Migration manual

Adobe Learning Manager is a cloud-hosted, learner-centric, and self-service learning management solution. Adobe enables enterprises with the existing Learning Management Systems (LMS) to migrate their organization's training data and training content to the Learning Manager LMS application. 

Usage scenario

In general, large enterprises have their in-house LMS or any vendor provided legacy Learning Management Systems. LMS consists of your enterprise training content and training data. As an enterprise when you purchase the Learning Manager, you may want to move your existing LMS content and data to Learning Manager so you can leverage the benefits of modern and intuitive LMS without losing any of your organization's legacy data.

Learning Manager provides the necessary tools and specifications so that your organization's integration Administrator can set up and perform the migration tasks. 

Migration process

Pre-requisites for migration, key steps involved in migration process, migration sprints, specifications, data and content migration steps are explained in this section as follows: 

Pre-requisites

Learning Manager team expects that the following tasks are performed by your organization's Integration Administrators before undertaking the migration process:

• The Integration Administrator extracts data and content from the incumbent LMS, and transforms the data to the file formats as defined by Learning Manager. 
• Learning Manager does not support importing of users as part of migration process and expects the organization to import users using connectors. Adobe Systems expect that these connectors are configured prior to the migration process. Refer to Learning Manager connectors Help for more information. 

Key steps of migration process

The key steps involved in migrating content and data from an existing LMS to Learning Manager are as follows: 

1. The Integration Administrator or partner evaluates the existing LMS data and content that needs to be migrated.
2. Integration Administrator evaluates the tools and specifications that Learning Manager provides for ingesting data and content. 
3. Integration Administrator writes code or undertakes manual work to export the training data and content from the older LMS based on the functionality provided by the older LMS. 
4. Once the training data and content is available, the Integration Administrator analyzes and maps the data and content to match the Learning Manager migration specifications. 
5. Integration Administrator uses the tools provided by Learning Manager to migrate in the following order: 
   1. Transfer the learners over to Learning Manager
   2. Transfer training content into Learning Manager and 
   3. Finally, transfer training Data into Learning Manager.

The organization can start using Learning Manager LMS along with the legacy content. 

Scope of migration objects

You can migrate content only for the following learning objects: 

• Module
• Badges
• Course
• Module version
• Course instance
• Course module
• Skills
• Skill level
• Skill course
• Certification
• Certification course
• Certification commit
• Learning program
• Learning program course
• Learning program instance
• Learning program course instance
• Job aid
• Job aid version
• Job aid course
• Job aid skills
• Enrollment
• Certification enrollment
• Learning program enrollment
• Job aid enrollment
• User course grades

Key concepts of migration

Some of the key concepts of Learning Manager migration process are explained briefly for your quick reference, as follows: 

Migration project

In Learning Manager, a migration project consists of one or more sprints. You can also have multiple migration projects for your account. Your migration process in Learning Manager starts with creating a migration project. 

Sprint

A Sprint, in Learning Manager migration process, defines a set of migration items that you have chosen to migrate from the existing LMS. A migration item can be a course module, learner records, or a set of courses. You can have multiple learning data items in a sprint. You can execute migration jobs in each sprint. 

Sprint Runs

Sprint Run is the process of starting a Sprint migration job. You can stop the sprint run at any point in time of a Run. 

Sprint Re-runs

You can re-execute a migration sprint after its completion at any point in time. This situation of re-execution or re-run of a sprint occurs when you want to append the data in a sprint item and migrate it to the application again or correct the errors in CSVs. 

CSV specification

Learning Manager provides you a set of standard CSV specifications. Best practice is to go through these CSV specifications before starting with the migration process. Integration Administrator of your organization can analyze the existing data formats and map them to match with the Learning Manager provided CSV template items.  

Migration project tags

Adobe Systems recommends that you use a set of keywords as tags to identify your migration projects easily within the Learning Manager application. These tags enable you to identify your projects internally in the Learning Manager application at any given point in time. 

Contentless module

Learning Manager allows you to upload a module without content. Adobe Systems considers it as a contentless module in Learning Manager. In a scenario where you want to migrate some of the legacy data from your existing LMS without the need for any content, you can upload the module_version.csv file without URL reference. 

