Read the 15 Minute Guide to Lotus Notes Email Migration

By Pamella Broom

First and foremost thing to ensure before carrying out messaging platform migration from Lotus Notes to MS Outlook is the installation of IBM Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook email applications on the system where the conversion process is planned to be executed.

What is IBM Lotus Notes? Lotus Notes is an email application developed by an industry giant, IBM. Domino is the email Server of Lotus Notes application, which is mainly used in a multi-user environment wherein emails of users are first downloaded before reaching respective systems. Surely, this email client has email operational capabilities and is used for emailing activities but it would be wrong to call it just an email client as it also has helps users with many other functions and has many operational features and items like to-do-list, journals, contacts, Address Book contacts, bookmarks, templates, tasks etc. So, in a way, Lotus Notes program is a complete enterprise email activity package. It is a full-fledged rapid application platform performing the functions speedily.

How to Set up Lotus Notes on Your System? Perform the following steps to set up Notes email program, on your system where Notes migration is to be carried out:
1. Go to IBM website
2. Get the free demo version of IBM Lotus Notes email application
3. Go to Start > Programs > Lotus Applications > Lotus Notes
4. If Lotus Notes Application is opened for the first time, Lotus Notes Client Configuration Wizard appears
5. Follow the commands coming one after the other in the Wizard window on your system screen and provide the required information to configure Lotus Notes application

What is Microsoft Outlook? Outlook, or formerly called Microsoft Office Outlook is also an email management application developed by Microsoft Corporation. Although, it is often used as just an emailing application, but it also includes other elements like calendar, tasks, contacts, notes, journals etc. Outlook can either be used as a stand-alone email application, or it can also be conjugated with its email Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, basically when used in a multi-user organizational environment.

How to Set Up Outlook on Your System? Most systems operating in Windows environment come bundled with Microsoft Outlook application. To activate it and configure it with POP3 account setting, follow the following steps:
1. Install MS Office on your system. Microsoft Outlook is the default mail software when you install MS office.
2. Go on Start menu and locate Outlook icon in the pop-up menu or locate the Outlook icon on your desktop
3. Click the Outlook icon
4. Configure MS Outlook with POP3 account settings

What is NSF? The email information of Lotus Notes email application is stored in files with .NSF extension. These NSF filesare basically the database files of IBM Lotus Notes. These files store most of Lotus Notes information comprising of email data, contacts info, journal entries, calendar entries, tasks info, to-do list metadata, user data, design information, etc.

How to Locate NSF Files? By default, NSF files are stored at this location - C:Program Fileslotusnotesdata

What is PST? PST is the abbreviated form of “Personal Storage Table”. PST is the extension for the files created using Microsoft Outlook email application. In MS outlook, mail messages, calendar items, contacts and other mailbox items files are stored locally in PST (.pst) files located on your system.

For Lotus Notes Migration You Need to Convert NSF to PST: If you want to move the mailbox items from Lotus Notes email client to Outlook email program, then you need to perform NSF to PST migration. You can do this by using a third-party tool like SysTools Export Notes software.

How to Install SysTools Export Notes for Lotus Notes Email Migration? Follow the following steps to install SysTools Export Notes software and to use it to perform Lotus Notes migration:
1. Go to SysTools Export Notes software website www.exportnotes.com
2. Download FREE Demo Version of SysTools Export Notes software
3. Run SysTools Export Notes software on your system
4. Browse the NSF file which is required to be converted to PST
5. Click “Start Scan” button to initiate NSF database scanning process
6. Preview the mailbox items
7. Select a location to save the converted PST file
8. Click ‘Export to Outlook’ button
9. Navigate the saving location selected during the migration process to open the PST file converted from original NSF file
10. For converting all the mailbox items, buy Full Licensed Version of SysTools Export Notes software

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About The Author
SysTools is a software company dealing into the development of products in various domains like data recovery, Email Conversion and other such arenas. The company has launched many useful tools, one of which is SysTools Export Notes software, which is a Lotus Notes to Outlook a email conversion tool used to Convert NSF Files to PST Files with great proficiency and competency.