The Big Repeating Reminder:

OSU is ending its BuckeyeBox license agreement at the end of SPR 2021, and OCIO is proceeding with final planning and testing on file migration from Box to OneDrive/SharePoint.  Migrations of content will be starting soon (e.g., end of 2020/beginning of 2021).

What Do I Need To Do?

Start your prep for this migration by getting rid of files you don’t need and eliminating duplicate files; a good housecleaning will shorten actual migration time.

After you’ve reduced your content, you’ll want to make sure your folder/file structure can be migrated, with regard to naming limitations.

Resources:

1. OCIO has guidance and details on the transition process, including links to job aids and help videos.

2.  ASCTech’s Knowledge Base article about the Box transition/migration. (This article is being updated as new info arrives.)

3. ASCTech’s Knowledge Base article on MSTeams and OneDrive Introduction.

File Path+Filename Character Limitation

A big adjustment for all of us will involve SharePoint’s limitations on file and folder name length.  (Many of us have some pretty deep, multi-level folder structures in Box. ) Unlike Box, that upper limit is 400 characters for the combined length of each filename plus its associated path. You will need to manually manage your Box filenames and folder names before your migration starts, so that all your files/folders are under that 400 character maximum.

When OCIO begins moving your content from Box to OneDrive/SharePoint, any path+filename over 400 characters will be flagged as an error, and the migration of your content stops.  OCIO will leave it up to you to resolve any error flags, and then you will have to request that the migration be re-initiated.

How Do I Fix It?

• UPDATED (12/16/20): ASCTech now has a method (and related KB article) to help you scan and identify path+filename length issues ahead of your migration.
• Perhaps the biggest help is to flatten the complexity in your Box content structure; reduce “nesting” of sections content and move folders up-level where possible.
  • Example: If you have a structure that looks like [some parent folder(s)]\Physics\Physics Instruction\Undergrad\Lower Division\Physics 1200_1201,

you might need to try something like: PHYInstruction\UgradLower_1250_1251 [35 chars] – perhaps even PHYInstruc\UgradLower_1250_1251 [31 chars]

where the PHYInstruction folder is moved to the top of of the folder structure, rather than existing as a subfolder below a Physics top-level folder.

• Some special characters are allowed in filenames (see below), but remove all excessive spaces, underscores and hyphens.
• Try shifting to “camel case”, where the first character of each word is capitalized.
  • Example:  If you have a folder named Big Difficult Research Project – 2020 [37 chars],

shift to BigDifficultResearchProject_2020 [32 chars]

or even BigDiffResProject_2020 [22 chars]

• Set up a list of abbreviations for your project group or lab to use:
  • Example: where you need both Physics and Astronomy folder structures, prepend folder names with PHY- and Astro-,  and again, move each of those structures to a top level rather than nesting.  The prepend+underscore then sorts those folders alphabetically in OneDrive/SharePoint.
    • Astro_UgradOutreach (Astronomy Undergraduate Outreach)
    • PHY_CERNDocs (Physics CERN documentation)
• All of the above techniques work on filenames, too.

Special Characters:

Some elements of special character set can be used; however:

• There are characters not allowed in file and/or folder names, including   ” * : < > ? / \ |
  
• Leading and trailing spaces can’t be used in file and/or folder names

Additional Documentation:

• Limits and Specifications for Microsoft Teams – various parameters/limits within Teams usage
• SharePoint Limits – discusses individual and Teams storage limits
• Invalid File Names and File Types in OneDrive and SharePoint – nitty-gritty details

And, as always, contact your local ASCTech staff for additional questions and help…