On-prem to On-line (OP2OL) Migration - Part 2

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Simplify Your Migration Process with the Dynamics LCS Portal

Introduction

Migrating to Dynamics online platform may at first appear to be a complex task, however, with the right tools and strategies in place, the process can be streamlined and efficient. The Dynamics LCS (Lifecycle Services) Portal serves as the fundamental tool for our On-Premises to Online migration service. Designed to support Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementations, the Dynamics LCS Portal offers a range of features and functionalities that can simplify and accelerate your migration efforts. In this blog post, we will explore how to effectively use the Dynamics LCS migration projects and ensure a successful transition to your new Dynamics 365 online environment.
Before diving into the details of this post, it is highly recommended to read the first OP2OL blog post, which provides an overview of the migration process and covers essential prerequisites related to the database. These prerequisites are crucial to ensure a smooth and successful migration.

Unlock migration features

To initiate your migration process with the Dynamics LCS Portal, it is necessary to create a migration project. Allow listing your tenant is a crucial first step in the process, as it grants you the necessary permissions to create a project in the Dynamics LCS, without completing this step, you will be unable to initiate a migration project within the portal. To allow list your tenant, you must ensure that your tenant admin or global admin logs in to the Dynamics LCS portal and contacts your Microsoft migration team coordinator to enable the migration feature for your specific tenant.

Setting Up Your Migration Project

To start your migration process using the Dynamics LCS Portal, follow the steps below:

Create a New LCS Project: Begin by clicking on the "+" sign displayed in the portal interface. This will prompt a menu where you should select the "Migrate, Create Solution, and Learn" option.

Project Details: In the subsequent screen, enter the necessary project details relevant to your project. Ensure that you select the "Kepler" methodology.

Importing Roles and Users: Take advantage of the beneficial last option on the screen. You have the option to import roles and users from an existing project, if you have already conducted a dry run and added individuals to the project. Your Microsoft migration team coordinator will guide you in adding specific individuals to the group as project owners, providing assistance throughout the migration project.
Creating the Project: Click on the "Create" button to create the project.

By following these steps, you will successfully create a migration project within the Dynamics LCS Portal, paving the way for execution of the migration process.

Adding Users

After creating the project in the Dynamics LCS Portal, scroll horizontally to the right side of the screen. Look for the option labeled "Project users" and click on it. This action will allow you to manage and assign users to the project, granting them the necessary access and permissions to collaborate effectively on the migration process.

After accessing the "Project users" section, click on the "+" sign to begin adding users to the project. It is important to note that if you have received specific User Principal Names (UPNs) from the Microsoft team, you should enter those UPNs when adding users. However, if you are adding users from your own team, please input their respective UPNs in email field.
Once you have entered the UPNs of the intended users, click on the "Invite" button available on the screen. This action will send invitation notifications to the added users, allowing them to join the project and participate in the migration process.

LCS Migration Project Overview

After successfully creating the project, you will be presented with the following screen, which displays the three phases of the migration project. Let's explore each phase in detail:

Phase 1: In this phase, the primary focus is on collecting essential information about your project. You will provide details about your target organization. Additionally, you will supply migration-specific information, including the existing database version and all relevant details. As part of this phase, you will also upload the database to Azure storage, ensuring it is readily accessible for the subsequent migration process.
Phase 2: The second phase involves the tooling executing updates to your database to the version required for migration to the online service. This phase is particularly relevant for indirect migrations, which require upgrading the database to the most recent software version before pushing it to Dynamics Online. This step ensures compatibility and prepares the database for a successful migration.
Phase 3: The third and final phase encompasses the actual migration process. During this phase, the updated database is migrated to the online environment. User mapping, a critical step, is performed to ensure that user accounts and access privileges are appropriately transferred to the new Dynamics 365 environment. This phase is crucial for executing the migration effectively and ensuring a seamless transition to the new system.
We will cover more detail about each phase below.

