Mapped Network Drive

Another method for adding files to the site is to map a network drive.

Move files by mapping a network drive

1. On the Start menu, click My Computer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.

3. In Drive, select a drive letter.

4. In Folder, type the name of the Web server and document library in the form \\Server_Name\Site_Name\Document_Library\.  The mapped network drive opens in Windows Explorer to show the contents of the document library.

5. Open a Windows Explorer window, and then find the folder with the files that you want to copy to the document library.

6. Select the files you want, and then drag them into the document library in the mapped network drive.

Making the Document Library Available To Users

Finally, now that the files are in place and ready for use, you want to make the location known and instruct users on how to use it.  SharePoint Document Libraries are fairly easy to navigate using a web browser, but they can a bit cumbersome for users that need to use them frequently.  You can map drive letters on Windows machines to your new SharePoint document library and people can navigate it with the convenience of Windows Explorer.  This provides a transition to the new environment with more convenient access.

Conclusion

When a document migration is effectively planned, managed and when users are successfully transitioned to the new environment, the enhanced collaboration is well worth the effort.  I hope this article provides a good framework for taking advantage of the SharePoint documents library feature within your organization.

Roberto Ortega, Tributary, LLC

http://www.tributarysoft.com