TFS to Visual Studio Online Migration Tool Released -- Visual Studio Magazine

TFS to Visual Studio Online Migration Tool Released

Data from TFS versions as far back as 2010 can be transferred.

By Keith Ward
05/13/2014

Although a .NET developer might want to switch to Visual Studio Online for application lifecycle management (ALM), the challenge of moving data from Team Foundation Server (TFS) can be daunting. To help overcome that hurdle, Microsoft has released a migration utility that streamlines the process.

The utility springs from a collaboration with OpsHub, reports Visual Studio Online Product Manager Ed Blankenship. He writes that the utility, which is free, "handles the most common scenarios" for migration. They include version control repositories and source code files; test cases and test results; work items; and mapping between on-premises Active Directory user accounts and Microsoft Accounts used in Visual Studio Online.

The tool works with versions of TFS back to 2010, and there's no need to upgrade to the latest TFS version first. It's a step-by-step process for mapping team projects in TFS on-premises to Visual Studio Online team projects, according to Microsoft's Will Smythe.

It's recommended that developers test the migration before making it live. Smythe noted that some functionality offered in the full, paid version of OpsHub won't be available, including builds, team root history, work item queries, alerts, security and permissions, and "other types of data." He also suggested that developers keep backup copies of TFS databases handy, for data that doesn't make it through the migration.

About the Author

Keith Ward is the editor in chief of Virtualization & Cloud Review. Follow him on Twitter @VirtReviewKeith.

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