Return
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Title
Sharepoint "Migration of x was skipped because its parent structure does not exist on the target" -
Description
During a SharePoint migration, the following error may occur:
Error: "Migration of [x] was skipped because its parent structure does not exist on the target."
Where [x] could be:- 'Documents'
- 'Site Assets'
- '<Site Name XYZ> Members'
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Cause
This error happens when SharePoint tries to migrate content that depends on a parent structure (like a site or document library) that doesn't exist in the target environment. This results in skipped or lost content, which may need to be re-migrated after fixing the missing parent structure. -
Resolution
1. Remove the Site from the ODM Console:
Before taking any actions in the target tenant, ensure that the problematic site, and any related groups or teams, are removed from the On-Demand Migration (ODM) console.
2. Clean up the Target Environment:
After removing the site from the ODM console, delete any conflicting or incomplete sites/groups from the target tenant.
- Refer to Microsoft’s official documentation on deleting site collections using PowerShell to properly remove the site or structure.
- After deleting, make sure you also purge the site from the SharePoint recycle bin:
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- Follow the steps for emptying the first-stage recycle bin: How to delete items or empty the SharePoint recycle bin.
- Then, make sure to remove the site from the second-stage recycle bin as well: How to delete items from the SharePoint site collection recycle bin.
3. Refresh the Migration Project:
Once you've fully removed the site (including purging from recycle bins):
- Go back to your migration project in On-Demand Migration (ODM) and click 'Refresh Project' to clear any cached data tied to the old site.
4. Recreate the Parent Structure:
After cleaning up the target tenant, recreate the necessary parent structure by running provisioning in ODM for the team or site that was causing the error.
- Run the Provision action in ODM on the team or site to ensure all required structures are set up correctly.
5. Migrate the Content:
Once provisioning is complete:
- Run the Migrate action for the specific team or site to move the content now that the parent structure exists on the target.
6. Verify the Migration:
After migration, check the target tenant to confirm that all content has migrated correctly, and no further issues are present.