What version history migration keeps
Section titled “What version history migration keeps”With Include Version History on, SMART Migration can carry over a file's earlier versions together with:
- the version timestamps,
- the users associated with each version,
- the SharePoint check-in comments.
That matters where document history and traceability must stay available after the migration. Include Version History is on by default, on the Source step of the job dialog. A file share keeps no versions, so the setting is not offered for one.
Version History Scope
Section titled “Version History Scope”Version History Scope is written as three numbers separated by colons, major:minor:minor:
| Part | What it counts |
|---|---|
| First | How many major versions to extract. |
| Second | How many minor versions to extract on the latest major version. |
| Third | How many minor versions to extract on every other major version. |
*means all of them.- Trailing parts may be left out. They then default to 1 minor version on the latest major, and none on the others, so
5means5:1:0. - The default,
*:*:*, extracts everything.
| Scope | What it extracts |
|---|---|
*:*:* | Every version, major and minor. The default. |
*:*:0 | Every major version, and the minor versions of the latest major only. |
10 | 10 major versions, with 1 minor version on the latest major and none on the others. |
5:1:0 | 5 major versions, with 1 minor version on the latest major and none on the others. |
5:0:0 | 5 major versions and no minor versions. |
Versions take space
Section titled “Versions take space”Version history can be many times the size of the current files. SMART Migration's Discovery counts the full version volume of SharePoint files — not only the current file size — and the Power BI report shows the version count and the volume including versions per library, and the version-heavy files. Check it before choosing a scope: it is a basis for the duration estimate and for the storage the destination needs. See Discovery
A narrower scope for a recurring copy
A recurring job that keeps a standing copy rarely needs every version from years back. A scope such as 5:0:0 keeps the copy smaller and each run faster, while a one-off migration of a regulated archive may need *:*:*.
See also