1. Administering Oracle Content Management
  2. Migrate Oracle Content Management
  3. Migrate Files to Oracle Content Management Assets
  4. File Migration FAQ

File Migration FAQ

These questions are grouped into the following categories:

General Questions

  1. What are the benefits of migrating my content to Oracle Content Management assets?

    Moving your content to Oracle Cloud andOracle Content Management provides the following benefits:

    Converting your files to Oracle Content Management assets provides additional benefits:

  2. What are the available migration options?

    Depending on the source and volume of files you're migrating, you use different methods to migrate your content.

    Source Repository Migration Method
    Oracle WebCenter Content

    For high-volume migrations (more than 500,000 files):

    • Oracle WebCenter Content 12c—Use the Object Storage Migration Tool to export your source files to OCI object storage, export your source file metadata to CSV, then work with Oracle Support to finish the migration.

    • Oracle WebCenter Content 11g—Oracle recommends using the following approach to migrate files from Oracle WebCenter Content 11g to Oracle Content Management assets. Upgrade your on-premise Oracle WebCenter Content 11g instance to 12c, and then follow the method above.

    For moderate-volume migrations (fewer than 500,000 files):

    • Use Archiver to export your files to HDA format, and then use Content Capture to import the content and metadata into Oracle Content Management.
    External repository

    For high-volume migrations (more than 500,000 files):

    • Export your files to a common file system, upload them to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure object storage using the Object Storage command line tool or offline data transfer, export your source file metadata to CSV, then work with Oracle Support to finish the migration.

    For moderate-volume migrations (fewer than 500,000 files):

    • Use Content Capture to import content and metadata from external repositories into Oracle Content Management.
    Oracle Content Management Documents

    For migrations of any volume:

    • Work with Oracle Support to perform the migration directly from Documents to assets.
  3. What are the prerequisites for migration?
    • Define the target environment and provide the mapping from the source data to the target Oracle Content Management environment.
    • Redefine your solution leveraging the features of Oracle Content Management, such as repositories, asset types, taxonomies, and such. This includes configuring the asset type to accept all of the file types (based on file extension) that will be migrated.
    • Reimplement security using the Oracle Content Management features of groups, roles, repository security, and granular taxonomy security.
    • Define the mapping between source (Oracle WebCenter Content, external repository, or Oracle Content Management Documents) and target (Oracle Content Management).
  4. How long does migration take?

    That depends on how much content you're migrating, but we recommend that you give Oracle Support two weeks advanced notice. If a migration needs to follow a very specific schedule, submit a service request specifically to facilitate scheduling in advance.

  5. With large volume migrations taking significant time, can we use the production system in the meanwhile?

    Yes. No matter what method you use, you can continue using your source system.

    A “migration” targets a single asset type in a single repository. Thus, it's likely that you'll require multiple “migrations” to complete the transfer of your data. For example, the Accounts Payable department of a company may have multiple document types that will be represented by multiple new asset types: Invoice, Purchase Order, Shipping, and such. Each of these is a separate migration.

    After the primary migration is complete, a “delta” migration can be performed which migrates only the changes that have occurred since the data export for the primary migration was produced. Multiple deltas are supported until a final delta is small enough to be completed in an acceptable downtime window. Prior to the final delta, the source system is shutdown for the last time. The delta migration is performed, after which you'll transition production to the new asset-based implementation.

  6. How will we get the delta? We have approximately one million new documents ingested every month.

    When you're ready to perform a delta migration, you'll export only those source files that have changed since your last export, and you'll generate a metadata CSV file with the corresponding entries for those new and updated source files.

  7. What are the tools to upload content and metadata to OCI object storage?

    You can upload content to OCI object storage using the following methods:

  8. What is the format of the CSV file that supports migration from an external repository to Oracle Content Management? What are the mandatory fields/metadata that need to be included?

    The CSV file should contain all the metadata that needs to be migrated to Oracle Content Management. There are a set of mandatory fields that should be present in the CSV file. Additionally some optional columns and custom metadata can also be included depending on the business requirements.

  9. Could I create/upload/migrate a file with a back-dated file creation date?

    Yes, we can migrate files with creation date values mapped to creation dates in past (original date in Oracle WebCenter Content or external repository).

