How to Migrate from Nintex Workflow to Office 365?

Many businesses using SharePoint have customized their solution in many ways. There are investments made in tailoring content management, document management, business process management (BPM), enterprise content management (ECM), and other processes that may involve automation. In such scenarios, it becomes necessary to retain key components when they upgrade their SharePoint Server or migrate to Office 365/ Microsoft 365. In this guide, we will elaborate on the steps involved in migrating Nintex workflows to Office 365/ Microsoft 365 for businesses that have customized SharePoint with it.

What to Know Before Nintex Workflows to Office 365 Migration?

As with any other SharePoint migration, it is necessary to evaluate how Nintex workflows are used in the current environment. Here are some of the questions that need to be answered before initiating the migration.

• How is the existing content structure related to the workflows?
• Where do the content and workflows reside?
• Is it necessary to shift the content and the workflows together?
• What processes have been automated, and how will the migration affect them?

It is necessary to know the relationship between the content and Nintex workflows to help organizations determine the processes that have to be migrated, especially when there is a movement of business-critical applications and content.

What Are the Different Paths for Nintex Workflows to Office 365 Migration?

The path for migration of Nintex workflows depends on the existing SharePoint framework and the version to which the business is migrating. There are two paths for Nintex Workflow to Office 365 migration.

Office 365 Tenant to Tenant Migration

In the case of an Office 365 to Office 365 migration, the Nintex workflows remain on the same platform framework. In this scenario, it is possible to migrate SharePoint Online libraries, lists, sites, and site collections, along with their associate Nintex workflows. In this migration path, the latest version of Nintex Workflow is available, and there is no need for manual updates.

On-Premises SharePoint to Office 365 Migration

Unlike the case of SharePoint tenant to tenant migration, moving Nintex workflows from an on-premises SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online is more complex. In most cases, it is impractical to replicate the workflow design entirely on the cloud platform as the underlying frameworks are different. In such a migration scenario, not all workflows can be migrated. For some workflows, it is possible to replace actions that are more compatible with Office 365, while others might have to be rebuilt from scratch.

What Are the Different Methods for Nintex Workflow to Office 365 Migration?

There are two methods of migrating Nintex workflows to Office 365, and the choice of the migration method would depend on the type of migration and the prevailing scenario.

Nintex Workflow Export and Import

If a business is already using SharePoint Online and is moving to another tenant, the best solution to migrate their Nintex workflows would be to utilize the built-in import and export capability within the designer. It does not require additional coding or development efforts and is useful when you have to replicate only the workflow design. However, it can be used only when there are five or fewer workflows.

Nintex Workflow Migration with Third-Party Tools

Nintex has partnered with several tool providers who have built customized products to manage Nintex workflow conversions. Each product works differently and caters to specific business needs. These tools are typically capable of achieving a greater degree of success in migrating Nintex workflows to Office 365.

What Are the Different Types of Nintex Workflow to Office 365 Migration?

There are three different approaches to migrating Nintex Workflows to Office 365.

Migrating Nintex Designs to Office 365

This built-in workflow design option is useful for users who are not well versed with text-based coding programs or custom codes but need to export the workflow design and logic from one list, library, or site to another. This method can be applied for SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration.

Migrating Nintex Contexts to Office 365

In the case of Nintex context migration, all assets, including the design, history, tasks, and content are migrated to the new environment. In these migrations, the relationships between the content and the workflows have to be preserved, and the entire SharePoint library and list will have to be transferred to the new environment.

Converting Nintex Workflows

Microsoft introduced the Workflow Manager in Office 365 to manage workflows better. For users on legacy SharePoint Servers, Nintex workflows will have to be converted into a compatible format using third-party tools. When you are converting Nintex workflows, it must be noted that not all processes can be migrated to SharePoint Online. Additionally, it is not possible to import tasks and Nintex workflow history with this type of migration. It is used when there is a need to migrate on-premises SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online.

What is the Scope of Nintex Workflow to Office 365 Migration?

The scope of the Nintex workflow to Office 365 migration will determine the migration path and method to be used. Here are the different scopes of migrating Nintex workflows to Office 365.

Single Workflow Scope

This scope is suitable when a single workflow has to be transferred from one list to another. It is ideal when businesses are migrating from one SharePoint Online tenant to another.

Multi Workflow Scope

This scope is relevant for context migrations that involve the movement of content along with the workflow design logic. Multiple workflows can be scoped within such migrations.

Apps4Rent Can Help with Nintex to Office 365 Migration

Nintex to Office 365 migrations can be challenging for most businesses that have extensively configured their SharePoint Servers. The differences in the frameworks and customizations often result in errors and compatibility issues that need expert intervention even while using tools for the migration. Additionally, some processes cannot be migrated from on-premises SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online. As a Tier 1 Microsoft CSP, Apps4Rent can not only host SharePoint Servers on the cloud to avoid these complications but also help in SharePoint migration. Contact our SharePoint migration experts available 24/7 via phone, chat, and email for SharePoint hosting plans and migration support today.