Support for multi-locale metadata and content through migration

For all types of training supported in the platform (course, learning paths, modules, certifications, and job aids), multiple language migration can now be supported via CSV files using extra columns for additional languages.

PRE-REQUISITES

Create the migration project as an Integration Admin and then share the migrationProjectId with the ALM support team, so that the multi-locale flag can be enabled from the backend.

SCOPE OF MULTI-LOCALE MIGRATION OBJECTS

• Module
• Course
• Module version
• Certification
• Learning program
• Job aid
  
• Job aid version

CSV SPECIFICATION

Adobe Learning Manager provides you with a set of standard CSV specifications for Multi locale-enabled migration. The best practice is to go through these CSV specifications before starting with the migration process. The Integration Administrator of your organization can analyze the existing data formats and map them to match with the Learning Manager-provided CSV template items.

CHANGES WITH MULTI-LOCALE SUPPORT

• The module_version column is not supported in module_version.csv and course_module.csv.
• Cannot update the module_version in the same run (in the same run, the module cannot be migrated with two versions with the same module).
• Content or metadata update is considered as module version update from module_version.csv.
• Cannot support Job_Aid_Version update through job_aid_version.csv

CSV specifications and sample CSVs

Find below, the standard CSV specifications that you can use to map with your existing LMS migration data. Click csv -specifications and sample- csvs to download zip files. The downloaded csv -specifications.zip contains seven Excel sheet files. These excel sheet files are specifications with descriptions to make you understand how to fill up the .csv files. The corresponding .csv files should contain the data for each field in the prescribed format as explained in these .xlsx files. 

Multiple languages in migration

For all types of content and training supported in the platform (course, learning paths, modules, certifications, and job aids), multiple language migrations are supported via CSV files using extra columns for additional languages.

The downloadable zip file below contains the sample specifications of the CSV to be used in migration.

Migration procedure

Before you start with the migration procedure, it is important to note the following points: 

• Only one migration project can be active in an account at any given point in time. Within a project, only one sprint can be active at any given point in time.
• You cannot undo a Run that is already in migration process. However, you can use the existing delete option within each feature of Learning Manager to undo any data or content migration. 
• As soon as the migration project starts, it moves into a state of ‘Under Migration’. During migration, no other role other than integration administrator role can log in to Learning Manager. 

Creating FTP and Box accounts

Planning your migration project is very important. It is recommended that you break your projects into multiple sprints, and clearly identify what you would like to migrate in each sprint. It may even be a good idea to do some validation after each sprint to feel confident about the data migrated in that sprint, instead of one grand validation phase at the end of the project. Before you start the Sprint as part of your migration project, you need to upload data and content CSV files in FTP and Box servers respectively. If you do not have accounts for Exavault FTP and Box, you can create them. 

Create FTP account

Click Request for CSV FTP folder. A pop-up dialog appears prompting you to enter your e-mail id. Go through online instructions and create an Exavault FTP account. As soon as you create your account, you can view your migration project and sprint project folders in Exavault FTP. 

A sample snapshot of project files and folder of ExaVault is shown below for your reference. 

Create Box account

Create content upload folder in a similar process as followed for the FTP folder creation. Click Migration on the left pane and click Request for a content upload folder at the bottom of the page that appears.

You would receive an email from Box with a link to the shared folder. If you do not have a box account, click SignUp and create an account. Login instructions are sent to Integration Admin email id.

Uploading data (.csv files) to FTP folders or Box folders

Creating an FTP or Box account is a pre-requisite before you create a migration project. So, at this stage you can create a Migration Project and Sprint in Learning Manager application.  Refer to Data and content migration procedure section in this page to create migration project. 

In FTP or Box account, click your project folder name and click the Sprint name. Inside the sprint folder, you can upload the .csv data files you intend to migrate. To upload, click Upload Files button at the top in Exavault FTP or Box server and drop the .csv files. A sample snapshot after uploading into ExaVault, is shown below for your reference. 

You can come back to Learning Manager migration project, click Refresh and view all the .csv data types being listed in your migration Sprint.

Upload training content to Content folders

Upload the training content of your existing LMS to your Box account. If you have created the Migration project and sprint already, then the Box account would populate the Migration project and Sprint name. You can upload the content in the same path. Refer to Data and content migration procedure section in this page to create migration project. 

