How to Plan SharePoint 2019 Migration?

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With the release of SharePoint Server 2019, a lot of things have been changing in the industry. As the new features and benefits of SharePoint 2019 have been revealed, many organizations are more excited to plan to new SharePoint environment. Some of the new features of SharePoint 2019 are:

• A responsive experience for web pages, lists, and library content.
• Support for OneDrive.exe – the next generation sync client
• Modern intranet portals and communication site
• Support for large files, longer URLs, and reduced character restrictions.

However, it’s important not to rush the process; conducting thorough SharePoint migration planning is essential prior to transitioning from your current SharePoint platform to SharePoint 2019. Therefore, here are several factors that every business should take into account before making the move to SharePoint 2019.

• Need to Move to SharePoint 2019 – Before making the decision to migrate your SharePoint platform to SharePoint 2019, it’s crucial to assess your motivations. Some business proprietors may question the financial wisdom of investing in an upgrade. However, it’s worth noting that SharePoint 2019 boasts a host of advanced features in the realms of security and collaboration, surpassing its predecessors. These features hold immense potential for any business seeking to enhance their operations, making a transition to SharePoint 2019 a highly beneficial choice.
• Training your Employees – Being a business proprietor necessitates an understanding of Microsoft’s penchant for altering the user interface of its products during each update cycle. For instance, when Microsoft introduced the ribbon feature, it caught many users off guard. Similarly, SharePoint 2019 boasts a fresh array of features and a revamped interface. Consequently, it is imperative to provide your employees with training if you plan to transition to SharePoint 2019, as it will facilitate their seamless utilization of the platform.
• Delete the Unnecessary Data – Transferring extraneous data from an old SharePoint server can introduce complexity into the migration process. Even if this doesn’t lead to issues, upgrading the irrelevant data can be a time-consuming endeavor. Therefore, if you are considering an upgrade, it is advisable to eliminate any abandoned site collections, webs, or web applications that serve no purpose. Although there might not be substantial advantages in removing superfluous data, doing so will result in significant time savings and contribute to a smoother and more streamlined migration process.

Steps to Upgrade Your SharePoint to SharePoint 2019

The process of upgrading SharePoint 2019 is consistent with past versions, requiring a step-by-step approach rather than a direct transition from SharePoint 2013. Initially, you must upgrade from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint 2016 and subsequently proceed to the SharePoint 2019 upgrade. Attempting an upgrade from a prior version will result in a database lock, preventing the upgrade process from commencing.

If you want to upgrade from SharePoint 2013, make sure you convert the web applications that are in windows authentication to claims authentication.

After converting the web applications, upgrade all the site collections from 14 mode to 15 mode with Upgrade-SPSite cmdlet. Database with 14 version will not be upgraded to SharePoint Server 2016. After upgrading the content to SharePoint 2016, create a backup of data and move to SharePoint 2016.

You need to establish a fresh temporary SharePoint 2016 farm with service applications, utilizing the current database names stored in SQL 2016. After setting up the new farm, initiate a new web application with a temporary database and associate the temporary databases with the web application.

Now, start the upgrade process to SharePoint Server 2016 by using Mount-SPContentDatabase cmdlet on the restored content database from SQL2016.

The procedure for transitioning from SharePoint 2016 to SharePoint 2019 closely mirrors the process of migrating from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint 2016. However, it entails two distinctive tasks: converting web applications into claims authentication and elevating database modes to level 15.

Generate a backup of all content and service applications housed within the transient SharePoint 2016 server farm, utilizing SQL 2016. Subsequently, restore these databases onto the SQL Server of a fresh SharePoint Server 2019 farm, equipped with SQL 2019.

First, initiate the establishment of a fresh SharePoint Server 2019 farm, incorporating service applications. Subsequently, construct a novel web application, complete with a provisional database. Proceed to deploy any trusted solutions, including InfoPath forms, and subsequently detach the temporary content database.

Evidently, transitioning from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint 2019 poses significant technical challenges, demanding a proficiency in the field. The utilization of manual techniques further compounds the complexity, potentially resulting in the inadvertent loss of vital data should the migration be mishandled. Notably, numerous enterprises rely on SharePoint as an integral component of their daily operations, mandating a prudent approach when contemplating modifications to their SharePoint ecosystem.

If you are in the process of transitioning from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2019, the migration can be quite intricate. The migration path necessitates sequential upgrades from SharePoint 2010 to 2013, followed by an upgrade to 2016, and finally reaching SharePoint 2019. Given the complexity of this transition, it is advisable to seek assistance from a SharePoint consulting firm or consider utilizing a third-party tool such as Kernel SharePoint Migrator. This software is specifically designed to facilitate the direct transfer of data from one SharePoint Server to another. With the aid of this software, you can seamlessly migrate all your content through a straightforward migration procedure.

Conclusion

Migrating data, particularly when dealing with a substantial volume, presents significant challenges. Nevertheless, if your objective is to transition to SharePoint 2019, we highly advise leveraging Kernel Migrator for SharePoint. This powerful SharePoint migration tool is equipped with impressive capabilities, facilitating seamless migration from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint 2019.