Migrate Exchange Public Folder to SharePoint – How to do?

More and more organizations are moving towards SharePoint today because of its centralized management. Moving from the public folders of Exchange to SharePoint can be difficult, but learning about the proper approaches streamlines the process.

Before delving into the intricacies of SharePoint's public folder functionality, it is essential to have a solid understanding of public folders, SharePoint as a platform, and the significance of utilizing a SharePoint migration tool, such as the Kernel Migrator for SharePoint. Learning about these components not only alleviates any apprehensions you may have regarding SharePoint migration but also provides a robust solution for migrating public folders efficiently.

SharePoint for document management

Business organizations generate huge amounts of content including documents (online as well as offline), reports, and even communication records. It is crucial to handle all this data precisely, which needs a lot of time and resources. SharePoint stands as a reliable platform for organizations of all sizes providing easy content and employee management with minimum efforts applied.

SharePoint is available as a browser-based platform that significantly enhances overall productivity. It also allows businesses to keep control of the user’s access to a particular site, list, or library.

Here are the prominent features of SharePoint as a collaboration platform:

• Secure document sharing with the team members.
• Enhanced connectivity with each member of the organization.
• Allows creating a comprehensive workflow for a process from beginning to end.
• Access to other MS Office Suite components.
• You can create and publish an external website.

When should I migrate Exchange Public Folders to SharePoint?

SharePoint proves invaluable for large organizations due to its robust features, including advanced search capabilities, efficient workflow management, and seamless document handling. When aiming to enhance collaboration within your organization, transitioning to SharePoint becomes a straightforward and highly effective choice.

How to move Exchange Public Folders to SharePoint?

Exchange Public folders serve as repositories for various data types, including messages, calendar entries, contacts, tasks, and notes. Migrating this multifaceted data is no straightforward task through manual means alone. Nevertheless, there exists a comprehensive procedure that facilitate the migration. Let's delve into this process step by step:

Step – 1: Create a new PST file in Outlook.

In the Outlook application configured with an Exchange account, create a new PST file. To create a new PST file, follow New Items>>More Items>>Outlook Data File.

Step – 2: Move public folders data to the PST file

Once you've created a new PST file, the next step is to perform a manual data export from the Exchange public folder to the PST file. During this process, carefully select the items you intend to migrate to, leaving out any unnecessary data. One key advantage of copying data from public folders is that it serves as a valuable safety net. In the event of data loss during the migration due to technical errors, you can easily retrieve the lost information from the Exchange public folder. This Exchange public folder to PST conversion ensures data security and accessibility throughout the transition.

Follow these steps to move the public folder data to the PST file.

• After the new PST file is created, you can manually export data from your Exchange public folder into it. Access Outlook and tap on the File menu. Click on Open & Export.
• From the upcoming options, select the option Import/Export.
• From the two options – Comma Separated Values and Outlook Data File (.pst). Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click on Next.
• Browse for the Public folder and choose the replace duplicate option to handle the duplicate items. Tap on Finish.

You are ready to migrate your data over to SharePoint now that you have a PST file on your computer.

Step – 3: Migrate the PST file to SharePoint

After generating the PST file, with contents from the public folder, it's time to seamlessly migrate this data to your SharePoint account. Begin by launching SharePoint through your web browser and navigating to the specific document library where you wish to deposit the files. Upon accessing the document library, proceed to transform the library's URL into the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) format.

Once the URL has been converted to the UNC format, you can seamlessly map the drive to SharePoint. This is easily accomplished by utilizing the drag-and-drop function from your PST files to the SharePoint library. Following the successful migration of your data, a quick refresh of the document library will reveal your data now conveniently accessible within the list.

Automated method

The manual process mentioned above may work well for handling small datasets. However, when dealing with substantial volumes of data, it can become inefficient and resource intensive. To avoid unnecessary time and effort when migrating public folders to SharePoint, it's advisable to utilize a top-notch SharePoint migration tool. The tool will efficiently transfer all your documents and folders, meticulously organizing them within your designated folders in SharePoint, ensuring a smooth migration process without any hassle.

Here is the functional process of Kernel Migration for SharePoint to migrate Exchange public folder to SharePoint:

1. Run the software, click the option "Public Folder" menu, and select "Public Folder to SharePoint."
2. The Public Folder to SharePoint wizard opens up. Click Add Folder(s).
3. Select the option "Live Exchange" and click Next.
4. Select the Server Name and then the mailbox name from the list.
5. Select the option "Public Folder” and click “Select."
6. After selecting the public folders, click Next.
7. Click the Browse button to browse the selected SharePoint Site and select a destination list, library, or folder.
8. Expand the List and Libraries to find the desired location.
9. Select the desired folder and click OK.
10. Click Next.
11. The migrator will first try to map the attributes of the content automatically. It will leave the fields blank if the relevant attribute is not available on the mail. You've to map such blank attributes. You can also modify the already selected attributes. To do this, select the attribute and click Edit.
12. Set the value of an attribute with the desired column. Then Click OK.
13. After verifying the attribute, the tool will bring it back to the previous content migration wizard, which will display the modified attributes. Click Next.
14. Select the desired Copy Option and filters (among Date, File, and User).
15. The next window will let you migrate SharePoint permissions easily and user groups. Click Next after checking the required option. There are multiple permissions in the SharePoint environment and you can migrate each of it.
16. To remap, add the source username and the destination username.
17. The source and destination user named are listed. Click Next.
18. Click the "Execute Immediate" option to start the migration instantly.
    NOTE: Use the "Schedule" option to execute the migration at a time that suits your convenience. If you prefer to migrate public folders to SharePoint when you are not actively using public folders, utilize this scheduling feature.
19. A basic summary of the migration will be displayed to you. Click Next.
20. The migration starts.
21. After a successful migration, the tool will present a migration report with complete information and status of each item.

Conclusion

Manual migration of the Exchange public folder to SharePoint can be challenging, but Kernel Migration for SharePoint executes the process efficiently. We recommend you take a quick trial of this tool and see how it migrates public folders to SharePoint while maintaining the safety and integrity of your data. Moreover, you can also use the tool to migrate SharePoint and File System data to the SharePoint.