Preparing for a Seamless Migration to Azure DevOps Services
Before you embark on your migration journey from Azure DevOps Server to the cloud-hosted Azure DevOps Services, it’s essential to understand the key concepts and considerations to ensure a successful transition. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the essential steps to get started with the Azure DevOps Data Migration Tool and navigate the intricacies of the migration process.
Understanding the Data Migration Process
The migration from Azure DevOps Server to Azure DevOps Services is not a one-size-fits-all process. It’s crucial to know what data will be included and what will be excluded during the migration. The Azure DevOps Data Migration Tool is designed to move your entire team project collection, including work items, version control history, build definitions, and more, from your on-premises environment to the cloud. However, certain data, such as extensions, service hooks, load tests, and project-specific integrations, will need to be reconfigured after the migration is complete.
Navigating Project Limits and Organizational Structures
One important factor to consider is the project limits within Azure DevOps Services. The platform imposes a limit of 1,000 projects per organization, although it’s recommended to keep the number below 300 for optimal performance. If your collection exceeds this threshold, you may need to either split the collection or delete older projects to stay within the limit.
Understanding the relationship between on-premises databases and Azure DevOps organizations is also crucial. Each team project collection in Azure DevOps Server corresponds to a single SQL database and maps directly to an Azure DevOps Services organization. The migration process creates a new Azure DevOps organization with a user-provided name, and it’s not possible to migrate a collection database into an existing organization or consolidate multiple collections into a single organization.
Choosing the Right Data Center and Licensing
When setting up your Azure DevOps Services organization, you’ll need to select a data center location that suits your needs. Make a note of the region’s shorthand code, as you’ll need it later during the migration process.
Regarding licensing, the good news is that you likely already have the necessary licenses to use Azure DevOps Services. We’ve provided a helpful worksheet to help you determine the number of required user licenses, taking into account your existing Visual Studio subscribers and free stakeholder accounts. Additionally, you may find value-added services, such as hosted load testing and test management extensions, that can further enhance your DevOps capabilities.
Reserving Your Organization Name
To ensure a smooth transition, we recommend reserving the name of your Azure DevOps Services organization early on. This can be done by creating a temporary organization with a placeholder name and then renaming it to your desired name after the successful migration. This approach helps secure your preferred organization name and avoids potential conflicts.
Next Steps
Now that you have a solid understanding of the key concepts and considerations, you’re ready to embark on the migration journey. The next step is to complete the prerequisites for migration, which will set the stage for a successful transition to Azure DevOps Services.