Google Workspace shared drive migration problem solved
With due diligence and planning, migrating data to Google Workspace shared drives can be a smooth process, but when you're dealing with large or complex folder structures, unexpected hiccups can grind your best efforts to a halt. Knowing some of the potential pitfalls ahead of time can help ensure your migration is a success.
A cautionary migration tale: Hidden files and unexpected errors
A recent 85-user Google Workspace customer had a troubling experience when migrating a large folder structure from My Drive to a shared drive. The migration appeared to pass Google Drive's pre-migration checks for unmovable items, yet it inexplicably failed mid-process.
The result was a real mess: duplicated folders with broken permissions on both the source (My Drive) and destination (shared drive). Files were left inaccessible to users, and business processes were impacted - with countless “empty” folders (due to a combination of broken permission inheritance and files orphaned from their parents).
Understanding shared drive limitations: What can and can't be moved
It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with Google Drive's migration limitations around what can and can’t be moved to a shared drive.
What can be moved to a shared drive?
Files and folders that you (or whoever’s doing the move) own
Files and folders where you (or whoever’s doing the move) has editor or contributor permissions - or, in the case of an admin who’s performing the move, viewer permissions
What can't be moved to a shared drive?
Externally-owned items: Files and folders owned by people outside your organization - unless you first obtain ownership, or create copies of them (or shortcuts to them, or both), then move the originals out of the folder structure to be migrated
Items with insufficient permissions: Files and folders where you don't have the necessary permissions (i.e. editor, or as an admin, viewer access)
It’s also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the limitations of the tools that are available to you to investigate what went wrong, just in case you run into an issue:
Limited Audit Logs: Drive's audit logs only go back 6 months, making it hard to trace what happened if an older issue is causing a roadblock.
Even if everything seems ready, there might be hidden factors that can trip up your migration process, such as hidden files flagged as inappropriate by Google.
Troubleshooting unmovable files: Finding the culprits
Our investigation process for our customer went as follows:
Damage control: We focused on restoring file visibility to minimize business disruption while we worked on a long-term solution.
Preparing for round 2: Externally owned items were addressed by creating internally-owned copies and safe-harbouring the originals in a different folder structure to streamline the process for another migration attempt.
Divide and conquer: We broke down the migration into smaller chunks. This helped us isolate the subfolders that were causing problems – turns out Drive couldn't report on hidden files flagged as inappropriate by Google (CSV reports provided by the unmovable item notification were blank).
Unmasking the mystery: Painstakingly, we used drag-and-drop with individual subfolders to zero in on the problem. Still unsure why the error occurred, we had to dig deeper.
The power of GAM: Uncovering hidden issues
GAM (or more accurately, GAMADV-XTD3, the free command-line admin tool for Google Workspace) was our lifesaver!
We scanned a problem folder, printing a filelist from the perspective of all users. This is when we found it – the .DS_Store file generated by macOS, hidden and flagged as inappropriate. This known 2022 (and earlier) issue had brought the entire migration to a screeching halt.
Deleting the hidden file and doing a GAM sweep for similar culprits allowed the migration to proceed flawlessly.
Beyond the basics: Seemingly benign files can cause problems
It's surprising but true: Google can sometimes inadvertently flag common file types as inappropriate.
Keep an eye out for .DS_Store files along with other sometimes problematic types (e.g., some video or image formats which can trip up the copyright police).
Key takeaways
Google Drive’s pre-migration checks can overlook issues: Don't fully rely on them. Hidden files flagged as inappropriate by Google may be detected, but may not be show up in Drive’s downloadable report.
GAM is your friend: Get comfortable with this powerful tool for troubleshooting hidden problems.
Questions about the shared drive migration process?
If you're planning a migration or want to ensure your Google Workspace experience is silky-smooth, book a no-cost consultation with us.
Have you faced similar challenges with Google Workspace migrations? Reach out, and share your experiences with us!
