The Data Publisher should not be placed on a particular page more than once. If you place multiple instances of the Data Publisher on a single page and configure each one differently, the properties will not work correctly. Of course, you can place another instance of the Data Publisher on another page and configure it as you wish. In that case, both instances will function as expected.
The number one reason CorasWorks Support receives calls regarding the Data Publisher is users who have forgotten to select the destination lists at the bottom of the page for Step 2: Select Lists and Map fields. They have selected the source list and destination list for mapping and mapped the desired fields, but cannot figure out why the link to the next step is not available.
After you map the fields and click the Store Settings button, you must select at least one destination list from the drop-down at the bottom of the page. Once you have made that selection, the Next: 3. Define Filters link will be displayed.
If you expect to perform the same copy or move on a regular basis, you will want to keep the same static settings and discourage other users from making any modifications. You may want to consider placing an instance of the Data Publisher on its own tab or view and labeling the tab or view so that its purpose is clear. If you have Administrator access, you can use the LCID properties to modify the descriptions on any of the pages and add a statement to explain that none of the settings should be modified because the Data Publisher has been configured for a specific purpose. If you set up the Data Publisher in this manner, you can configure it once and then go directly to the Execute screen whenever you want to perform the same copy or move again.
If you expect to use the Data Publisher for different purposes and want to achieve different results each time, place the web part wherever it's convenient to you and your users. Any of the settings can be modified any number of times. Just remember to review and save the settings on each page so you get the results you expect, rather than what the previous user configured.
The Data Publisher is not meant to be accessed by multiple users at once. As with all other CorasWorks web parts, you can have as many instances of the web part in as many locations as you need. However, you should ensure that you do not have more than one person modifying the settings or executing a data transfer at once in a single instance of the web part. If multiple users simultaneously attempt to modify the settings for a single instance, the Data Publisher will utilize the most recently stored settings, which may cause unexpected results when the copy or move is executed.
Keep in mind that the Data Publisher supports the following list types:
Announcements
Contact
Document Library
Events
Generic List
Links
Picture Library
Tasks
XML Form
NOTE: The Data Publisher does NOT support Surveys, Issues, or Discussions lists. It also does NOT support copying or moving data from one lookup field to another.
If you need to copy or move large amounts of data, it is important to keep in mind some practical limits. As you increase the number of records and/or size of documents or other attachments to copy or move, you also increase both the amount of memory used by the server and the amount of time you allow for the process to complete.
CorasWorks has thoroughly tested the Data Publisher and found that the following recommendations ensure the best results and shortest response time:
Enable threading when copying/moving more then 20-30 items (see Administration Properties).
Limit the number of records to no more then 100 in a single copy or move, with no more then 10 destinations (1000 total destination records).
Limit the number of documents to no more than 100 in a single copy or move, with no more then 10 destinations (1000 total destination documents).
Some system fields, such as Modified By, Created, etc., are not automatically mapped. This is because the same fields must exist in the destination list with their own unique values. For example, the Created field on a record in the source list states the date and time on which that record was created. The Created field on a record in the destination list states the date and time on which the record was moved or copied into that list. These fields do not and should not contain the same value.
If you want to keep track of the original values of a system field, you can add a field to the destination list to hold that information. To do this, select "Create New [field name] Field" from the bottom of the drop-down list. This field will have the same name as the source field, with some text appended to the beginning of the new field name. This text is defined in the Data Publisher's Administration Properties. For example, if the text is defined as "Original" and you choose to have the Data Publisher create a new Created By field in the destination list, that field will be labeled "Original Created By".
Remember that if you add fields to the destination list, they will not be displayed in any views of the destination list until you add the new field(s) to a list view after the move or copy is performed.
NOTE: Due to the way SharePoint determines GUIDs, CorasWorks recommends that, if you are moving or copying data from one site collection to another, you do not include these values in the copy/move:
Assigned To
Modified By
Created By
When you map fields from a source to a destination, you may notice a source field called "Transfer Message". This allows you create a field in the destination list or library where you can add content to every record that is moved or copied, or just selected records. You can define the same message for all of the records, or custom content for individual records. For example, you might want to use this field to provide a marketing code that indicates the original source of the data, the name of the person performing the data transfer or some other piece of information.
To use this field, select Create New Transfer Message Field when you map the fields from your source to your destination. When you get to Step 4 (Define Data Transfer), you will see that there is a Message For All field as well as individual Transfer Message fields for each record listed.
NOTE: Do not provide content in both the Message For All field and the individual Transfer Message fields. If you define a message in the Message For All field, it will take precedence over anything you type in a Transfer Message field.
If you set the Copy/Move All field to "Yes," you cannot define individual messages for each of the records to be copied or moved. It will automatically utilize whatever is placed in the Message For All field (even if it is blank). However, you can work around this: Set the Copy/Move All field to "Yes" and click Store Settings. This places a check mark next to every record. Then set the Copy/Move All field to "No," define the individual messages you want to use, and click Store Settings again. The point made in the bullet above still applies, however -- you cannot define a transfer message in both the Message For All field and the Transfer Message field.
There is a setting in the Administration Properties called "Overwrite Destination List Items" that determines the treatment of any records that already exist in the destination list when a copy is performed. It does not apply to moves. When this setting is turned off and a copy is performed, the copied records will be appended to the destination list or library - any existing records in the destination will not be affected. When this setting is turned on, records are copied as follows:
When a record is created in SharePoint, it is assigned a unique ID. When the Data Publisher copies a record, it stores the ID of the source record in a field called CWDPOID in the destination record. This is the field the Data Publisher references to determine whether or not a record in the source list already exists in the destination list when a copy is performed. The Data Publisher does not perform a field-by-field comparison.
If Overwrite Destination List Items is turned on when you perform a copy, the Data Publisher will determine whether the source ID exists in the destination list. If it exists, the record will be overwritten. If it does not exist, a new record will be created in the destination list.
NOTE: If you manually copy a record from one list to another, the source ID is not copied. As a result, the Data Publisher will not view that record in the destination list as a duplicate and it will create a new record.
When copying records between libraries, the Data Publisher does not check the source ID. Instead, it looks at the name of the attached file. If a record with the same file name already exists in the destination library and Overwrite Destination List Items is enabled, the record will be overwritten when the copy is performed.
NOTE 1: If a destination document library includes a look-up field and a library item is overwritten by a copy, you will lose the reference to the looked up item. You will need to access that record in the destination library and reselect the value.
NOTE 2: If you create a hardwired link to a document in the destination library and that document is overwritten by a copy, the link will need to be changed.
When records are moved to a destination list, the Data Publisher does not perform a check to see if the records being moved already exist in the list. It simply adds the moved records to the list and does not do anything to any records that already exist in the list.
When records are moved to a destination library, however, the Data Publisher looks at the name of the file associated with each record in the source and the destination. If the file already exists in the destination library, it is overwritten when the move is performed. If the file does not already exist, a new record is added to the destination.