    If the details are provided, the values will be assigned to the system level asset attributes. An asset will appear to have been created or modified at the given point in the past by the given user.

  10. How does the Oracle migration team assist and get involved in bulk migration?

    High-volume migrations require the involvement of the Oracle Content Management migration team. Migrations are scheduled by opening a service request with Oracle Support. Oracle Support will work with you and the migration team to gather required migration details, finalize a migration date, and execute the migration.

  11. What is the questionnaire that needs to be provided to the migration team to enable migration?

    The questionnaire, supplied by Oracle Support, contains details about the target deployment environment, the taxonomy configuration, and the mapping information required to successfully migrate the content and metadata from your existing source repository to Oracle Content Management. You need to fill out the questionnaire with details for your specific migration, open a service request to schedule the migration, and attach the questionnaire and the corresponding CSV file to the service request.

  12. How will we reconcile the objectIDs back into the CSV?

    The upload request would include “name” of the object, and the same name would be provided in the CSV file.

  13. How does the system maintain a link between the source file (Oracle WebCenter Content or external repository) and target file (Oracle Content Management asset)?

    The migration process will produce an output file that provides a mapping from the original unique identifier of the file to the identifier of the newly created asset. Make sure you request to receive this file after migration by answering "yes" to the appropriate question in the questionnaire supplied by Oracle Support.

Oracle WebCenter Content Questions

  1. How do I enable the object storage rule in Oracle WebCenter Content?

    Refer to Adding or Editing a Storage Rule.

  2. What is the impact of network bandwidth speed on the migration tool/job?

    The Oracle WebCenter Object Storage Migration Tool runs in both online and offline mode. In online mode content can be transferred to OCI object storage over network. As a benchmarking exercise we could migrate approximately 90,000 files to object storage in about 40 minutes via online method (network transfer) and 20 minutes via offline method (media transfer) using ~10 threads.

  3. If I'm using FileStore in Oracle WebCenter Content on-premise, how can I move my content to OCI object storage without impacting business as usual?

    Content can be migrated from file storage or object storage without bringing down the Oracle WebCenter Content instance. The migration job can run in background while the Oracle WebCenter Content instance is being used to upload content to file storage.

    Typically the active storage rule will define where the content gets uploaded. Migration can be planned in such a way that after the cut-off date any uploaded content will automatically go to object storage.

  4. Does the migration tool ensure zero downtime in production?

    Yes, migration to OCI object storage can be scheduled in parallel to on-premise usage. The migration tool picks up files for migration based on a saved search that can be defined by the migration administrator/end user. Multiple migration jobs can be configured to run at the backend while the Oracle WebCenter Content instance is being used

  5. Does the migration tool move the security model/settings from Oracle WebCenter Content to Oracle Content Management?

    No, the migration tool doesn't move the security configuration during migration of the files. However while defining the target repository structure and configuration, access groups and roles can be defined, and users can be mapped to these groups and roles. Additionally, the security settings can be mapped by defining taxonomies in Oracle Content Management, which can then be used to restrict users' access to content at different levels, based on different metadata.

  6. How can we replicate the security settings from Oracle WebCenter Content to Oracle Content Management?

    The Oracle WebCenter Content security model can be replicated to Oracle Content Management using asset repository membership roles. More granular security can be implemented using taxonomies. You can also create custom roles.

  7. Could I use the object storage migration tool on version 11g of Oracle WebCenter Content?

    The migration tool is currently supported only in version 12c.

  8. How does the Archiver work?

    For traditional Oracle WebCenter Content systems, the file content is stored either on the file system or in the database. The Archiver tool, provided by Oracle WebCenter Content, can be used to export file metadata and the corresponding files. Archiver exports content based on a provided search criteria. You can build conditions referencing system or custom metadata fields.

    For each Archiver export definition, Archiver creates a folder on the Oracle WebCenter Content server in the shared file space under the Weblogic domain. Within the export folder, Archiver creates subfolders for each performed export by date. The date folders store the metadata and files.

    More details about how the Archiver works, can be found at the following links:
  9. Can I use 11g Archiver output to import content into Oracle Content Management?

    Yes, 11g Archiver output can be used to import content into Oracle Content Management.

    The exported metadata file is in a Oracle WebCenter Content format known as HDA. The HDA file format is text based and has a straightforward structure. Helper Java classes are provided in the Oracle WebCenter Content client RIDC jar for deciphering files of this type.

