Enable On-premises to Cloud Migration

Using this feature, you can migrate module-related and admin-related data from ServiceDesk Plus On-Premises to Cloud easily. Before you start the migration, make sure to read the Terms and Services and take note of the list of entities that will be migrated automatically and the list of entities that need to be migrated manually. 

Quick Links

Prerequisites

• Access the application using your alias URL configured in Self-Service Portal Settings.

• Mail server settings should be configured in Cloud (to view approvals) but disabled before migration (to avoid unintended notifications).
• All technicians must have a unique email address as email address is mandatory in Cloud. If the email address is not configured, user fields present in the entities (eg: Requester, Technician fields in PM task, Task template owner) will not be migrated. For mandatory user fields in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, the default logged-in user in Cloud will be updated for the mandatory technician or requester fields.
• Create IAM accounts and enable login for CAB members to ensure successful migration of CAB entity.
• While migrating data for the first time, ensure that the Requests and Projects tab does not contain any entries in the Cloud, including trashed requests/projects.
• In On-Premises, the request module has 2 types of additional fields - Incident Additional Fields and Service Catalog Additional Fields. A duplicate alias name can be configured for additional fields that are not common for both incident and service templates, yet have similar names. This distinction is not present in Cloud as all additional fields are added as Request Additional Fields. Therefore, additional fields with same names will cause migration failure.

select col.aliasname as "Additional Field Name",

case when col.tablename='WorkOrder_Fields' then 'true'

else 'false' end as "Is Incident Additional Field",

col.is_common as "Is Common for Both Incident and Service",

case when col.columnname like 'GUDF_%' then 'true'

else 'false' end as "Is Common to all Service Categories",

(select servicedef.name from servicedefinition servicedef

inner join servicemetatable servicemeta on servicedef.serviceid=servicemeta.serviceid

inner join dynamictables dynatables on servicemeta.table_id=dynatables.dynamic_table_id

where dynatables.tablename=col.tablename

) as "Service Category Name" from columnaliases col

where (select count(col1.columnaliasesid) from columnaliases col1 where col.aliasname=col1.aliasname)>1

order by col.aliasname

• Fields and Field And Form Rules are case-sensitive in On-Premises. In Cloud, they are not case-sensitive. Check and update accordingly, if needed.
• License check, technician count, and additional fields count need to be verified manually in Cloud before starting the migration.
• PII should be enabled in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud if PII is set to true in On-Premises for UDF fields. If not, UDF fields with PII value true will not be migrated.
• Since Service Level Agreements and Request Life Cycle are not migrated, you can manually configure the specifics in Cloud with the same name and details as in On-Premises when the migration is paused mid-way after the admin entities are migrated. This is to ensure that when the migration is restarted for service desk data, the request will be automatically mapped with their SLA and Request Life Cycle.
• The Change ID is not retained in Cloud during migration. To retain the Change ID, contact our Support Team at servicedeskplus-cloud-support@manageengine.com. 
• Manually replicate the change workflows in On-Premises with the same name and dummy configurations in Cloud. This will ensure that the change request and change templates are linked to the workflow accordingly. You can update the workflows with the required flow after the admin configuration migration.
• The Include non-operational hours field for a work log and Auto Request Close behavior should be configured in Cloud with respect to On-Premises.
• Configure default currency in Cloud before initiating migration.
• Avoid database operations while migrating the data from On-Premises to Cloud. This might result in migration failure.
• Ensure to enable privacy settings & disable archive settings in SDP Cloud.
• Do check Attachment Path/Network path is configured properly in the attachment settings before initiating the migration.
• Initiate the migration on the test server. Use the production server only for the final delta migration.

ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Migration: Guidelines and Requirements

• When configuring mail server settings in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, do not change the email address during the migration process.
• Initiate migration only on a fresh instance.
• Do not add user data before migration, either manually or through external sources, such as CSV import, Azure, or Active Directory. Enable integration features only after users have been successfully migrated.
• Do not migrate the Maintenance module during the initial stages. It must be migrated only in the final phase of the migration process. 
• The migrated Cloud instance must be validated by both technicians and the customer before going live to ensure there are no errors or failures that could impact any module after deployment.
• Configure the required exclusions and then disable the Data Archive settings before starting the migration.

Initialize ServiceDesk Plus Cloud for Migration

Before proceeding with migration from on-premises, the cloud version must be initialized. To do this, log in to ServiceDesk Plus Cloud and follow the link below.

<portal-url>/InitMigration.do and click Initialize.

Proceed with migration upon receipt of the success message.

Enable the Migration functionality in UI

Kindly contact our support team at servicedeskplus-cloud-support@manageengine.com to enable the ServiceDesk Plus On Premises to Cloud migration feature in the application User Interface.

Initiate the migration from the UI

Once you have migrated the entities that need to be manually migrated, you can initiate automatic by following the steps given below:

• Go to Admin > General > Migrate On-Premises to Cloud. 
• Select a ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Data Center from the drop-down list. The Domain URL will be auto-populated based on the Data Center and is non-editable.
• Copy the Redirect URL to Zoho accounts and generate the Client ID and Client Secret. Learn how to do this here.

