Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating Accounts with Sysinfo OneDrive Migration ToolMigrating OneDrive accounts — whether moving users between tenants, consolidating business accounts, or transferring data to a new subscription — can be complex. The Sysinfo OneDrive Migration Tool is designed to simplify that complexity by providing automated, reliable migration of files, folders, permissions, and metadata. This guide walks through planning, preparation, execution, and validation so you can complete migrations with minimal disruption.
Why use Sysinfo OneDrive Migration Tool?
- Comprehensive data transfer: migrates files, folders, version history, file permissions, and metadata.
- Tenant-to-tenant support: built for migrations between Microsoft 365 tenants and within a single tenant.
- Selective migration: filter by user, folder path, file type, size, and date range.
- Delta and incremental migration: move changes only after an initial pass to minimize downtime.
- Logging and reporting: detailed reports for auditing and troubleshooting.
- Retry and error handling: automatic retries and options to re-run failed items.
Before you start: planning and prerequisites
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Licensing and access
- Ensure you have the required Sysinfo license for the number of users and features you need.
- Obtain Global Administrator or appropriate permissions in both source and destination tenants (or accounts).
- Register any necessary application(s) in Azure AD if the tool requires app-based authentication; note client ID/secret or certificate details.
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Inventory and scope
- Create an inventory of user accounts, shared libraries, and groups to migrate.
- Decide whether to migrate full accounts, particular folders, or shared sites.
- Estimate data sizes and bandwidth to plan timing and parallelism.
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Network and throttling considerations
- Microsoft throttles API usage; plan for staged migration and use the tool’s built-in throttling/resume settings.
- Schedule migrations during off-peak hours for large volumes to reduce impact on users.
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Communication plan
- Inform users of migration windows, expected downtime (if any), and any required actions (e.g., stop syncing during migration).
- Provide a support channel for post-migration issues.
Step 1 — Install and configure Sysinfo OneDrive Migration Tool
- Download and install the tool from Sysinfo’s official site or your licensed distribution channel.
- Launch the tool and complete any initial setup wizard.
- Configure global settings relevant to your environment: default concurrency, logging level, retry behavior, and temporary storage paths.
Step 2 — Connect source and destination accounts
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Authentication options
- Choose app-based authentication (recommended for tenant-to-tenant) or delegated user authentication when supported.
- Provide the application (client) ID and secret or sign in interactively with admin credentials if required.
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Add source tenant/account
- Input tenant or account details, authenticate, and grant the necessary API permissions (e.g., Files.Read.All, Sites.Read.All for source).
- Validate connectivity by listing available users and OneDrive sites.
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Add destination tenant/account
- Repeat authentication and permission steps for the destination. Ensure the destination has sufficient storage and licensing per user.
Step 3 — Create migration tasks and map users
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Create a new migration project. Give it a clear name that includes date and scope.
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Add migration tasks: each task typically represents a user or site to migrate. Bulk-import user lists via CSV if available.
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User mapping
- Map source users to destination users. For tenant-to-tenant moves, ensure UPN/email changes are correctly handled.
- Use automated mapping if the tool detects matching email addresses; otherwise upload a mapping CSV with source and target pairs.
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SharePoint/Shared Libraries
- If migrating shared libraries or group-connected OneDrives, include site-level tasks and map site owners appropriately.
Step 4 — Configure migration options
- Content filters
- Include/exclude by file type, size, path, or modified date. Useful to skip temporary or large files.
- Version history and permissions
- Choose whether to migrate version history (can increase migration time) and whether to preserve original permissions or map to new roles.
- Delta migration settings
- Enable incremental/delta migrations to capture changes after the initial full migration. Set schedules if the tool supports automated runs.
- Conflict handling
- Decide how to handle name conflicts (overwrite, keep both, or skip).
- Bandwidth and concurrency
- Set parallel threads per task and global concurrency limits to avoid API throttling.
Step 5 — Run a pilot migration
- Select a small set of pilot users/sites representing different data types and sizes.
- Execute the pilot as a full run (not just a scan). Monitor logs and performance metrics.
- Validate pilot results:
- Verify files, folder structure, version history, and permissions on destination.
- Confirm metadata like modified/created dates and owner information are correct.
- Test user access and sharing links where applicable.
- Adjust configuration based on findings (filters, concurrency, conflict rules).
Step 6 — Execute the full migration
- Schedule the migration window and notify users per the communication plan.
- Start migration in batches to control load (e.g., by department or alphabetical groups).
- Monitor progress
- Use the tool’s dashboard to track items migrated, errors, retries, and throughput.
- Keep an eye for throttling indicators (slower progress, API error codes) and adjust concurrency if needed.
- Handle errors and re-runs
- Review the error report, resolve authentication or permission issues, and re-run failed items.
- The tool’s retry mechanism often handles transient API errors automatically.
Step 7 — Run delta/incremental passes
- After the initial bulk migration, schedule one or more incremental passes to capture data changes made during the migration window.
- Final delta pass should be run close to cutover time to minimize data drift.
Step 8 — Cutover and post-migration validation
- Cutover steps
- Disable or change sync settings on source accounts if you want destination to be the master.
- Update login routing or DNS if the migration involves domain changes (coordinate with IT).
- Validation checklist
- Randomly sample migrated accounts and verify: file integrity, folder structure, permissions, version history, and accessibility.
- Confirm shared links and collaboration features work as expected.
- Ensure mobile and desktop OneDrive clients can connect and sync with destination accounts.
- Final reporting
- Generate final migration reports that include counts of items migrated, skipped items, errors, and compliance/audit logs.
Troubleshooting common issues
- Authentication failures: re-check app registration, permissions, and token expiry.
- Throttling and slow throughput: reduce concurrency, add pauses between batches, or schedule off-peak migrations.
- Missing metadata: verify that permissions required to read metadata were granted. Some metadata may not be transferable due to platform limits.
- Large files failing: increase timeout settings or migrate large files separately, possibly using chunked upload settings.
Best practices and tips
- Always run a pilot before full-scale migration.
- Keep users informed and schedule migrations during low-usage periods.
- Use mapping CSVs to ensure email/UPN changes map cleanly.
- Preserve a rollback plan: keep access to source accounts for a short period in case something needs to be recovered.
- Maintain logs and export reports for compliance and auditing.
Sample CSV mapping format (simple example)
source_upn,destination_upn [email protected],[email protected] [email protected],[email protected] Conclusion
Using the Sysinfo OneDrive Migration Tool effectively requires careful planning, pilot testing, and staged execution. By following the steps above — from authentication and user mapping to delta passes and cutover validation — you can migrate OneDrive accounts with minimal disruption and high fidelity of content, permissions, and metadata.
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