A source extractor can export directory information, mailboxes, personal address book (PAB) entries, personal distribution lists, mail messages, attachments, calendar data, and public information. Microsoft Exchange Server provides source extractors for many popular systems. If a source extractor for your system does not exist, you can create one to copy information from your system to migration files. You can then use the Migration Wizard to import the information to Microsoft Exchange Server. For more information, see the Microsoft Exchange Server Migration Guide.
Creating and using a source extractor involves the following activities:
A source extractor must create the following three types of migration files:
The following figure shows the relationships between the migration files.
Each migration file contains one or more types of objects, as described in the following table.
| Objects | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Custom recipient addresses | Creates custom recipients. |
| Mailbox names | Creates mailboxes, replacing custom recipients when correctly configured. |
| Mailbox data | Imports messages into the Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox. |
| PAB data | Imported as a message in the Inbox for users to recreate their personal address book entries. |
| Public data | Creates public folders, imports data, and assigns the current administrator as owner. |
| Scheduling data | Creates a schedule file, attaches the file to a message, and imports the message. |
For information on the format required for migration, see Migration Files.