Project Phase 1

Phase 1 consists of four steps, each serving a specific purpose. Let's explore each step in detail:

Prerequisites: This step emphasizes the importance of reviewing the whitepaper published by our team before initiating the migration process. It is crucial to ensure that your database goes through necessary cleanup and meets the prerequisites outlined in the whitepaper. Refer to the first blog post of this series for more detailed information on this step.

Enter CRM Organization Details: In this step, you are required to provide your current organization details. It is recommended that the service admin or global admins fill in this information to ensure accuracy. The fields are self-explanatory, but some key points to note are:
- Tenant ID: Enter the correct tenant ID where your target instance resides.
- Version: Provide the current version of the source instance.
- SQL Version: Select the appropriate SQL version from the dropdown menu.
- CRM Geo: By providing the "sandbox organization name" and clicking on the "Check Sandbox organization name" button, the correct Geo and CRM region fields will be automatically populated.
- Database Size: Enter the size of the database in the provided field.

Please note that providing data in these fields will not trigger the migration automatically. It is advisable to contact with your Microsoft migration team coordinator to ensure that all information is correctly filled in before proceeding to the next steps.

Access Migration Storage: In this step, as a result of providing and saving information in 1.2, Dynamics LCS portal will create a dedicated storage account for your project. You can utilize this storage account to upload your database backup file (bak file). To connect to the Azure storage account, copy the key by clicking on the copy icon and use Azure Storage Explorer to establish a connection. The whitepaper provides detailed guidance on connecting to the storage account and uploading the database backup.

Upload and Select CRM On-Premise SQL Database Backup File: In this final step, you are required to select the appropriate bak file from the storage account. If you have uploaded multiple files, ensure to choose the correct backup file that will be used for the migration process.

Please ensure to mark all steps completed by clicking the checkbox once they are completed.

LCS Phase 2

Let's delve into the steps within Phase 2 to gain a better understanding of the options available. Please note that while these steps are more related to Microsoft migration team coordinator, with less involvement required by the customer team, but having a comprehensive understanding of the process is helpful to all participants.

Prepare CRM Upgrade Environments: In this step, the tooling will deploy virtual machines (VMs) in Azure to upgrade your environment to the latest software version. The focus here is on VM deployment and related services. It is essential to coordinate activities during Phase 1 to ensure a smooth transition into Phase 2. Microsoft may initiate this step a day prior to the migration process to save time.

Configure Network Security Group (RDP lockdown) This step is conducted internally by the Microsoft team to gain or block access to VMs depending on agreed to configurations with the customer in advance of initiating the migration.

Import Onpremise Org to Starting Stage: This step involves importing the database backup file uploaded during Phase 1 to the staging environment. It is crucial to address the prerequisites correctly to avoid potential migration failures at this stage. Once this step is completed, you can click on the "Setup Staging Environment" option, to view the breakdown of the tasks performed by Dynamics LCS (Lifecycle Services) for more detailed information. Additionally, the "Details" link provides a further breakdown of all the tasks executed by Dynamics LCS. Validators may be employed during this step to ensure that your database file complies with the online environment.

Map and validate AD Users file: Once the previous step is completed, you will need to log back into your storage explorer and download the newly generated ADUsers.csv file. Dynamics LCS portal creates this file by scanning the database and generating a list of all users. Your task is to fill in the last column of this file with the target User Principal Names (UPNs) from Azure AD. It is important to ensure that the target UPNs exist in Azure AD, are assigned a requisite license if still active, and that at least one user is assigned an Admin role. After updating the file, you must upload it back to the storage, overwriting the existing file. Clicking on the "Validate AD Users file" link will then validate your updated file.

Note:

Validation may fail if the file contains empty rows towards the end of the file. In such cases, open the file in a text editor and remove those empty lines.
Ensure that there are no duplicate UPNs listed in the last column, as it can lead to migration failure.

Once you complete this step, inform your Microsoft migration team coordinator to proceed to the next steps.

