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Migration using Insane mode with Microsoft 365 and on-premises

Updated

When performing migrations, there are some Insane mode limitations to be aware of.

Index

Insane mode for on-premises 

These limitations apply to content only. Anything related to item structure will use Normal mode.

Here is the list of limitations when migrating using Insane mode on-premises: 

  • Item IDs won't be preserved.
  • Copying ASPX pages will use Normal mode instead.
  • Copying Discussion Board will use Normal mode instead.
  • The Server Extension 1.8.3 or higher is required at the destination.
    Tip: Having the Server Extension installed at the source will also speed up the migration.

Insane mode for Microsoft 365

Migrating items into a populated list or library

Migrating items into a list or library may cause an ID conflict when using Insane mode with Microsoft 365.

Solution

To avoid any ID conflicts, you should empty items from your destination list or library before running the migration.

You can do this by deleting all items in your destination list or library (you can create a backup if necessary by importing the items into a file or folder). 

Incremental update

When using the incremental update with Insane mode on Microsoft 365, all versions of an item at the destination will be replaced by the version from the source if:

  • The source item has a more recent "last modified" date than the item at the destination.

This is caused by a limitation in the Azure Import API.

Actions only supported by Normal mode with Microsoft 365

The following actions are not supported by Insane mode with Microsoft 365:

  • Copying ASPX pages from SharePoint 2003 and SharePoint 2007.
  • Modern site page templates.
  • Copying Calendar's special occurrences (i.e. any calendar event created from the modification or deletion of a recurring event).
  • Copying list items that are declared as records.
  • Copying User Alerts on list items.

These actions are only supported by Normal mode due to technical limitations of the Azure Migration API or the ShareGate Migrate Server Extension.

If you prefer using Insane mode for your migration, you do not have to worry about the above exclusions. ShareGate Migrate will detect these when running a migration in Insane mode, and seamlessly and automatically switch to Normal mode. If you have met the requirements for using Insane mode, it should have minimal impact on your migration as a whole.

Considerations

  • There are specific limitations when migrating ASPX pages to Microsoft 365 using Insane mode, including web parts and modern site page templates. For complete details, see Migration of ASPX pages with Insane mode to Microsoft 365.
  • Preserving List Item IDs and Orphaned users is not supported in Normal mode.
  • Azure Migration API is not supported in China.
  • As of November 2021, ShareGate is no longer able to provide full support for SharePoint Server 2003 and 2007, which are past the end of their Microsoft support lifetime. For more information, see Contacting our technical support team.

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