You can drag and drop the content files or click Upload and select the files from your desktop. If the file size of your content is huge, you may experience some time lag in uploading the files. Depending on the size of the file, the time taken for uploading the files to your Box account varies. 

A sample snapshot of Box account after uploading content to it is shown below for your reference: 

After the files are uploaded to your Box account, ensure that you mention the relative path of this Box content file in module_version.csv file. This is a mandatory step for you to indicate the path of the module content. 

Once you log in to the FTP and Box servers and upload the content, the CSV locations appear as shown in the snapshot below in Learning Manager. 

Data and content migration procedure

The procedure to migrate your enterprise LMS data and content to Learning Manager is explained as follows: 

Migration verification

After migrating the learning data and content from your organization's legacy LMS, you can verify the imported data and content using various learning object features. For example, you can log in to Learning Manager application as Administrator and verify the availability of imported modules and courses data and content. 

Retrofitting in migration

This integration feature allows you to retrofit historical data for a learning object from a legacy learning management system to an active course that is created in Learning Manager.

Find below, the standard CSV specifications that you can use to map with your existing LMS migration data. Click csv-specifications and sample-csvs to download zip files. The downloaded csv-specifications.zip contains four Excel sheet files. These excel sheet files are specifications with descriptions to make you understand how to fill up the .csv files. The corresponding .csv files should contain the data for each field in the prescribed format as explained in these .xlsx files.

1-enrollment.xlsx-contains descriptions of metadata required for retrofit_enrollment.csv file.

2-certification_enrollment.xlsx-contains descriptions of metadata required for retrofit_certification_enrollment.csv file.

3-learning_program_enrollment.xlsx-contains descriptions of metadata required for retrofit_learning_program_enrollment.csv file.

4-user_course_grades.xlsx-contains descriptions of metadata required for retrofit_user_course_grades.csv file.

Troubleshooting migration issues

Click here to learn about the workaround/solution to the problems faced by Integration Administrators while migrating data and content from their existing LMS to Learning Manager application.

Tips for User Management

In this topic, you can find some of the tips for you to understand how users are considered and managed in Learning Manager. These concepts would aid you to manage the users better while using CSV import, Connectors and migration features of Learning Manager. 

Learning Manager Ids

Learning Manager provides two types of unique Ids for users:

• Email id 
• UUID (Universally Unique Id)

Learning Manager supports UUID to provide flexibility to organizations in controlling user accounts. As an Administrator, if you have UUID of users in an account, you can modify the email ids of users for that account.  

Usage scenario of UUID in an organization

Consider a scenario where an employee A joins a company named Learning Manager , as a contractor. During contract period, Learning Manager company may not provide company email id as A@adobelearningmanager.com, instead the company may consider only the employee's personal email account, say, A@gmail.com. After completing 6 months of contract period, if the same employee A joins Learning Manager as full time employee, then Learning Manager may want to change his email id to his company email id: A@adobelearningmanager.com. 

Having UUID access to user account will benefit the company Learning Manager in the above mentioned scenario. Learning Manager company can easily replace the personal email id of employee A with an official email id. The employee's records relevant to this account remain unaffected by this change. 

Single user identification

Learning Manager identifies and remembers how a single user is added to it, say, using self registration, using CSV upload, or a single user added using the user interface or by means of API. 

• If a single user is added using User interface (UI) or through API, you can delete such type of single users using UI or through API. 
• You can update single users using CSV upload process but you need to remember that these single users are treated as the CSV users and the CSV workflows are applicable to such users. 

Assigning Manager role

You cannot assign a Manager role directly to any user in Learning Manager. A user X can become a Learning Manager Manager only when you set a Manager attribute of any user (say, Y) in that account as X. 

In a scenario where X is the Manager of users, say, A, B and C, if X leaves the organization then you need to ensure that the Manager attribute of A, B, and C are set to the new Manager. Alternatively, you can also set the Manager attribute of these users as ROOT temporarily and assign with the new Manager name later. 

For more information on this topic, refer to the following Help content: 

• FAQ on uploading CSVs
• Feature Help on adding users