If you decide to do a full-system migration to Blackboard Learn SaaS, there are some pre-requisite activities to complete ahead of the migration. You must complete these tasks on your current environment prior to the test migration to efficiently migrate and cutover to Blackboard Learn SaaS.
1. Upgrade to a supported release of Blackboard Learn
The tools used to migrate to Blackboard Learn SaaS are designed and tested to work with the currently supported versions of Blackboard Learn. If you are not currently on a supported version of Learn, you will need to upgrade prior to the migration. Alternatively, you could consider a course-based migration.
Supported versions are listed as Full Support in the Support Classifications section of the Blackboard Learn Support Services Guide.
If you are a Managed Hosting customer, you can submit a ticket on Behind the Blackboard to schedule an upgrade.
2. Move legacy content to content system
Prior to migrating to Blackboard Learn SaaS, all legacy course file content needs to be migrated to our embedded file system (i.e Content System). This step reduces the time of your migration, and the existing CourseContentMove tool has been enhanced to convert legacy course content for all courses on the entire system.
We recommend you run this tool after upgrading to a supported release for best performance and the latest enhancements. Although the process will run quicker if Blackboard Learn services are not running, this step does not require downtime and can be completed while Blackboard Learn is running.
See Move Legacy Content to Content System (Self-hosted Windows/Linux) on Behind the Blackboard for instructions and the migration tools package used to run this step.
If you are a Managed Hosting customer, you can submit a ticket to Support to request that the Move Legacy Content Tool be run in preparation for your move to Blackboard Learn SaaS.
3. Prepare to migrate building blocks
At the time of migration, all required building blocks must be installed with the same version as the target system, or must be upgraded to a Blackboard Learn SaaS supported version in general. To prepare for this step:
- Understand your building block usage and decide which building blocks you will be migrating.
- Ensure you have acquired the installation .war file for all building blocks you plan to use, ready to install when migration planning begins.
- For 3rd party building blocks, contact the building block vendor for information/assistance on migration options where applicable.
- Consider upgrading building blocks to a more recent version, especially if this is required for support on Blackboard Learn SaaS.
The Information Gathering Building Block on Behind the Blackboard can help you gather information needed to understand your building block usage and prepare for this part of the migration.