Upgrade CRM Organization to latest CRM On-premise version: In this step, a Microsoft migration team coordinator will initiate, via the portal, the upgrade of your staging organization to the latest software version. This includes updates to the database and application. It is important to note that these updates are performed locally on the staging environment hosted within the VMs. This ensures that the database is on the latest available on-premise version . By clicking on the "CRM migration Tracker" link, you can view the details of each step involved in this upgrade process.

Once each step is completed, the Microsoft migration team coordinator will mark it as completed and proceed to Phase 3 of the migration process.

Dynamics LCS Phase 3

Let's explore steps within Phase 3 of the migration process:

Migrate CRM Organization to Dynamics 365: In this phase, your updated organization from the staging environment will be migrated to Dynamics 365 Online. This process is initiated by the Microsoft migration team coordinator. It is important to note that you should have already uploaded the ADUsers file before starting this phase.

During this process, you can track the steps performed by the Dynamics LCS tool to complete the migration.

User Mapping: Once the migration of the CRM organization is completed, the user mapping step will be automatically triggered. It utilizes the mapping file that was uploaded earlier to perform the mapping and grant access to users. By clicking on the "Update user mapping" link, you can check the status of the user mapping file. If you need to make updates such as adding additional users or removing certain users, you can share the updated file with your Microsoft migration team coordinator. They will upload the file and perform the user mapping process again.

[IMPORTANT] Complete Online Migration: This final step is executed by the Microsoft migration team coordinator to finalize the migration process. It focuses on performing cleanup tasks and setting up the necessary flags to make your organization available online. This step ensures that your migrated organization is ready for use in the Dynamics 365 Online environment.

By following these steps in Phase 3, your organization undergoes a smooth transition from the staging environment to Dynamics 365 Online, ensuring that user mapping is accurately performed, and all necessary configurations are in place for a successful migration.

Post-Migration Activities

Once the migration process is complete, it's essential to perform post-migration activities.

Test your new system: After the migration process is completed, it is crucial to thoroughly test your new system. Log in and test each use case to ensure that all functionalities are working as expected. This is an opportunity to identify any issues or customization incompatibilities. It is recommended to turn off any unwanted features or configurations that are no longer required. If any issues are encountered, address them by creating appropriate solutions.

Deploy updated customization: If you have made any customizations or modifications during the testing from a previous dry run, it is important to deploy those updated customizations to your newly migrated system.
Utilize an issue tracking system such as Azure Boards to log and address any post-migration issues or bugs. Submit service requests, collaborate with support personnel, and track the progress of issue resolution.
Training and Documentation: Leverage the knowledge base and documentation resources to provide training and guidance to your users. Create training materials, document configurations, and share best practices to facilitate a smooth adoption of the new system.
Continuous Improvement: Collect feedback from users and stakeholders post-migration and channel that feedback into your backlog for continuous improvement of the system.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Planning and Execution: Planning is essential for a successful migration project. It helps identify goals, assess current systems, and define a clear strategy. Planning reduces risks, minimizes disruptions, and ensures efficient resource allocation. It enables proper sequencing of activities, sets realistic timelines, and promotes collaboration.
Testing and validation are vital in migration projects, ensuring a smooth transition and successful outcomes. Testing verifies system functionality, performance, and compatibility, while validation ensures objectives and requirements are met. Thorough testing identifies and resolves issues before go-live, minimizing disruptions. Validation confirms accurate migration and system functionality. Both processes instill confidence, reduce post-migration issues, and promote user satisfaction. User acceptance testing allows stakeholders to provide feedback and ensure system alignment. Testing and validation minimize risks, optimize performance, and drive successful migrations.
In the next blog post, we will delve into the technical issues and common mistakes that frequently arise during migration projects. Specifically, we will focus on common challenges during database preparation and provide actionable solutions and best practices to address them. By learning from these examples, you'll be better equipped to navigate your migration project smoothly and achieve a seamless transition. Stay tuned for valuable insights and practical guidance that will help you overcome technical hurdles in your migration journey.