Journey of migrating from Drupal or other web CMS to AEM application | Community
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Mahesh_Gunaje
Level 7
February 15, 2024
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Journey of migrating from Drupal or other web CMS to AEM application

  • February 15, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 4241 views

Hello Everyone,

 

In your experience, have you come across migrating the existing Drupal or any other CMS web application to AEM application?  What are the challenges you have faced.  Wanted to hear success, as well failure stories.

 

Thanks

 

    Best answer by arunpatidar

    Hi @mahesh_gunaje 
    AEM Site Authoring is also rich but if you go with content fragment there is currently no WYSIWYG but this will be scoped using Universal Editor.

    https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-cloud-service/content/universal-editor/developing/developer-overview.html?lang=en#auth-header 

     

    It is possible to connect AEM with database. 

     

    There are features like AEM community is there, however not very much updated and revolve since its introduction, https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-65/content/implementing/developing/platform/jdbc.html?lang=en


    I would suggest if you already know the requirement thats you need on AEM, you can setup a call with Adobe and they will suggest the alternative of Drupal features

    3 replies

    EstebanBustamante
    Community Advisor and Adobe Champion
    EstebanBustamanteCommunity Advisor and Adobe Champion
    Community Advisor and Adobe Champion
    February 15, 2024

    Hi, 

     

    Here are some good threads that can be helpful if you are looking for ideas about how to start the migration journey, so I won't repeat them in this post: 

    https://experienceleaguecommunities.adobe.com/t5/adobe-experience-manager/migration-from-another-cms-to-aem/m-p/363932 

    https://experienceleaguecommunities.adobe.com/t5/adobe-experience-manager/cms-migration-to-aem/td-p/179897 

    https://experienceleaguecommunities.adobe.com/t5/adobe-experience-manager/aem-migration-legacy-sitecore-cms/m-p/606291

    https://experienceleaguecommunities.adobe.com/t5/adobe-experience-manager/how-to-migrate-other-cms-to-aem-cloud-service/m-p/586355

     

    Now, let me share some thoughts from my experience. The most challenging aspect is creating the data model, which involves matching the CMS data structure to the AEM data structure. While most CMS platforms have a similar data structure with different terminology, it's not always a straightforward one-to-one match. Therefore, investing a significant amount of time in this task is necessary.

    Another important point to mention is that it's crucial to be aware that you won't be able to migrate 100% of the web application via scripts, ETLs, or any other method you choose. There will always be a need for manual work. Being aware of this and planning accordingly can greatly facilitate the migration process.

     

    Hope this helps.

    Esteban Bustamante
      arunpatidar
      Community Advisor
      arunpatidarCommunity Advisor
      Community Advisor
      February 15, 2024

      Hi @mahesh_gunaje 
      Just adding few pointer, not sure if they are valid in your use case or not

      Migrating from Drupal to Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) involves several steps, and the complexity of the migration depends on various factors, including the content structure, customization, and specific requirements of your Drupal instance. Below is a general guide with examples to help you understand the process. Note that this is a high-level overview, and you may need to adapt these steps based on your unique Drupal setup.

      1. Assessment and Planning:

      • Objective: Understand the structure of your Drupal site, identify content types, taxonomies, and any custom configurations.

      2. Export Data from Drupal:

      • Use Drupal tools like drush to export your database and relevant files.

      3. Analyze Drupal Data:

      • Objective: Understand the exported data and identify mappings between Drupal entities and AEM structures.

      5. Data Transformation:

      • Example:
        • Write scripts or use tools to transform Drupal data into a format compatible with AEM.
        • Convert Drupal content types to AEM components.

      6. Create AEM Templates and Components:

      • Example:
        • In AEM, create templates that match your Drupal content types.
        • Develop components and dialogs.

      7. Import Data into AEM:

      • Use AEM's import tools or custom scripts to import transformed data into AEM.

      8. Update Internal Links and References:

      • Objective: Adjust internal links and references within content to match AEM's structure.
      • Use SQL or equivalent queries to update internal links.

