SharePoint 2010 – Moving Sites & Solutions

In the life span of a SharePoint Deployment, there encounter scenarios of moving site from one location to another.

Types of Moving

There are different types of moving involved.

1. Moving within Site Collection

2. Moving outside Site Collection

3. Moving outside Web Application

4. Moving outside Servers

In this article I would like to explore the shortest path available to achieve the scenario.

1. Moving within Site Collection

Here you are moving one site to another site, within the same site collection. Please note that the content database is same in this case.

This movement could be faster as there is only URL changed required in the background.

You can use the following solution: Content and Structure

Open Site Settings > Content and Structure > Select the Site > Use Copy / Move action

You will be prompted with the destination site.

2. Moving outside Site Collection

Here you are moving site from one site collection to another site collection. Here the content database involved will be multiple & requires some real efforts.

The common solution for this scenario is: Export & Import.  After importing we Delete the source site to complete Move Operation.

We can export the source site:

Export-SPWeb -Identity http://server/site -Path c:\export\site.cmp –IncludeUserSecurity –IncludeVersions All

Then we can import the file at destination site:

Import-SPWeb -identity http://server/destsite -path c:\export\site.cmp –IncludeUserSecurity -ActivateSolutions

Before import, you need to create the destination site with same template of source.

Please note that there are 2 types of Export commands:

1. Export-SPWeb for exporting site

2. Export-SPSite for exporting site collection

Similarly, Import commands are:

1. Import-SPWeb for importing site

2. Import -SPSite for importing site collection

3. Moving outside Web Application

In this case we can use Step 2 and copying the exported file to destination web application accessible path.

4. Moving outside Servers

In this case we can use Step 2 and copying the exported file to destination server accessible path.

Things to remember before Site Copy/Move

Following is the todo list before site copy/move:

1. Enumerate number of sites & sub sites

2. Backup permissions of each site using Squadron

3. Backup home page of each site

4. Backup links of Navigation, Quick Launch

Things to remember after Move

Following are the check list items after a site collection move:

· Ensure home page is working properly

· Ensure lists, libraries are copied

· Ensure file versions

· Ensure sub sites home page are working properly

· Ensure permissions especially in top-level site

· Ensure Site Collection Features are activated (eg: SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure)

· Ensure Site Features are activated (eg: SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure)

· Fix page layout problems

In case of exceptions, you can view the 14 hive ULS logs

As the Move operation is Copy & Delete, it is recommended that the Delete is done only after:

1. Ensuring destination site creation

2. Backing up source site files

There are sophisticated tools available in the market to facilitate copy/move/migration operations. Purchasing them would be a good idea if it saves time, cost & energy.

References

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee428301(v=office.14).aspx

Summary

In this article we have explore the Moving Site scenario & preferred solutions