SPMT Migration Tool Alternative – Optimal Solution to Overcome SPMT Limitations!

Choosing a manual method for SharePoint migration can be a drastic step. Therefore, to avoid human error or human interventions organizations equip tools and solutions for Sharepoint migration. In this detailed review guide, we are going to see the (SharePoint Migration Tool) SPMT migration tool alternative. However, we are discussing What is SPMT, how it works, and SPMT migration tool limitations. Additionally, we will propose an automated alternative that can overcome the big limitation of SPMT. 

Organizations widely use SharePoint Online to facilitate collaborations and communication within organizational boundaries. However, organizations must change their IT structures according to the external environment in the rapidly growing environment. These changes require proper planning and preparation before the effects are reflected. A major task for an IT admin is the successful migration of SharePoint sites but it is not as simple as you think. First of all, the need for migration is there only for the integrity and security of data. 

What is the SPMT Migration Tool?

SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) is designed and developed by Microsoft to facilitate SharePoint On-premise and OneDrive to Microsoft 365 or OneDrive migration. However, selecting a source as Microsoft 365 is impossible because it only supports SharePoint 2010,2013,2016,2019 on-premise to Microsoft 365 (SharePoint Online) migration. You should know About it before moving to the SPMT migration tool alternative.

Features:

Moves Files: You can transfer documents and files from your local servers or shared drives to the cloud. Helping businesses move their data to Microsoft 365.

Easy to Use: It has a user-friendly design, so you don’t need to be a tech expert to use it. Helps simplify the process of getting rid of old file storage systems.

Tracks Progress: You can see how your migration is going in real-time.

How SharePoint Migration Tool Works- Manual Steps

Here are the manual steps to perform SharePoint On-Premise  to Microsoft 365 migration:

Step 1. Download and Install SPMT

Step 2. Open the SPMT application after installation.

Step 3. Click on “Start a new migration” to begin the process.

Step 4. Choose the Source from which you want to migrate data. Browse to the network location or local folder containing the files.

Step 5. Select the Destination SharePoint Online site or OneDrive location where you want to migrate the files. Log in to your Microsoft 365 account if prompted.

Step 6. Set up how the files will be organized in the destination. 

Step 7. Configure Migration Options: Check 

• Preserve Metadata: Migrate with metadata tags (like author and modified date).
• Permissions: if you want to migrate permission from the source.

Step 8. Click on the “Migrate” button to start the process.

Step 9. While the migration is ongoing, you can see real-time progress.

Step 10. Once the migration is complete, SPMT will generate a report detailing: Successful transfers, encountered issues, and addressing errors.

This step requires more concentration and effort because it is a complex method sometimes users also want an SPMT migration tool alternative.

SPMT Migration Tool Limitations

There are a few limitations of the SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT):

• SPMT does not support direct migrations from on-premises to SharePoint Online. 
• SPMT can only handle files up to 15 GB if you need to migrate bulk you have to use chunking or any alternative tool.
• Only supports migrating from SharePoint On-premise and also not from other cloud storage or various sources.
• While it can able to copy some metadata,  but not able to fully support complex metadata or custom fields.
• Basic permissions can be migrated however, some advanced permissions settings may not Migrated.
• SPMT does not offer built-in scheduling and automated migrations.
• Migration speed may be affected by network bandwidth for large migrations or while migrating multiple users.
• Some users may find it challenging without technical knowledge, particularly in complex migrations.

Is It Possible to Migrate SharePoint Online Sites to Another Using SPMT?

No, SPMT doesn’t support SharePoint Online as a source. Therefore, it is not possible to migrate the SharePoint Online site to another site. However, Microsoft suggests using vendor tools to perform migration in  SharePoint Online. let’s see an SPMT migration tool alternative.

Best SPMT Alternative Solution For SharePoint Online Migration

Steps For Migration Using This Robust Tools

Step for using an automated tool that can prove to be an SMTP migration Tool alternative

• First, Install the tool by downloading it from the link provided above.
• Secondly, Choose Office 365 as the destination and Office 365 as the source now.
• Navigate to Workload Selection, select Sites, and deactivate every other checkbox. 
• This program can transfer only specific data from SharePoint by using the Date Filter Option. Click the Next button after choosing the duration that best suits your needs.
• Enter the source tenant’s application ID and admin email address now.
• Once the necessary information has been entered, press the Validate button.
• You can now see that the permissions have been verified. To continue, click the Next button.
• Input the Application ID and Destination Admin email address.
• Click the Validate button now.
• Press the Next button.
• This tool provides multiple options to retrieve users.
• Fetch Users: Every user on the Source domain will be retrieved.
• Import Users: A CSV import of users will occur.
• Get the template here. This option will provide a CSV file so you can manually add users to the source and destination.
• Select the “Validate” option.
• Navigate to the Sites tab now.
• Click on Fetch Sites: Every site from the source domain will be retrieved.
• Click the Validate button.
• Finally, to begin the migration procedure, click the “Start Migration” button.

After this let’s understand the features of the SPMT migration tool alternative.

Principal Capabilities of This Solution

• Migrate without effort metadata-assisted SharePoint site to another SharePoint site
• Transfer Document Library from One SharePoint Site to Another SharePoint Tool Enables SharePoint Site Migration in Batch, Saving Time and Work
• Migrate Document Sets and Document Folders Easily and Successfully
• An Intelligent Date-Based Filter for Specific SharePoint Site Items A feature for mapping source users’ permission settings to destination users, as well as an in-built dashboard to monitor the ongoing process of migration
• The software offers the option to halt the ongoing migration whenever necessary, and the delta migration feature migrates only new data from the SharePoint site. 
• It also provides a detailed and summary report on the migration from SharePoint to SharePoint.
• When using the tool for site migration, you cannot select a specific folder. It is compatible with Windows 11, 10 (64-bit), Windows Server 2012, and Windows 2016.

Summation

To conclude, we have discussed the SPMT migration tool alternative that can save you time and effort in migrating the SharePoint Online site to another site. However, we have mentioned what is SPMT, How it works, and the SPMT Migration tool limitations. Additionally, we have mentioned a solution that can overcome all the limitations of the manual method.