About Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs

Resolving Data Integrity Issues

For more information, see To Migrate Files to Autodesk Docs Using Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs.

Issue type: Missing References

When Desktop Connector transfers files with references, it attempts to find all referenced files. If the migration is performed without fixing the missing references, Desktop Connector will show the following notification: "Failure gathering references. One or more referenced files may have been deleted or you may not have read permissions."

This error indicates that the referenced files could not be found.

This is an issue because the missing references will not be uploaded to Autodesk Docs. This will result in broken links in the host drawings stored in Autodesk Docs.

How to fix this issue:

• Option 1: Use Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs to resolve the Missing References issues. To do that, expand the list of missing references and specify the path where the missing file is located. The reference will be re-pathed and uploaded together with the host file to Autodesk Docs. Note that if the referenced file is not located within the host's folder structure (inside the same folder as the host or one of the subfolders below it), fixing the missing reference issue type will generate a Related Data issue type.
• Option 2: Open the original file in the authoring application and resolve any missing references prior to uploading the file. Once the broken references are fixed and the changes to the host file are saved, you will need to select the Rescan button to consume the changes.

Issue type: Related Data

When Desktop Connector transfers host files with references, it evaluates the relative position of those references in relation to the host.

When the referenced files are not located in the same folder that is being migrated (or inside one of its subfolders), they are considered to be "related data" and will not be uploaded together with the host file.

This is an issue because related data is considered to be outside of the migration set so the affected files will be excluded from the migration and the paths to the referenced files will not be resolved inside the host file. This represents a data integrity issue and will result in broken references in the migrated dataset.

How to fix this issue:

• In Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs, expand the list of related data issues, select the files to resolve, and specify a folder for them to be uploaded to within the Autodesk Docs target location.

  You can select a target folder that represents the future state of the dataset in Autodesk Docs or create a new folder in which to store the referenced files.

Note: Folders that represent the future state of the dataset are marked in blue with a Pending state.

Issue type: Circular References

A sequence of nested references that refers back to itself is considered a circular reference. For example, if drawing A references drawing B, which references drawing C, which references drawing A, the reference sequence A>B>C>A is a circular reference.

This is an issue because circular references may result in problems when downloading and uploading documents through Desktop Connector, and may also affect performance.

How to fix this issue:

This type of issue is considered informative because it cannot be resolved within the Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs app. It is recommended but not required to remove circular references if possible. To remove circular references:

1. Use Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs to check if there are any circular references in the selected dataset.
2. Open the affected files in the authoring application, such as Civil 3D or AutoCAD.
   Note: You can click the file name to expand the dependency map and review its references.
3. Remove the references that result in a circular dependency.
4. Save the files.
5. Click the Rescan button to consume the changes.

Issue type: Long File Path

Desktop Connector does not support file paths longer than 244 characters. For more information, see Docs - Long Path.

The following notification will be shown when attempting to upload a file into a Desktop Connector that exceeds the character limits: "The operation would result in a path that is too long. The path must be no more than 244 characters."

This is an issue because attempting to upload a file into a location that exceeds the character limits will cause a failed pending action and the file will not be uploaded.

How to fix this issue:

This type of issue is considered informative because it cannot be resolved within the Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs app. To resolve the issue:

1. Rearrange the folder structure or change the file name using Windows Explorer so the resulting path is below the limit.
2. Click the Rescan button to consume the changes.

If rearranging the folder structure is not sufficient to keep the path below the limit, consider choosing a shorter directory for the target Autodesk Docs location.

Issue type: Duplicated File Name

In rare scenarios where datasets contain several source files with the same name stored locally in different paths, resolving the previous issue types (Missing References, Related Data) can generate a Duplicated File Name issue.

This occurs when two source files with the same name are selected to be stored in the same Autodesk Docs target location. The files with the same name can represent the exact same file, different versions of the same file, or totally different files that happen to share the same name.

This is an issue because uploading two files with the same name to Desktop Connector will result in failed pending actions and/or unexpected file overwrites.

How to fix this issue:

• Use Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs to resolve this issue using the most appropriate option for each file:
  • Select the file and use the Resolve button to specify a different target location for the file.
  • Select the file and click the "..." button on the right. Then, select the Do Not Upload option so the file will not be uploaded.

