Many organizations are opting to migrate from Lotus Notes to Microsoft SharePoint — both online and on-premises — for faster, simpler access to data and applications. In today’s evolving market, businesses need to adopt agile and flexible technology platforms that will enable collaboration and workplace productivity.
In this second episode of Cherry Bekaert’s Digital Journeys podcast series, Trace Armstrong, Senior Manager in our Digital Advisory practice, reconvenes with Erin Robinson, Senior Architect in our Microsoft team, to emphasize the benefits of migrating from Lotus Notes to SharePoint, online and on-premises, as well as managing applications end-to-end.
Listen to this episode to:
- Perform simple operations within folders and files with the SharePoint user interface.
- Discover how innovative solutions can be applied with the use of third-party data migration tools, such as Swing (to easily transfer data) and Plumsail (to produce modern and responsive forms).
- Examine the purpose of how PowerShell (an advanced command line interface) scripting capabilities can automate and configure Microsoft’s platforms.
- Understand the benefits of SharePoint online and on-premises.
Stay tuned for part 3 of this series, where we will discuss how to maximize your return on investment (ROI) and best practices for those looking to deploy SharePoint.
If you have any questions specific to your situation, Cherry Bekaert’s Digital Advisory team is available to discuss your situation with you. Contact us today!
Related Insights
- Lotus Notes to Microsoft SharePoint Migration: Part 1
- How to Build an Enterprise Data Strategy Framework – Getting Started
HOST: JERRY:
Hello everyone and welcome to Digital Journeys. Today we continue our discussion with Trace Armstrong and Erin Robinson on the benefits of migrating from Lotus Notes to SharePoint Online or on-premise. With that, I turn it over to Trace.
TRACE ARMSTRONG:
Thanks, Jerry, for having me back again. This is part two of a discussion about migrating Lotus Notes applications and databases to SharePoint Online or on-premise. I'm here again with Erin Robinson. How are you doing?
ERIN ROBINSON:
I'm doing very well. Happy to be back, working with you and discussing SharePoint and Lotus Notes migration.
TRACE ARMSTRONG:
For those who have not listened to part one, I recommend pausing and listening to part one first. This probably won't make as much sense otherwise. Let's discuss some of the creativity involved in the solution we developed to migrate Lotus Notes applications and databases to SharePoint.
TRACE ARMSTRONG:
We tested several migration tools. Tell us about the one we selected and what it does.
ERIN ROBINSON:
There are several tools you would generally use in a migration to SharePoint, such as ShareGate. Because Lotus Notes uses an unstructured format, we needed a tool geared toward that. We selected a tool called Swing.
ERIN ROBINSON:
Swing connects to Lotus Notes databases, finds all available fields, and creates equivalent fields in the destination SharePoint environment. It replicates those fields and moves the data and associated documents. Swing allowed us to move the data and the documents linked to any particular record.
TRACE ARMSTRONG:
Now that we've migrated database information into a SharePoint list, we have records with files attached to individual list items, which on SharePoint is problematic. How do we extract these files and make a workable solution so end users coming from Lotus Notes have a modern SharePoint experience?
ERIN ROBINSON:
After using Swing, the data is in a SharePoint list and the documents are attachments to each row. Lists store data and allow attachments, while libraries are where documents live and have document management features. Because Swing placed documents as attachments in a list, those attachments lack features like co-authoring, versioning, and check-in/check-out, which are available only in libraries.
ERIN ROBINSON:
We needed to move documents from the list into a library while preserving the relationship to the original record. After the Swing migration, we used PowerShell scripts. One script iterates through the list, extracts documents attached to each record, and uploads them into a SharePoint library, placing documents into folders named with an identifier associated to the list record.
ERIN ROBINSON:
We then run another script to ensure the relationship between each folder and its corresponding record. That recreates the same field relationship we had in Lotus Notes. We used a form designer called PlumCell to build forms and pull in views that display the document folder on the same page. Combining Swing, PowerShell scripts, and the form designer allowed us to rebuild the Lotus Notes experience in SharePoint so users can work with a familiar interface without extensive training.
TRACE ARMSTRONG:
To summarize, we migrated the data into a list, wrote a PowerShell script to extract attachments and create folders named from each record's title field, uploaded the documents into those folders, and linked everything back to the records using workflows so users can view documents from the SharePoint list. For this instance, we migrated to SharePoint on-premise due to business policy. Many organizations will prefer SharePoint Online. What is the difference in look and feel for entering and creating new records, and what are the options for on-prem versus SharePoint Online?
ERIN ROBINSON:
SharePoint Online uses modern pages, which are more visually vibrant with larger icons and improved out-of-the-box forms. Those default forms often meet user needs without additional development. In the cloud you do not manage infrastructure; the platform is licensed and includes more built-in tools and features.
ERIN ROBINSON:
SharePoint Online also gives access to Microsoft 365 tools like Power Apps, which can replace third-party form designers used in on-prem environments. Search in SharePoint Online is more scalable, flexible, and contextual to where you are—for example, searching within a list or library or at the site level. Cost, available extension tools, and enhanced search are key benefits of moving to SharePoint Online.
TRACE ARMSTRONG:
Thank you, Erin, for that explanation. We'll be back in part three to finish our discussion and talk about ROI and recommendations for migrating Lotus Notes applications or databases to SharePoint Online. Thanks for listening.
HOST: JERRY:
Thanks again, Trace and Erin, for the discussion today. Feel free to like and share this podcast. Stay tuned for part three of this series.
