Notes Database Archive Factory
Demo movie Lotus Notes archive to SharePoint
Introduction
Our high speed, highly automated Notes Database Archive Factory scans your Notes estate and automatically archives in bulk your Notes Databases to SharePoint Online, BOX or Google. In this article we focus on archiving Notes Databases to SharePoint Online, but the principle for the other platforms is similar.
We come across many Notes users that are looking for a way to deconstruct their Lotus Notes estate often built up across multiple decades. This can be very daunting. Obviously, getting proper insight in what data is still actively in use, only referenced or simply not in use any more is crucial to understand the migration impact. Also it is a pivotal element in taking the best decommissioning approach. We offer our NDDM software to help you scan and analyse your Notes estate.
Typically, the lions part of a Notes environment, especially when it is old and not well maintained, can be simply deleted. The second biggest chunk is typically those databases that users still access for historical data (fiscal, financial reasons) but in which they add no new data. For this group we offer a Notes archive factory that consists of two of our existing software tools both running on Domino Servers:
– NDDM; our Notes scan and analysis software, and
– Pipeliner; our Notes archiving software
Set-Up
The starting point for the IBM/HCL/Lotus Notes database archiving is that you complete the scan and analysis of your Notes estate first. Once completed the NDDM Notes Database Archive Factory dashboard gives you a complete overview of the Notes databases NDDM finds during the scan and analysis, classified by proposed target (‘delete’, ‘archive’ or ‘migrate’). If you wish to verify the target with the end users you can use the out-of-the-box NDDM survey function. It helps you reaching out to the top 5 users of a particular database to get their feedback.
If you have your list of IBM Notes archive databases ready, simply select them and set, with one mouse click, the SharePoint Site Collection. In below example we choose: ‘Lialis.SharePoint.Com’.
The next step Lotus Notes archive to SharePoint is to set the destination SharePoint Sites for the Notes databases. Simple select the Notes databases in NDDM and click the ‘set SP permissions’ button. Applying these settings takes a few mouse clicks.
To prevent Microsoft throttling the software offers a function to ‘auto assign’ the SharePoint Migration Credentials.
Archive Notes Databases to SharePoint
After the set-up you can send from within NDDM all databases that you wish to archive to our Pipeliner Archiving Software for read-only archival to SharePoint Online.
In this sample the Archive Factory is running on 3 Domino Servers on 3 Windows Boxes to archive Notes databases.
The software allows you to set up Multiple Domino Servers to archive Notes databases in parallel. Firstly, the software archives the database to Disc. In this sample you notice that we archive 3 Notes databases to disc at the same time. You can increase the number depending on the size of your Domino estate.
When the IBM Notes archive export to disc is ready, the export files will be automatically uploaded to the indicated SharePoint Online destination by the Pipeliner Software. Pipeliner automatically creates the SharePoint Site you set-up in NDDM, applies the Admin Groups, and finally, uploads the Notes databases to the newly created SharePoint Site.
NDDM allows you to manage the Notes Archive process from one single console. This way you can keep track of the archive progress.
In the columns ‘Disc %’ and ‘PS%’, NDDM tracks the status of the archiving to Disc and to SharePoint. This is very convenient to estimate the duration and to check if there are any database upload errors. In that case NDDM reports and fixes them and Pipeliner will automatically redo the upload.
Obviously, the duration of the archive process depends on the number and size of the Notes databases. It took around 10 minutes to set-up and initiate the archival of 30 databases to SharePoint Online. So likely, the servers will need a few days to get all the archive work done for this number.
SharePoint Output
If you look at the archive output on SharePoint Online you see the 30 created SharePoint Sites. This is the way we configured it in NDDM. Surely, you are free to make other choices.
When we open a SharePoint Document Library you see that all the Notes Views are automatically recreated as SharePoint Pages. These Pages link to the corresponding Notes documents all stored in HTML Pages on SharePoint. We support all Attachments and Document Links.
The strength of the Pipeliner Software is that it automatically archives any Notes database irrespective of the design. For example, if we take a Notes Teamroom it typically has topics, response documents and attachments. In the screenshot below you see that all the Notes Views as SharePoint Pages. In the Views the main topics and the response documents are visible on top of the SharePoint Page so nothing gets lost.
When we click on the links it will bring us to the underlying Notes Document.
On top of the Page you also see the Attachments. When you click these you open them default in the Office Online version so you don’t have to download them.
Closing Words
This article describes how you can quickly archive Notes databases in bulk to SharePoint Online in an automated manner using the Lialis Notes Archive Factory. The solution is not only blistering fast, but it also allows you to closely monitor the process to reduce errors. This way you make sure no data gets lost. The end user will get a newly created SharePoint Online application that mirrors 100% the original Notes application so they recognize, and can quickly find, the data they are looking for. In addition, they can also use the enhanced SharePoint Online search functions.
If you want to learn more on how our Notes Database Archive Factory can help you archive your Notes Databases to SharePoint, BOX or Google, please visit the ‘Contact Us’ section on our website. You can also directly ‘Schedule an Appointment‘ with one of our consultants.
Thanks for your interest and we look forward speaking to you soon!