There are a number of limitations for the length of the folder names and filename when migrating to SharePoint.
To overcome this, you can choose to automatically shorten the path and filename to fit within SharePoint. The actual path and filename before shortening is preset in the normal columns and can be assigned to any metadata column.
Also, in the database view Report_MigratedFiles the column shortenedpathname reflects the status for if the path or filename was in fact shortened or not. (1=Shortened, 0= Not shortened)
Note that the shortening happens after the transformations and therefore also works for custom naming.
*Migration Modeling automatically fixes this issue
The shortened names and folder structure can potentially loose a lot of useful information But using “Migration Modeling”, you are able to build a model with the shortened filenames and folder structure.
A list of name shortened files is generated in the Modeling site and you are able to see the original filename and folder name in the “source metadata”.
That enables you and the document owners to manually and with automation assistance to fix the issues up front before the migration happens.
Essentially what is happening is that we detect the too-long-path issues, then we automatically shorten them and at the same time keep a reference to the real location and name. Then in the “Migration Model” you can see the shortened path AND the original path and name simultaneously and make decision how to rename accordingly. ALL VISUALLY IN TEAMS and the end result will be 100% correct and in line with the document owners wishes and document understanding.
The renaming/reorganizing is very difficult for the IT people as they do not know the thinking behind the folders and document naming, but the document owners DO KNOW it so they can rename and reorganize the structures and make a GREAT end result ready BEFORE the migration happens.
*SMART Migration special configuration for demo purposes.
In the configuration file Steps.cfg you can specify an override of the limits.
MaxUrlTotalLength Max length of URL. SPO=400, OnPrem=260
MaxUrlPartLength Max length of any part of URL (filename or folder name). SPO=256, OnPrem=128
Setting a lower value will force he shortening with shorter folder and file names.
Last modified:
4 October 2023
