Configuration Migration Tool (for v8.x Portals)

The Configuration Migration Tool allows you to move configuration data between CRM organization. This can be employed to copy an existing Portals Website to a new CRM organization.

Please note that the destination CRM organization must have the same customizations as the source CRM organization. This process will migrate record data only and does not migrate any schema changes or other CRM customizations.

The Configuration Migration Tool is provided with the CRM SDK (SDK\Tools\ConfigurationMigration folder). This tool does not need to be installed. Run the tool by executing the DataMigrationUtility.exe file in this folder. Download the CRM SDK

For anyone interested in how this tool works (not Portal Specific), additional information can be found in this TechNet article.

Supportability

At this time, there is no officially supported method of copying Portal data. However, the Configuration Migration Tool can typically be used to accomplish this behavior, if needed. The legacy Website Copy Tool is not supported for v8.x Portals. If this behavior is desired for v7.x Portals, you can use the Website Copy Tool

Schema to Export Portals Configuration Data

These steps will create a Schema that can be used to export your Portals configuration data out of CRM. A full write-up of how to create a general Schema can be found in this TechNet article. However, it is not Portals specific. Below is a modified version of these steps that includes information related to copying Portals configuration data.

Note: Please remember that this is not officially supported by Microsoft. You will need to create a Schema that is specific to your Portal Type and any necessary customizations that have been made to your environment. Below is an example of creating a Schema for a very lightly customized 'Customer Self-Service' Portal. You will need to adjust these steps based on your specific scenario. Some trial and error may be necessary.

Prerequisite (optional):

To make this process easier, we want to have a single Solution containing any Components we wish to migrate. Note: We will not be exporting this Solution. This is just an easier way to narrow down the needed components

• Create a new Solution in CRM
  • Settings > Customizations > Solutions > New
  • Give this a Display Name you will remember (e.g. "TEMP SCHEMA EXPORT")
  • Publisher and Version values do not matter here, so select any value you wish
  • Save
• Note: When adding Entities, you do not NEED to include all Portals Entities
  
  • We just want to add Entities containing data that we want to migrate
  • For example, if you do not want to copy over Entity Lists, you do not need to add these
  • However, keep in mind any references that may exist (e.g. A Web Page record may contain a reference to an Entity List)
• Add existing Portal Entities
  • Entities > Add Existing
  • Arrange by Name, alphabetically
  • Select all desired Entities that use the prefix "adx_"
    • Select individually or hold Shift+Down
• Add existing non-Portal Entities
  • You may (depending on your situation) also want to include a few non-Portal Entities
  • In my example, I added Contacts (to migrate user access, etc), Knowledge Articles and Categories (for my KB Articles that are published through the Portal)
  • There may be other Entities you want to consider as well, but these will depend on your specific scenario, so think carefully about what data your Portal customizations rely on
• When you are finished selecting Entities, select Ok > Check Add All Assets > Next
  • Repeat (Add All Assets > Next) for all selected Entities
• Select No, do not include required components > Ok
• Save > Close

Create the Schema:

• Start the Configuration Migration tool
• On the main screen, choose Create schema, and click Continue
• On the Login screen, provide authentication details to connect to your Dynamics 365 instance from where you want to export data
• From the Select the solution dropdown, select the previously created Solution containing our Portals Entities
  • In this case, our example was "TEMP SCHEMA EXPORT"
• Select the Add All button
  • Note: If you are not using a Solution that contains only the desired Entities, you should not select Add All
  • You will need to manually select which entities you want to include
• Select Tools > Configure Import Settings
  • Check Disable plug-ins on all entities for import
    • This will prevent plug-ins from running during this import
    • They will be automatically reactivated after the import is finished
  • Select Save
• Select File > Save Schema
  • Choose a location to save this Schema
• The resulting file is our desired Schema

Export Configuration Data

These steps will export the Portals configuration data out of CRM. The resulting file can later be imported, using the same tool. A full list of steps can be found in this TechNet article. For easy access, I have copied a simplified version of these steps below.

• Start the Configuration Migration tool
• On the main screen, click Export data, and click Continue
• On the Login screen, provide authentication details to connect to the Dynamics 365 instance you want to export data from. Click Login
• On the next screen, select the schema file to be used for the data export
• Specify the name and location of the data file to be exported. Click Export Data
• The next screen displays the export progress and the location of the exported file
• When the export is done, click Exit to close the tool

Import Configuration Data

These steps will import the Portals configuration data into CRM. A full list of steps can be found in this TechNet article. For easy access, I have copied a simplified version of these steps below.

• Start the Configuration Migration tool
• On the main screen, click Import data, and click Continue
• On the Login screen, provide authentication details to connect to the Dynamics 365 instance you want to import data to. Click Login
• Provide the data file (.zip) to be imported. Click Import Data
• The next screen displays the import status of your records
• When import is done, click Finish to close the tool

Troubleshooting Configuration Migration Tool Errors

If any errors are received, or if you need to review the data migration details for any other reason, we do have logs available. Log location and file descriptions can be found in this TechNet article.