Issue type: Unsupported Files

Supported and unsupported file types are documented in the Supported Files topic.

Attempting to upload unsupported file types is an issue because it will cause a failed pending action in Desktop Connector.

This type of issue is considered informative because it does not require user input. The Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs app will exclude unsupported file types from the upload process.

Best practices for migrating Civil 3D data shortcut projects

When migrating a Civil 3D data shortcut project using Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs, the data reference (DREF) information in the host drawings will be automatically updated to point to the new paths in Autodesk Docs, but the information in the data shortcut .xml files will not be updated. This will not impact the data shortcut mechanism as long as the source drawings are stored within the folder to be migrated and the relative path to the working folder remains the same after migration. In those cases, the data reference to the shortcuts will be found and resolved in Civil 3D for other users with sufficient permissions.

The following conditions can lead to broken shortcuts after migration:

• Host drawings with a broken reference to the shortcuts.
• Source drawings stored outside the folder to be migrated, so that a Related Data issue would be identified by the app. Even if the Related Data issue is fixed within Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs, the shortcut will be broken unless the relative path to the working folder is maintained.
• Source drawings stored on a different drive than the shortcut (for example, the working folder is stored on D:\ but the reference is on Z:\, or on a network drive). In those cases, the shortcut .xml file only contains an absolute path that will be broken after migration.

To resolve broken references after migration, use the Data Shortcuts Editor to specify the path in Autodesk Docs where the source drawing is located.

Considerations and best practices to migrate large or complex datasets

There are some operations within the Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs app (such as checking data integrity, fixing multiple missing references, preparing the list for upload, and browsing to a folder in Autodesk Docs) where there might be processing delays. These delays are greater when the dataset contains many files and folders. In this case, please wait until the app finishes processing.

Additionally, Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs copies the selected folders and files to the Desktop Connector workspace, and then relies on Desktop Connector for the uploading process. Both processes can be time consuming for large and/or complex datasets. For that reason, it is recommended to use Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs when Desktop Connector is not being used for other processes (there should not be any Pending Actions). The following operations should be avoided while running a migration: opening and saving drawings, dragging and dropping folders into Desktop Connector, and running multiple instances of the app.

While Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs can identify all data integrity issues for a given dataset, it may be counterproductive to fix them all within the app if the number of issues is high. If you have a large dataset (either in size or the number of files) where many Long Path issues, Missing References issues, and Related Data issues are found, consider spending time to re-arrange folders and fix references locally, and then use the Rescan button to consume the changes. The more issues that need to be fixed, the longer it will take for the app to complete all the processes (including the uploading phase, which could consume excessive bandwidth).

Use the exclusion list to filter out unnecessary files (.log, .tmp, .err, and so on) which will not be necessary and will increase the processing times. Similarly, you can clear the selection of entire folders from the local dataset if desired.

Avoid as many circular references as possible, especially if they contain many nested levels, as these may increase the uploading times. If the circular relationship is needed, consider removing it temporarily for the migration, and then add it back after the files are stored in Autodesk Docs.

Known issues in the Autodesk DWG Migration for Docs app

• Drawing thumbnails are not correctly displayed in tile view.
• It is not possible to select a different target location for specific files so the desired folder structure should be organized locally before migrating.
• Files that contain circular references may have a version increase in Autodesk Docs (V2 instead of V1) as a result of the references being re-pathed.
• Missing references.
  • When fixing Missing References issues, there is a delay after clicking the Resolve button as the directory is checked for other files in the missing references list for potential resolution.

    For large datasets, this delay may take up to a few minutes. Please wait until the process is initiated without clicking another icon.

  • If a file is excluded/unselected in the Select Data page and the same file is used to fix a Missing Reference issue, the file will continue to be excluded from the upload.
• The content of the shortcut XML files is not updated in the migration process. This can lead to broken shortcuts in certain circumstances. See the "Best practices for migrating Civil 3D data shortcut projects" section below for more information.
• The Revert All button is disabled when expanding an issue type list a second time.
• Table columns are resized automatically to their previous position when displaying them a second time.
• Duplicated File Name issues are occasionally reported incorrectly.