Migration from MS-Outlook to Evolution

Current Situation The generally promoted method for migrating e-mail and contacts from MS-Outlook to Evolution is via Thunderbird.

Problem Statement The problem with this technique is that importing the e-mails into Evolution is done one folder at a time. For users who have large archives of e-mails (in my case over 100 folders) this process is cumbersome, time consuming and a real barrier to migration. For users who don't need the benefits of an integrated PIM the temptation will be to migrate only as far as Thunderbird.

Requested Development Enhance the current import function in Evolution by providing the option to automatically repeat the operation for all files and folders below a designated directory. This would result in a tree structure of folders below the target folder that can then be pruned and reorganised by the user.

Additional Points to Note The Thunderbird tool for importing e-mails from MS-Outlook does not appear to pick-up any e-mails in the top level of a .pst file, only e-mails stored in lower level folders within the .pst file. The easy work-around is (within MS-Outlook) to move e-mails in the top level of the file into a sub-folder prior to using the Thunderbird import facility. This aspect of migration should be highlighted to prospective users.

Problems Solved - But Not Widely Known. See http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3178111#post3178111

and a "Howto" at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3172065#post3172065

I recommend that you make the information in the Ubuntu forum part of your documentation (as a Howto)

Apps/Evolution/Migration_tool_from_MS-Outlook (last edited 2013-08-08 22:50:12 by WilliamJonMcCann)