      9. Handle Media and Assets:

      • Objective: Migrate images, files, and other media assets.
      • Example:
        • Use AEM's DAM tools to manage and organize assets.

      10. Recreate Views and Templates:

      • Objective: Recreate Drupal views and page templates in AEM.
      • Example:
        • In AEM, create pages based on your Drupal templates.

      11. Test and Validate:

      • Objective: Ensure data integrity and validate the migration.
      • Example:
        • Manually check a sample of pages.
        • Use automated testing tools.

      12. Update DNS and Redirects:

      • Objective: Once migration is successful, update DNS settings and set up redirects if needed.
      • Example:
        • Update DNS records to point to the new AEM instance.

      13. Training and Documentation:

      • Objective: Train content authors and stakeholders on using AEM.
      • Example:
        • Create documentation for AEM-specific workflows and features.

      14. Monitor and Optimize:

      • Objective: Monitor the performance of the new AEM site and optimize configurations as needed.

      Notes:

      • Custom Modules: If your Drupal instance has custom modules, you need to evaluate equivalent functionalities in AEM and implement them accordingly.
      • Authentication: Adjust user authentication and permissions in AEM based on your Drupal user roles.

      This migration process is a broad overview, and each step may involve additional sub-steps based on the complexity of your Drupal setup and your requirements for AEM. It's crucial to thoroughly test each stage of the migration process in a controlled environment before applying changes to the production system. Additionally, consider seeking professional assistance if the migration involves complex customizations.

       
      Arun Patidar
        M
        Mahesh_GunajeAuthor
        Level 7
        February 16, 2024

        Thanks @arunpatidar  for your detailed description. Yes. This means a lot to me.

        My few observations here:

         

        1: Liking towards Drupal UI, authoring:

        if the client likes Drupal features a lot, as well the authoring section in Drupal (Still client wants to migrate to AEM. Dont ask me why), then, I think it will be difficult to convince the authors(they are employees of client) to use AEM for authoring the pages. Since, they are very much expert in authoring Drupal pages, assets, etc. But new to AEM application.

         

        2: Get the background of authors:

        Need to get the background of authors before we implement the AEM sites. In my case, authors are very much familiar with Drupal sites. So, they expect Drupal kind of authoring, attaching the assets. During migration, to handle the structured data of Drupal CMS, we have utilized Content Fragment Model, Content Fragment approach. So, Author has to create necessary content fragment, add all the details.  Then, create a page by passing the path of CF. Then, data will be populated automatically on page.

        Once we pass this details to authors, after few days they told that

         

        3: Development of Drupal feature/module in AEM

        Client is very fond of Drupal features/modules. So, for my team, challenge was to develop Poll, other kind of drupal features in AEM. But in AEM, we don't have dbms or mongoDB. Even, we cannot include dbms for the new sites.

          arunpatidar
          Community Advisor
          arunpatidarCommunity AdvisorAccepted solution
          Community Advisor
          February 16, 2024

          Hi @mahesh_gunaje 
          AEM Site Authoring is also rich but if you go with content fragment there is currently no WYSIWYG but this will be scoped using Universal Editor.

          https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-cloud-service/content/universal-editor/developing/developer-overview.html?lang=en#auth-header 

           

          It is possible to connect AEM with database. 

           

          There are features like AEM community is there, however not very much updated and revolve since its introduction, https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-65/content/implementing/developing/platform/jdbc.html?lang=en


          I would suggest if you already know the requirement thats you need on AEM, you can setup a call with Adobe and they will suggest the alternative of Drupal features

          Arun Patidar
            kautuk_sahni
            Community Manager
            kautuk_sahniCommunity Manager
            Community Manager
            February 16, 2024

            @mahesh_gunaje Did you find the suggestions from users helpful? Please let us know if more information is required. Otherwise, please mark the answer as correct for posterity. If you have found out solution yourself, please share it with the community.

            Kautuk Sahni
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