Suggestions for future enhancements
Most of the suggestions for improvements are fairly minor, but I do want to mention them. First of all, I wish I'd had access to something like this sooner after the release of R5, but I'm certainly very glad it's available now. From what I've heard, a lot of companies haven't yet migrated. R6 Migration Pro will probably be available sooner after the next major upgrade, and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on that.

Another small suggestion for improvement is in the menu on the left. Some of the buttons on the navigator were intended for use for internal review by Tactica, and some of the views show the review status of documents as well. Only the Table of Contents, Index, and Database Help buttons in the navigator are really useful, but they are all you need to effectively find your way around the application.

The good news is that R5 Migration Pro is a constantly evolving product, so enhancements are continually being made available to customers. In fact, many improvements have already been made. I received word from Richard Echeandia, Technology Principal of Tactica Technology Group and DominoPower Senior Technical Editor, that R5 Migration Pro has been updated since the writing of this article.

Here's what he had to say about the changes:

The update contains some user requested modifications to the functionality of the database regarding the navigator. A couple of customers have asked us to change how the editing/document ownership is handled so that they can distribute responsibility for modifying and updating the documents for their organizations. We've also added a My Documents folder that allows users to maintain a subset of the documents they need to concentrate on. You might find that functionality useful.

There's no doubt we all will.

How and where to get it
OK, the bottom line is that R5 Migration Pro is going to run you $695, but that's for a site license. Everyone at your site can have access to the information it contains and use it for one fee, which is a great savings in itself. And it includes one year of quarterly updates, as well.

To me, the decision to purchase R5 Migration Pro is a no-brainer if you're upgrading from R4 to R5. And the cost is a bargain compared to trying to gather this information together on your own. If you still think the cost is too high, call around to a few Domino consultants and ask them their hourly rate. Then ask them how long it would take and how much it would cost to put together something like R5 Migration Pro for you. Then, after you pick your jaw up off the floor, go to http://www.teamstudio.com and order R5 Migration Pro.

Conclusion
R5 Migration Pro is definitely an MLA (Major League Application). Big time. And it can help save you time and save you from presidential candidate-sized embarrassments as well. What are you waiting for? Your servers aren't going to migrate themselves.

Senior Technical Editor Dan Velasco is a Web Developer at IDG Global Communications in San Mateo, CA. He is also an R4 and R5 CLP Principal Application Developer and an R5 CLP System Administrator. You can reach him via email at dvelasco@dominopower.com or on the Web at http://dan.velasco.com.