We created the BD Migration Plugin to help move data and settings from one site to another. The Migration feature is included in the Pro plan.
NOTE: In order for a successful migration to happen, you must install the same Migration plugin on BOTH sites (source and target) and the sites must have the exact same version of BD AND the migration plugin running. If you don’t follow that rule, the migration may fail with errors.
How to Export Data
First, install the Migrator plugin on BOTH sites (the source site and the target site).
- After you enable the Migration plugin, the module adds two items to the “Directory Admin” menu. One for the export process and one for the import process. Nothing prevents you from running both processes on the same site (or use the export just as a means to back up the directory), but obviously the original idea is to run the export in one place and the import in another.
- When exporting, you can select the items to export.
After clicking “Export!” the process begins until it finally produces a ZIP file that can be downloaded.
How to Import Data
For the import, you can upload the export file (called “migration pack”) directly via a form or via FTP. For large files, we recommend using FTP for the upload, as large files can cause the form to time out or show “blank page” errors. If you see that behavior, try FTP instead.
The directory that “receives” these uploaded files is indicated on the import screen.
After the migration pack is uploaded, it can be selected as the import source. Some info is displayed below the filename: the date the set of data was exported and the BD version used to do that.
Once a migration pack is selected and “Begin Import” clicked, the import process begins. WARNING: The import process clears everything. That means all listings, fees, etc. are removed and replaced with those from the import, so please be aware of this during a migration.
This plugin is meant to be used for migrations (and possibly as a backup method). They aren’t just a way to export/import things in the directory itself for updating data, that’s better handled using the standard CSV Export/CSV Import instead.
