If you are performing workflow migration, it is highly recommended you have a general understanding of their workflows and where the data is located to ensure that data integrity is preserved after a migration.

Consider the following questions:

·What type of workflows are being used?

§Are there out of box (OOB) workflows?

§Are there SharePoint Designer (SPD) or  Nintex Workflows?

§Are there other third party workflows?

Depending on the answer to this question, there can be different steps that need to be taken, or even a slightly different approach to the migration. The following are some general responses to this question:

·If there are OOB workflows - OOB workflows are installed as a SharePoint solution file, and are deployed across the entire farm. As a result, they are defined at the server level. In this case, Content Matrix will not migrate the template definitions, but will instead activate the features on the target side to allow the OOB workflow templates to be used. If migrating at the site collection level, these templates will be activated by Content Matrix, and only the features will be activated. If migrating at a site or list level (and not the site collection level), you must ensure that the templates are already activated at the site collection level before a migration is run so that the features can be activated. This is especially notable when migrating from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2013 or later.

NOTE: In some cases, you may need to manually activate the SharePoint 2007 Workflows feature on a SharePoint 2013 or later target environment before the workflows can be properly migrated.

·If there are SharePoint Designer or Nintex workflows - SharePoint Designer and Nintex workflows have a local install of the workflow template (WFA) definition. This definition is usually held in a hidden list called "Workflows." If the Preserve workflow associations for SharePoint Designer and Nintex Workflow option is enabled, then Content Matrix can migrate the template as well. As long as the workflow templates are defined locally, Content Matrix should be able to migrate them.

NOTE:  If you are performing a list-level migration that includes SPD workflows, the "Workflows" list must already exist on the target. You should migrate the "Workflows" list first, then migrate the list containing the workflow(s). (It will be part of a site collection- or site-level migration.)

·If there are third party workflows - The answer here can vary depending on the workflow in question. If the third party workflow works in the same way as a SharePoint Designer or a Nintex Workflow, then the workflow can be migrated using the same steps as SPD and Nintex Workflows.

If the third party workflows are set up in a different way from OOB or SPD and Nintex Workflows, then migration of those workflows is currently not supported.

Once you have a better understanding of what type of workflow is being migrated, the actual migration process can begin.

For additional Nintex workflow-specific considerations, see Additional Considerations for Nintex Workflows.

The following list describes some requirements and limitations to be considered when migrating workflows. Note that this list may not exhaustively cover every migration scenario.

NOTE:  SP 2010 OOB and SPD 2010 style workflows are no longer supported by Microsoft for SharePoint Online, so they will be skipped during migration to a SharePoint Online target.

WARNING: SharePoint 2013 workflow will be turned off for new tenants as of April 2, 2024 and will be removed from existing tenants and will be fully retired as of April 2, 2026. Refer to the Microsoft article Support update for SharePoint 2013 workflow in Microsoft 365 for complete details.

·When migrating SPD 2013 platform workflows, the SuppressEvents property must be set to False in order for workflows to be published after migration. For more information, please see Modifying the SuppressEvents Property.

·If you initiate a list-level migration and you want to migrate workflows for the lists, all of the site-level dependencies must already exist at the target.  See also Pre-Workflow Migration Considerations.

·Content Matrix does not support the migration of workflows at the item level because the item level scope of the migration cannot properly fetch all of the necessary data, as this data is usually stored at the site or list level (this includes actions that reference other lists, site level content types, and so on).

·Workflow histories are currently always migrated from SharePoint 2010 and never migrated from SharePoint 2013 and later, regardless of whether workflow instances are migrated.  This applies to Nintex workflows as well, regardless of whether the option "Preserve Nintex Workflows instance history" is checked.  This is a known issue that will be addressed in a future release.

Before Nintex workflows and forms can be migrated, there are prerequisites to be met and some limitations to be aware of.

NOTE:   Currently, the migration of Nintex workflows and forms is not supported:

·if Microsoft 365 OAuth with MFA Authentication is used

·if SharePoint Server Subscription Edition is installed on the source and/or target.  

The option to migrate Nintex forms will disabled on the List Content Options tab, and the failure to migrate Nintex workflows will be written to the Job Log.

Prerequisites When Migrating to SharePoint Online

In order to migrate workflows and forms to SharePoint Online:

·the following URLs must be unblocked:

§https://discovery.nintexO365.com

§https://nintex.onmetalogix.com

·the  Workflow for O365 (and if used, Nintex Forms for O365) must be deployed to applicable site collections on the target.  See Deploying Nintex Apps to SharePoint Online for instructions.  

Additional Considerations

Refer to the following topics for additional considerations for workflows and forms respectively:

·Additional Considerations for Nintex Workflows

·Additional Considerations for Nintex Forms

When migrating Nintex workflows, additional considerations include:

·adding external connections to preserve Nintex Workflow database entries

·determining whether Nintex Features are activated before migrating to a SharePoint on premises target

·configuring a temporary storage location and deploying the Nintex Workflow app when migrating to SharePoint Online (SPO).

SharePoint Designer and Nintex workflows have a local install of the workflow template (WFA) definition. This definition is usually held in a hidden list called "Workflows." If the Preserve workflow associations for SharePoint Designer and Nintex Workflow option is enabled, then Content Matrix can migrate the template as well. As long as the workflow templates are defined locally, Content Matrix should be able to migrate them.

NOTE: With Microsoft's announcement that SharePoint 2013 workflows will be retired, Nintex has announced a Nintex Upgrade Program for migrating SP2013 and Nintex workflows to the Nintex Process platform."