Developing Migration Files

USMT ships with three standard migration .xml files. You can customize these files to control the behavior of USMT during migration. In addition to the three standard files, you can develop custom .xml files to migrate special application settings and files. The three migration .xml files included with USMT are:

• MigApp.xml Contains rules to migrate application settings.
• MigDocs.xml Contains rules that can find user documents on a computer automatically without creating extensive custom migration .xml files. Use this migration file if the data set is unknown. Don't use this migration file and MigUser.xml together.
• MigUser.xml Contains results to migrate user profiles and user data. Don't use this migration file and MigDocs.xml together.

Customizing USMT

You manage USMT through command-line options and the migration .xml files. You could modify the default files to control some aspects of the migration, but this is not recommended. The better option is to create custom .xml files to migrate specific application settings and data. The following list describes customization points for USMT:

• Command-Line Control You can use command-line options, such as /ui and /ue, to include and exclude specific users during the migration process. You can also specify custom .xml files and manage encryption and compression options.
• Customizing the Migration XML Files You can modify the migration .xml files to exclude portions of a standard migration or to redirect data and settings during the migration process. This capability is helpful for scenarios in which you want to consolidate migrated data, but a better alternative to customizing the existing migration files is creating custom migration files.
• Generating Config.xml You can generate a Config.xml file to exclude an entire feature from the migration. For example, you can exclude the entire Documents folder or exclude all of the settings for a specific application. Using this file to exclude features is easier than modifying the migration .xml files because you don't have to understand the migration rules or syntax. Using this file is also the only way to exclude operating system settings when migrating to Windows 7. For more information about Config.xml, see the USMT.chm help file in the Windows AIK.

Note You can use migration .xml files that you created for USMT 3.0 with USMT 4.0. To use new USMT features, you must refresh your migration files to use new XML elements and command-line options.