In the world of SharePoint upgrades and migrations, a number of terms are thrown around and often used interchangeably. This post outlines several key terms that will be surfaced throughout a three-part series on upgrade/migration strategies for SharePoint 2013. If you would like to jump to another post, use the links below:
- Part 1 – Definitions (this post)
- Part 2 – Considerations Outside of SharePoint (Coming soon)
- Part 3 – Diving into Database Attach (Coming soon)
In past revisions of SharePoint, we had multiple ways to upgrade our farms (and the content within them) to the latest version using the tooling Microsoft provides. Over the years, Microsoft used a number of terms related to the types of upgrade available:
- In-place upgrade – Often considered the easiest approach, but the most risky. The setup of the new system is performed on existing hardware and servers.
- Gradual upgrade – Allows for a side-by-side installation of the old and new versions of SharePoint.
- Database attach/migration – Allows for the installation and configuration of an entirely new environment where content is first migrated, and then upgraded to the desired state.
As SharePoint matured, the number of available upgrade options dwindled. For instance, in an upgrade from SharePoint Portal Server 2003 to Office SharePoint Server 2007, we could follow any one of the three upgrade paths noted above to reach our desired end state. In an upgrade of Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010 we still had two paths available: the in-place upgrade and the database attach approach. For SharePoint 2013, we’re left with just the database attach approach.
Before we dive further into the database attach upgrade scenario, it’s helpful to take a step back and establish a common language as we discuss the upgrade process. Read More…
