Step-by-Step Drupal Content Migration Guide

Introduction

Businesses are increasingly turning to reliable content management systems (CMS) to enhance their website functionality. As high-traffic websites have frequently adopted Drupal, many organizations are now contemplating content migration to this open-source CMS platform.

However, without a proper strategy, migration can quickly become problematic. Therefore, it is essential for businesses to have a robust plan in place for executing a content migration in Drupal.

What Is Content Migration?

Content migration is the process of transferring data from one source, such as Drupal 7, to another site. This migration automates the tedious task of manually copying and pasting data and involves configuring file types, user roles, content types, nodes, and taxonomy terms.

Content Migration and Data Integrity

When a website's version becomes outdated, updates are necessary within the database to support the newer code. Key considerations during the upgrade include SEO and accessibility.

Elements such as meta descriptions and alt text impact a website's accessibility for users, so maintaining data integrity during migration is crucial. Businesses must avoid delaying content migration and undertake it thoughtfully.

Requirements for Content Migration

The following prerequisites can help businesses create a robust and flexible digital experience during content migration:

  • Save time and effort by eliminating unused and irrelevant content during migration.
  • Ensure smooth access to the existing website’s database and files to avoid complications.
  • Create a backup of the current website.
  • Download a fresh installation of Drupal 9 and enable core migration modules.
  • Familiarize yourself with the Drupal 9 migration system to avoid potential challenges.
  • Choose a migration path: Drush or the browser user interface.
  • Utilize Drupal's flexible migration system to extract content from older Drupal versions or other sources such as CSV, XML, JSON, and MySQL.

Begin with a Solid Plan

The upgrade may take time depending on the source site's content size and configuration. While manual upgrades are feasible for smaller content sets, it becomes labor-intensive for larger quantities. Planning in advance is crucial.

To plan effectively:

  • Identify content types and structures in the existing site and document observations.
  • List required modules and verify the availability of Drupal 9 versions or their inclusion in Drupal 9 Core.
  • Replicate content types, taxonomies, and other entities in Drupal 9. Views can be built manually later, providing flexibility to refine content architecture.
  • If you want to migrate the entire content configuration at once, execute the command provided in the guide.

For businesses avoiding bulk import migration, the correct migration order is essential:

  • Content: Files < Terms < Users < Paragraphs < Nodes
  • Configuration: Vocabularies< Content Types < User Roles < Fields < Image Styles

Migration Modules

Drupal 9 includes core migration modules such as migrate, migrate_drupal, migrate_drupal_multilingual, and migrate_drupal_ui. The Migrate module offers a framework for migrating content from various sources to Drupal 9.

For Drupal-to-Drupal migrations, developers should use the migrate_drupal.module. Together, these modules facilitate content migration from Drupal 7 sites to Drupal 9.

Custom migration paths may be required for contributed modules. A useful starting point is reviewing contributed module data and writing migration paths for them.

The Migrate Drupal UI module supports UI-based migration reviews and offers features such as credential support and overview forms to facilitate UI-based migrations.

Roadmap for Ensuring Seamless Content Migration to Drupal 9

 

1. Define Clear Goals

Establish organizational goals and priorities and evaluate how the new website can support them. Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) goals to maintain focus.

2. Conduct Research and Content Audit

Understand customer preferences and expectations through surveys, focus groups, interviews, and card sorting techniques. Perform a ROT (Redundant, Outdated, Trivial) analysis and use the TRUST technique to evaluate content.

3. Define Content Types

Determine content types and structures before coding and prioritize relationships between different content types and taxonomies.

4. Hire a Drupal Expert for Assistance

Consider partnering with a reputable Drupal development agency if your in-house team requires support managing content migration.

5. Regular Testing

Continuously test the migration process to ensure proper content transfer and identify any missing content or broken entities.

Conclusion

Content migration to Drupal 9 can be seamless when an organization has the right talent. Automation and pre-built modules make migration manageable.