When you use the Data Synchronization Tool to migrate a large quantity of item information from Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 or from Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains 8.0 to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0, it takes a long time to process the records. Additionally, the Data Synchronization Tool stops responding.

By default, the Data Synchronization Tool is installed when the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Connector for Microsoft Dynamics GP is installed.

To resolve this problem, use the new Data Migration Tool. To obtain the Data Migration Tool, download and install the following hotfix.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Installation information

Install this hotfix on computers that are running the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Connector for Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required for this hotfix.

Restart requirement

If you are prompted, restart the computer after you install the hotfix.

Removal information

To remove this hotfix from a computer that is running Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows 2000, use Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

You can use the Data Migration Tool to migrate item data from Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 or from Microsoft Business Solutions - Great Plains 8.0 to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. The Data Migration Tool does not support the migration or correlation of any other entities.

When you migrate an item entity instance from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics CRM by using the Data Migration Tool, the following entity instances are created in Microsoft Dynamics CRM:

• Product
• Discounts
• Price List Items

The Data Migration Tool should be used together with the Data Synchronization Tool to migrate data from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

When you migrate data from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you have to preserve a sequence for the entities. The following table shows this sequence and the tool that supports each particular entity.If the quantity of item data in Microsoft Dynamics GP is large, we recommend that you use the Data Migration Tool. The Data Synchronization Tool can be used if the number of items is less than 30,000. If the number of items exceeds 30,000, we strongly recommend that you use the Data Migration Tool.

To use the Data Migration Tool, follow these steps:

1. Back up the following databases:
   • Microsoft Dynamics GP
   • Microsoft Dynamics CRM
   • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Connector for Microsoft Dynamics GP
2. At the command prompt, run the following command.

   Microsoft.MbsIntegration.DataMigration.exe -fetch 

   After you run this command, a new file that is named Item.txt is created. Each line in the Item.txt file contains an item number of a Microsoft Dynamics GP item.
3. Start the migration of the fetched items. The migration option has two parameters:
   • The number of threads to use for migration
   • The number of milliseconds to sleep between the successive processing of each item
   For example, if you want the migration to occur with two threads and with 500 milliseconds sleep, use the following command.

   Microsoft.MbsIntegration.DataMigration.exe -migrate 2 500

   In this example, each thread sleeps 500 milliseconds before it processes an item. This sleep is necessary because the Data Migration Tool uses Web services to create entities in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and the Web services may take some time to process.
   
   Note We recommend that you use 500 milliseconds sleep.
4. If any items fail, a Failure.txt file is created. To see whether the Failure.txt file contains any items, open the Failure.txt file in Notepad. If the Failure.txt file contains any items, you can publish the data about the failed items through the integration system by using the Data Migration Tool. Then, the other integration tools can be used to determine the reason that the items failed. To publish the data about the failed items, type the following command at the command prompt.

   Microsoft.MbsIntegration.DataMigration.exe -publish

5. Use the Integration Monitor to determine why the items cannot be published.

How to handle errors

Errors in data migration may occur for various reasons. Typically, errors occur because of one of the following reasons:

• Dependent entities are not migrated. Dependent entities for items include the following entities:
  • UoM Schedule
  • UoM
  • Price Level
  • Site
• Alternate items are not migrated. For example, item A is using item B as an alternate item. When you migrate item A, item B is not yet migrated. Then, the item A alternate item message fails, and item A is added to the list of failed items.

You can find the reason for the failure in the log files that are in the integration folder. For more information about how to use the log files, see the "References" section.

Known issues

Items that fail can be published through the Integration System. However, the Data Migration Tool publishes only the item messages for these items. The Item Site Quantity messages for these Items are not submitted. Therefore, for items that fail, and that are published through the Integration System by using the Data Migration tool, the Site Quantity is not available in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

For more information about the terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: