AttachmentExtractor helps customers avoid high storage costs by transferring email-related elements to more cost-effective systems. When migrating from on-prem to online, users often ask if data should be extracted out of the system before migration to online, or if everything should be migrated first and then AttachmentExtractor activated.
The best approach is to use AttachmentExtractor before migration, as this avoids high-capacity costs from the start and simplifies the migration process with the smaller database.
Outlined below are some best practices to consider when using AttachmentExtractor in migration projects.
1) Extract content from on Premise environment: Move files to your destination SharePoint or Azure Blob storage before the migration to Online.
Customers must first download and deploy AttachmentExtractor for the on-prem CRM environment.
- If you have MS CRM Version 2015 or 2016, use this download link for AttachmentExtractor.
- If you have Dynamics 365 Version 8.2.x, use this download link for AttachmentExtractor.
For installation information about AttachmentExtractor, please view AttachmentExtractor Installation Guide. For additional information about AttachmentExtractor, please view this User Guide.
Please note: A single service can extract either Email Content or Attachments/Notes. If you want to extract both, 2 separate services will need to be created in the AttachmentExtractor Service manager.
2) Stop service and disable AE-plugins: Once the on-prem extraction is completed, please go ahead and
- Stop the on-Premise AE service.
- Important: Disable the ptm.AE.storage.* plugins.
Note: You will no longer be able to access attachments once plugins are disabled in your on-prem environment.
Once done you can begin the data migration of the on-prem to the new online environment.
3) Configure a new AttachmentExtractor service for your Online environment: Once data is successfully migrated, you can go ahead and configure the AttachmentExtractor for the online environment:
- To learn how to configure the AttachmentExtractor online service, view this article.
- To learn how to set up an email content service, view this article.
Please note: Make sure to connect to the Azure Blob Container and/or SharePoint Configuration used for extracting files from the on-premise environment.
Important Notes (for the data migration itself):
- Record GUIDs must be retained when migrated to the new/online environment.
- If extracting files to SharePoint, the integration (I.E. Document Management) configuration must remain the same from on-prem to online.
That’s it! If you require further assistance or would like to share feedback, please reach out to us at support@mscrm-addons.com.