ServiceDesk Plus uses OAuth 2.0 to communicate between On-Premises and Cloud servers. OAuth 2.0 is an authentication method that provides delegated access to a protected resource using web tokens instead of passwords. Click here to learn more.

• After entering the client ID and client secret, ensure you have read all the terms of service and select the checkbox I have read and agree to the Terms of Service.
• Click Next. A window pops up where you must sign in to your ServiceDesk Plus Cloud account and provide your consent. If the pop-up does not appear, click here to learn more.

• After you authenticate your Cloud account, the Instance, Entities and Mode fields will appear on the migration form page in On-Premises. Choose the ServiceDesk Plus instance from where the data must be migrated in the Instance drop-down.

• Under Entities, you can select the entities to be migrated. By default, all entities are selected. Deselect an entity to remove it from the migration process.

• Choose the mode of migration for module desk data. Note that this does not apply to admin data, assets, and solutions.
• Trial Mode - Data created within the last 30 days will be migrated.
• Full Mode - Data created on any custom range within 1 year can be migrated. Choose the range using the calendar icons.

• Click Move Data. 

The Migration Progress page will be shown where you can find the progress of the migration. To view the status of each data added or updated in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, go to ServiceDesk Plus Cloud > Setup > Import Data > Import History.

Once the admin data is migrated, the migration will be paused so that you can manually migrate admin entities that are not migrated by the system. Click Resume to migrate module data.

Once migration is completed, you can move back to the migration form page by clicking on the back button or you can move to the ServiceDesk Plus on-demand by clicking Go to ServiceDesk Plus Cloud.

Pre-Validation and Import Failure Handling

• After you save the OAuth details and click Move Data, pre-validation will be triggered from the migration form page. 
• When the data to be migrated is invalid with respect to Cloud features and limitations, a dialog box with a downloadable XLS file link containing the failure details will be visible. You can resolve the invalid data and re-initiate migration if needed.
• Resolve any admin entity failures before proceeding with module entity migration.
• In case of import failure in Cloud, the zip files containing the failure details will be moved to ServiceDesk/Conversion/ImportFailed folder. The failure will be logged in the migration progress page and the link to the import history page for the Cloud instance will be provided.

List of Admin data that can be migrated from On-Premises to Cloud

You can migrate Module Data and Admin Data from On-Premises. To learn more, follow the links below:

• List of Module Data that can be migrated from On-Premises to Cloud
• List of Admin Data that can be migrated from On-Premises to Cloud

Limitations

• Custom filter and view details are not supported during request migration. 

• There are various limitations that you might encounter in different modules and admin entities during and after migration. To learn in detail about the limitations, follow the links below:
  • Module Data limitations
  • Admin Data limitations

Data that cannot be migrated due to the unavailability of on-premises features in Cloud

Migration Facts

• Instance to Instance migration is possible. i.e data from one particular ServiceDesk plus On-premises instance can be migrated to the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud instance selected in the form.

• Migration cannot be started in two instances at the same time. Only one migration per instance will be handled at one time.

• If the license is not enabled for any entity/module in On-Premise, the respective entity/module data will not be migrated.

• Upgrade to build 14810 or later before starting the migration. If you are unable to upgrade to build 14810 or later, please contact our support team at servicedeskplus-cloud-support@manageengine.com for further information.

• Inline images and attachments will also be migrated along with the entity data.

• Inactive admin entities will be migrated without any error.

• Do not add, modify, or delete any data in ServiceDesk Plus On-Premises or ServiceDesk Plus Cloud while the migration is in progress.

• After the migration is complete, please contact the support to enable post-migration.

Migration Setup FAQs  

1. What user permissions are required to perform ServiceDesk Plus migration?

• ServiceDesk Plus Cloud: The user must have OrgAdmin privileges with SDAdmin permissions.
• ServiceDesk Plus On-Premises: The user must have SDAdmin role with Project Admin enabled.

2. What should I do if the popup does not appear during ServiceDesk Plus migration?

• The popup may be blocked by the browser. Enable popups in your browser settings and retry.
• Ensure proxy and firewall settings are not blocking the popup.

3. Why is the popup empty during ServiceDesk Plus migration?

• The Redirect URI may be incorrect. Verify and update it if necessary. 
• Avoid accessing the application via localhost. Use the domain URL instead.
• Go to Self-Service Portal Settings and click Check Alias URL. In the new window, retry the migration.

4. Why is the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud instance not listed on the ServiceDesk Plus On-Premises page?

• The user may not be part of the cloud instance. Verify the user’s access.
• A proxy may be configured in On-Premises. Remove the proxy settings and retry.

5. What should I do if the migration is interrupted?

• If the migration is interrupted midway, contact the support team for assistance and next steps.

6. What should I do if there are failures in entities in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud?

• Check the Import History and review the failures.
• Download the failure file from the Result File column to view details of each failed entity.
• Perform an initial analysis to identify the issue. If the issue cannot be identified, contact the support team for further assistance.

7. What should I do if the migration is stuck due to a Virus Detected issue?

• If the migration is blocked due to a virus, contact the support team.
• Attach the logs and the conversion ZIP folder for further investigation.

To know more about the Project and Request UDF limitation in Cloud, please refer here.