I have had the opportunity to use the Bamboo Bulk List importer for a large technology client recently. It is a good tool for the money but doesn’t have a number of features that make life easier. It works well for smaller migrations where full fidelity of the documents are not a concern you can’t beat the price. Bamboo Solutions WebParts have come a long way over the years and it’s good to see them grow and to keep refining their tools, WebParts and solutions. http://store.bamboosolutions.com/ps-36-5-list-bulk-import-release-16.aspx

Bulk importer

a.        Can add metadata to site columns by using a spreadsheet with the file locations and site column values.

                                       i.      Create Content types (No Spaces in naming Conventions) or you will have to remember the dreaded _0x0020_ when coding or using Andrews tool to create ContentType features

                                      ii.      Create Site Columns and add to ContentTypes (No Spaces in naming Conventions. Same as above)

                                    iii.      Apply Content types to Library

                                    iv.      If the file locations are unknown or you need to make a map from scratch one way is to

1.       you can use Robocopy to create a log only of file locations (robocopy "\\ServerName\Share" "D:\Apps\Migration\LeaveEmpty" /S /E /CREATE /V /FP /NP /LOG:"D:\Apps\Migration\Logs\TB_011708.Log" /R:10 /W:30 /L)

2.       Import log (text file) to excel

Example of Spreadsheet: (Name Description Date Title FileName Category Publisher IPNumberKeywords Confidential MachineType SubSystem)

3.       Remove the log header and the extra information

                                      v.      Run Bulk importer

1.       Ensure the content type that you want to use is set to default prior to connecting to the site

2.       Type in site info http://site  and click connect

3.       Use the Actions drop down and choose import wizard

4.       Click radio button From Excel or delimited txt (use excel its faster), Click next

5.       Click Browse for source to import use the map you created

6.       Choose Library as target, Click next

7.       Choose target Folder (doesn’t create them from Spreadsheet)

8.       Match target Columns (Site Columns) with Source Columns from Spreadsheet (it helps if they are in the same order) .

9.       Review Sample data, Click next

10.    If allowing multiple choices (values) in your site columns, highlight the first column to be matched, automap (only works if values in spreadsheet exactly match values of site columns) or map manually. Continue until all columns and their values have been mapped. Click next

Note: do not leave spaces in the spreadsheet if allowing multiple values for each site column use the separator ; only or the list values will not automap correctly. Also, the documentation states there can be more than one source mapped to a target value all files where this was attempted failed to import those files

11.    If you don’t have any multi valued site columns you check for duplication on title and expires by default, Click next

12.    Save Import Configuration xml default is schedule.xml, Click next to start import

Note: Bulk import does allow for scripting once your maps are created and you have saved your import configuration for the map.

The Gotchas

a.        The Bulk Import does not keep the Author or modified date

b.       Logging after the list of files gets above 50 or so stops @ the end with a strange reference. Not that it’s very informative you at least know what documents were imported and which were not. But if you stop the import manually just before it finishes you will have a log.

c.        The Bulk Importer doesn’t create a folder structure if you are mapping metadata based on a spreadsheet.

d.       This forces you in my case to make many import maps

e.       Doesn’t keep versions when moving from library to library but will allow the creation of a site column to track the different versions, strange idea?

Overall

My overall impression is for the price and a small migration it’s a great deal. However, for larger migrations I would choose Metalogix due to the flexibility, ease of use, time, the newly to be announced open OM that allows you to create C# plugins, and coming soon NTFS ACL mapping. Plus Metalogix keeps the full fidelity of the document (versions, author, modified date etc.). Tsunami Deployer also allows full fidelity and ACL mapping. Though, the ACL mapping is cumbersome and would be much better to create a map like modify mapped to members, read mapped to visitors, and admin or full mapped to owner, just a thought in one location...

Nice to Have

It would be nice to have the tool allow you to make a map of the site columns association with the spreadsheet and not keep the library information allowing you to create one map and choose different folders. Instead it keeps the relationship between the spreadsheet and the library location including folder. Allow Full Fidelity, Copy NTFS ACLs, Create Folders, and Logging

Note: this can be modified by editing the Schedule.xml that you can save one you have matched the site columns to the spreadsheet columns. But the xml was not well formatted. I have included an example below

-Ivan