    • The RIDC jar is provided in the Oracle WebCenter Content shiphome at Oracle-Home/oracle_common/ ucm/Distribution/RIDC/oracle.ucm.ridc.jar.
    • In this jar is the oracle.stellent.ridc.model.serialize.HdaBinderSerializer class which can read an HDA file, creating an in-memory representation via the oracle.stellent.ridc.model.DataBinder class.
    • For more details on APIs used, refer to Class HdaBinderSerializer.
  10. What is a sample query that can be used to extract the metadata related to the content and generate a CSV file?

    For CSV creation you can use a simple SQL query to extract the required metadata from your Oracle WebCenter Content database. You can customize the following sample query depending on your business requirements, and export the result output to a CSV file.

    Sample Query:

    SELECT REVISIONS.DDOCNAME AS FILEID,(ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY REVISIONS.DDOCNAME ORDER BY REVISIONS.DREVRANK desc)) AS FILEVERSION, DOCMETA.DID || '.' || DOCUMENTS.DEXTENSION AS OCIOSFILE, DOCUMENTS.DFORMAT AS FILEMIMETYPE, DOCUMENTS.DEXTENSION AS FILEEXTENSION, DOCUMENTS.DORIGINALNAME AS ORIGINALFILENAME, REVISIONS.DCREATEDATE AS CREATEDATE FROM REVISIONS,DOCUMENTS,DOCMETA WHERE REVISIONS.DID = DOCUMENTS.DID AND REVISIONS.DID = DOCMETA.DID AND DOCUMENTS.DISPRIMARY = 1 AND REVISIONS.DSECURITYGROUP = 'Public' ORDER BY REVISIONS.DDOCNAME

  11. How can content be exported from file storage and database storage for migration to OCI object storage?
    • We strongly recommend you use the Object Storage Migration Tool in Oracle WebCenter Content 12c (May 2022 bundle patch for Oracle WebCenter Content 12.2.1.4.0).
    • Alternatively, to export content out of Oracle WebCenter Content file system to a common file system, you can use the Archiver in Oracle WebCenter Content.
    • Alternatively, to export content out of Oracle WebCenter Content database storage to a common file system, you can use the following SQL query to extract content from the database secure file system:

      SELECT bfiledata FROM filestorage where DID IN (select Revisions.DID FROM REVISIONS,DOCUMENTS,DOCMETA WHERE REVISIONS.DID = DOCUMENTS.DID AND REVISIONS.DID = DOCMETA.DID AND DOCUMENTS.DISPRIMARY = 1

      AND REVISIONS.DSECURITYGROUP = 'Public');

    The above query returns the set of BLOBs. A script would be required to loop through this set and store it in filesystem so that they can be exported. The following article may help in building out the script: https://oracle-base.com/articles/9i/export-blob-9i.

  12. How long does it take for end-to-end migration (for moving content from on-premise Oracle WebCenter Content to Oracle Content Management)?

    To migrate large volumes like a few terabytes of content, we suggest that you use the object storage provider to move content from on-premise to an OCI object storage bucket and then from that bucket to the Oracle Content Management asset repository.

    As a benchmarking exercise 90,000 files (175 KB) were migrated in 40 minutes with 10 threads (suggested configuration) from Oracle WebCenter Content on-premise to OCI Object storage. Then, moving the content from OCI object storage to Oracle Content Management can be scheduled using a service request, providing the relevant CSV file and mapping questionnaire.

    Large migrations such as this will be split across multiple asset types. Each asset type is considered as a separate migration, so the time it takes to move the content from the OCI object storage bucket to the Oracle Content Management repository will vary depending on how we structure and organize the multiple migration batches based on asset types. We recommend that if you know the eventual goal is to migrate to Oracle Content Management, that the bucket for the Oracle WebCenter Content system should be included within the same compartment as the Oracle Content Management instance. This improves the migration performance.

  13. How will you support us if we do our own object store migration from Oracle WebCenter Content 11g?

    Oracle WebCenter Content 11g customers can migrate to Oracle Content Management using the suggested approach in Migrate Files from Oracle WebCenter Content 11g to Oracle Content Management Assets. An Oracle certified partner or our consulting team can assist and support in the migration process and provide additional guidance where needed.