Feature Request: GAM datatransfer of G Suite email to another G Suite user

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Russell Legear

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Nov 2, 2017, 10:48:16 AM11/2/17
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Hi Jay & Co,

I'd like to request a feature-add to be able to migrate email from one G Suite account to another in the same domain, ala the way we use datatransfer to migrate Drive documents. This is a common use case in our environment where a user either is terminated and needs their mail migrated to a new account, or changes their employee type and has to get a new email address, and wants the email from their old account.

We have tried using the built-in Admin Console data migration tool in the past, but it's a hot mess and has not once worked for us, so we're hoping GAM might solve this problem. We've also used the old Exchange migration tool, but that is very buggy and requires us to set the same password on both accounts to work. 

Thanks!

Russ Legear
Chicago Public Schools

Jay Lee

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Nov 2, 2017, 10:57:44 AM11/2/17
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The data transfer API does not support email so there's no way for GAM to do this.

You might also try using GYB, another tool f mine though it's effectively in maintenance mode and I'm not doing much with it at this time.


Jay

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Andy Poirier

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Nov 2, 2017, 11:05:28 AM11/2/17
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@Russell, would mailbox delegation work for you? Or are you trying to transfer email and then delete the original account?

Andy Poirier

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On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 10:57 AM, Jay Lee <jay...@gmail.com> wrote:
The data transfer API does not support email so there's no way for GAM to do this.

You might also try using GYB, another tool f mine though it's effectively in maintenance mode and I'm not doing much with it at this time.


Jay
On Nov 2, 2017 10:48 AM, "Russell Legear" <rwle...@cps.edu> wrote:
Hi Jay & Co,

I'd like to request a feature-add to be able to migrate email from one G Suite account to another in the same domain, ala the way we use datatransfer to migrate Drive documents. This is a common use case in our environment where a user either is terminated and needs their mail migrated to a new account, or changes their employee type and has to get a new email address, and wants the email from their old account.

We have tried using the built-in Admin Console data migration tool in the past, but it's a hot mess and has not once worked for us, so we're hoping GAM might solve this problem. We've also used the old Exchange migration tool, but that is very buggy and requires us to set the same password on both accounts to work. 

Thanks!

Russ Legear
Chicago Public Schools

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Russell Legear

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Nov 2, 2017, 11:06:45 AM11/2/17
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Hi Andy,

We do routinely use mailbox delegation, but we have to be careful with that as it leaves the source account online, and that's a security risk and gets us in trouble with our auditors. 


On Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 10:05:28 AM UTC-5, Andy Poirier wrote:
@Russell, would mailbox delegation work for you? Or are you trying to transfer email and then delete the original account?

Andy Poirier

Sr. IT Engineer


W E D D I N G W I R E


301 231 9473

an...@weddingwire.com

website • facebook • instagram • linkedin



On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 10:57 AM, Jay Lee <jay...@gmail.com> wrote:
The data transfer API does not support email so there's no way for GAM to do this.

You might also try using GYB, another tool f mine though it's effectively in maintenance mode and I'm not doing much with it at this time.


Jay
On Nov 2, 2017 10:48 AM, "Russell Legear" <rwle...@cps.edu> wrote:
Hi Jay & Co,

I'd like to request a feature-add to be able to migrate email from one G Suite account to another in the same domain, ala the way we use datatransfer to migrate Drive documents. This is a common use case in our environment where a user either is terminated and needs their mail migrated to a new account, or changes their employee type and has to get a new email address, and wants the email from their old account.

We have tried using the built-in Admin Console data migration tool in the past, but it's a hot mess and has not once worked for us, so we're hoping GAM might solve this problem. We've also used the old Exchange migration tool, but that is very buggy and requires us to set the same password on both accounts to work. 

Thanks!

Russ Legear
Chicago Public Schools

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Peter Smulders

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Nov 2, 2017, 6:05:53 PM11/2/17
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It is an unbelievable kludge and it can be labour-intensive, but it fairly reliably gets the job done: use an IMAP capable mail client and connect to both source and target accounts. I use Thunderbird for this purpose, taking care to only sync selected folders (i.e. e-mail labeled for transportation). Noteworthy gotchas:
  • GMail's and IMAP's idea of folders are distinctly different beasts: you should be very aware that moving mail between accounts performs a delete on the source account, BUT deleting mail from an IMAP folder merely removes the GMail label in GMail. The particular message remains in place unless you go into the GMail interface and delete it there. What I tend to do (but I typically move selected e-mail between a handful of mailboxes) is label the mail for transport, then copy, then move it the copied mail to a 'DELETE-ME' folder, then go into GMail and empty that particular folder.
  • Because all mail needs to be downloaded and uploaded, this is a hardly a 'cloud operation'. Large volumes will consume twice their size in bandwith which may take a while.
  • Thunderbird, whilst a kick-ass IMAP ciient, can take its time doing all that it eventually needs to do. This is the reason I use batches of a 100 or so messages at a time maximum.
I have long wished for someone with the skills to craft a Thunderbird plugin specifically for this purpose. Given that TB does all the heavy lifting, it shouldn't be that big a deal, but alas, I lack 100% of the skill to program TB plugins.

hth -- Peter

✉ Kevin Melillo

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Nov 3, 2017, 7:50:27 AM11/3/17
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Is Google Takeout not an option for you?  This would allow you to archive the data, and if someone requested it, you could make it available to them.

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Eric Dannewitz

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Nov 3, 2017, 9:55:17 AM11/3/17
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Why would changing employee type require a new account. We frequently have people moving around in my district and all we do is move them to a new OU and update their info. GAM could be used for doing it, but we actually use active directory sync and it does it.

Also, as someone who is currently migrating his district to Google from Microsoft exchange 2010, the exchange migration tool works really well. It’s not perfect, but out of the hundreds of people I’ve migrated, maybe 5 have had some issues. Not sure why you would use the exchange migration tool to transfer between two google accounts. And it doesn’t need the same password. It needs a super admin password for both the exchange and the google domains. It doesn’t need the users password. The admin console works well too for migration from exchange.

When I left my last job, I got a google takeout of my account which I could import into another google account if I want. I don’t think it’s really the responsibility of a district to actually move and setup someone’s old account. That would be like firing someone then helping them move their office stuff to a new office. That’s crazy.

But I don’t understand the whole changing employee type and getting a new account. Just move them to a new OU. Are they changing names? Like teache...@chicagoschools.org to teacherlevel7? I imagine they are keeping their name right? So why the need to create a new account?

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