Checklist for database attach upgrade (SharePoint Foundation 2010)

Prepare for upgrade

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Run the pre-upgrade checker

Run the pre-upgrade checker and address any issues. Use the report that is generated by the tool to fill out the Upgrade planning worksheet.

Detailed steps: Run the pre-upgrade checker (SharePoint Foundation 2010).

Perform this step multiple times as you clean up your environment and test your upgrade process.

Running the checker takes only a few minutes, but addressing any issues might take days or weeks.

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Create an inventory of server-side customizations in the environment

Create an inventory of the server-side customizations in your environment (solutions, features, Web Parts, event handlers, master pages, page layouts, CSS files, and so on). Much of this information is reported when you run the pre-upgrade checker. Record all customizations needed for your environment in the upgrade worksheet.

Detailed steps: Identify and install customizations in the "Use a trial upgrade to find potential issues" article.

Perform this step for the whole environment. Check each Web server to make sure that you don't miss any customizations. Keep the inventory up to date as you prepare for the upgrade.

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Clean up your environment

Before you begin upgrading, you should make sure that your environment is functioning in a healthy state and that you clean up any content that you do not have to upgrade. Clean up any orphaned sites or data, address any large lists and large ACLs, remove extraneous document versions, and remove any unused templates, features and Web Parts.

Detailed steps: Clean up an environment before upgrade (SharePoint Foundation 2010).

Perform this step once for the whole environment.

This process might take days or weeks to complete.

Prepare the new environment

Also see Prepare the new SharePoint Foundation 2010 environment for a database attach upgrade.

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Install and configure SharePoint Foundation 2010 and any language packs

Install the prerequisite software, and then install and configure SharePoint Foundation 2010.

Perform these steps on each server in your farm.

This step might take one or more hours, depending on how many servers are in your environment.

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Configure general farm settings

Reapply any general farm settings that you must have from your previous farm — such as blocked file types and e-mail and quota settings — and add users or groups to the Farm Administrators group. Configure new settings such as usage and health data collection, diagnostic logging, and mobile accounts.

Important

If you had disabled the Workflow Auto Cleanup timer job in your Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 environment, make sure that you disable this timer job in your new environment also. If this timer job is enabled in the new environment and disabled in the previous version environment, you might lose workflow associations when you upgrade. For more information about this timer job, see Disable preservation of workflow history (SharePoint Foundation 2010).

Perform this step once for the whole environment.

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Create and configure Web applications

Create a Web application for each Web application that existed in the old environment.

Perform this step once for the whole environment.

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Reapply server-side customizations

Manually transfer all server-side customizations into your new farm. Refer to the inventory you created in the upgrade worksheet to make sure that you install any components that your sites depend on to work correctly.

Make sure that you reapply customizations to all Web servers in the farm.

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Verify the new environment

After you set up the new environment, you can perform tests to make sure it contains all the components you have to have before you upgrade your data.

Perform this step once for the whole environment.

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Run the pre-upgrade checker

Run the pre-upgrade checker again to identify any new or remaining issues before you set the databases to read-only or back up the databases.

Detailed steps: Run the pre-upgrade checker (SharePoint Foundation 2010).

Running the checker takes only a few minutes, but addressing any issues might take longer.

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Set the previous version databases to be read-only (database attach with read-only databases)

If you want your original environment to remain available to users in a read-only state, set the databases to read-only before you back them up.

Perform this step for each content database in your environment.

Depending on your organization, you might need a database administrator to perform this task.

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Back up databases

Back up all of your content databases before you begin the database attach upgrade process.

Perform this step for each content database in your environment.

This step can take an hour, several hours, or longer, depending on your data set and your environment.

Depending on your organization, you might need a database administrator to perform this task.

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Detach the previous version databases (standard database attach)

If you are going to upgrade the original databases (rather than a backup copy), detach the original databases from the instance of Microsoft SQL Server so that you can move them to the new environment.

Perform this step for each content database in your environment.

Depending on your organization, you might need a database administrator to perform this task.

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Restore a backup copy of the database (database attach with read-only databases)

If you are going to upgrade a copy of the databases, restore the databases from the backup.

Perform this step for each content database in your environment.

This step can take an hour or longer, depending on your data set and your environment.

Depending on your organization, you might need a database administrator to perform this task.

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Set the restored databases to be read-write (database attach with read-only databases)

Before you can attach and upgrade the databases you copied to the new environment, they must be set to read-write.

Perform this step for each content database in your environment.

Depending on your organization, you might need a database administrator to perform this task.

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Verify custom components

Use the Test-SPContentDatabaseWindows PowerShell cmdlet to verify that you have all the custom components that you need for that database.

Perform this step for each content database in your environment.

Running the cmdlet takes only a few minutes, but addressing any issues might take longer.

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Verify permissions

Ensure that the account that you use to attach the databases is a member of the db_owner fixed database role for the content databases that you want to upgrade.

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Attach a content database to a Web application

Attach the first content database that you want to upgrade. You must perform this action from the command line. You can use the Mount-SPContentDatabase Windows PowerShell cmdlet or the AddContentDB Stsadm operation.

Perform this step for one content database in your environment.

This step might take an hour, several hours, or longer, depending on your data set and hardware on the Web servers, database servers, and storage subsystem.

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Verify upgrade for the first database

Verify that upgrade succeeded for the first database, and review the site to see if there are any issues.

Detailed steps: Verify upgrade and review upgraded sites (SharePoint Foundation 2010).

Perform this step for the content database you just attached.

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Attach remaining databases

Attach and upgrade the remaining content databases in your environment. You must perform this action from the command line.

Perform this step for each of the remaining content databases in your environment.

This step might take an hour, several hours, or longer, depending on your data set, whether you are upgrading multiple databases in parallel, and the hardware on the Web servers, database servers, and storage subsystem.

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Monitor upgrade progress

Use the Upgrade Status page in SharePoint Central Administration to monitor progress as your sites are upgraded.

Detailed steps: Verify upgrade and review upgraded sites (SharePoint Foundation 2010).

Perform this step for each content database that you upgrade.

This step might take an hour, several hours, or days, depending on your data set.

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Verify upgrade for the remaining database

Verify that upgrade succeeded for the remaining databases, and review the sites to see if there are any issues.

Detailed steps: Verify upgrade and review upgraded sites (SharePoint Foundation 2010).

Perform this step for each of the remaining content databases in your environment.

This step might take an hour, several hours, or days, depending on your content.

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Verify upgrade and review upgraded sites

Review sites to be sure that they have been upgraded successfully and are ready for users to view.

Detailed steps: Verify upgrade and review upgraded sites (SharePoint Foundation 2010).

Perform this step for every upgraded database and site collection in your environment.

This step might take an hour, several hours, or days, depending on your content.

You should also have site owners review their sites and report any issues.