How to Open Legacy Data From Lotus Notes/Domino Applications?
Summary: Opening legacy data from Lotus Notes is difficult and time consuming process. Read the article to learn how to open legacy data from Lotus Notes/Domino application with help of quick and straightforward method if you want to access your legacy data.
No matter when it was produced, data is valuable. Legacy data is crucial for tracking an organization’s development and gaining valuable insights as it grows. Additionally, many regulations, such as GDPR, mandate that organisations keep data on file for a specific amount of time.
However, it could be difficult to access this historical data. It can be difficult, in instance, to retrieve legacy data from Lotus Notes or Domino applications. For this reason, we provide you with two ways to retrieve this historical data. While the second method makes use of third-party extractions tools, the first way involves a series of manual processes.
Manual Methods to Access Legacy Data from Lotus Notes
Here are some manual steps you can follow to access legacy data from Lotus Notes/Domino applications:
#1. Create a Linked Server with ODBC.
In this approach, the underlying tables will be viewed using ODBC, and the ODBC connection will be abstracted by building a linked server in SQL. Here are the procedures.
Launch the Domino Server
Installing the Domino server comes first; download it. If you plan on using this product on a limited basis, you can start with a free trial. Following the installation procedure, double-click the downloaded file. If you don’t already have one, make one because you will need an HCL account. Keep the default settings and only choose the “Domino Utility Server” when prompted for a configuration. Once the installation is finished, close the wizard.
Set Up the Domino Server.
To open the Domino server, double-click it. Although you won’t be using the server, you must configure it when you run for the first time.
Simply follow the wizard’s instructions and use the default values to do this. To get access, you will be required to create a password. The configuration is finished once the wizard has been closed.
Turn Off the Server
Disabling the server when the machine starts is common even if it is not required. To stop the Domino server from using your resources while running in the background, you must take this step.
For this,
Click Administrative Tools > Services to open the Control Panel.
To find HCL Domino Server and HCL Domino Diagnostics, look.
Choose Disabled under “Start type:” by right clicking on both services.
Add ODBC Drivers
Install the NotesSQL ODBC driver after you have finished the previous step. You will once again need to register a login and might need to agree to a legal agreement’s conditions. Keep the default settings as you proceed through the installation wizard.
Set Up Authentication
Configuring the authentication is the next step. To carry out this,
Navigate to the Windows folder where NotesSQL is set up. Double-click the NSQL_ALM.exe file. The NotesSQL Authentication List Manager is seen here.
Enter the Windows path to the “Notes.ini” file in the dialogue box.
Click the “Display List” button that is located underneath it. All Notes users will be shown in this. Click “Add User” if the user is not already listed.
Enter the location of the user’s Notes ID file in the newly created dialogue box. Click “OK.”
Press the “Save List” and “Close” buttons.
Modify the System Variable.
After setting up the user, modify the system path variable. The procedures are as follows:
To access advanced system settings, navigate to Control Panel > System.
Double-click the “Path” variable under Environment Variables.
Click OK after adding the NotesSQL path to the variable.
ODBC Data Source Configuration
Launch the ODBC Data Source Manager. Click on the Add button after selecting the System DSN tab. Select Lotus Notes SQL Driver from the list of available drivers, then click Finish. A dialogue box will appear as a result. Put in the correct values based on your connection’s settings. For instance, use the screenshot below to connect to a local file that is in the same directory as the DB driver.
Set Up the Linked Server.
Finally, connect MS SQL to the Notes server. Connect to your database in the SQL Server Management Studio after opening it. Navigate to Server Objects > Linked Servers in the right-hand pane. New Linked Server can be chosen by right-clicking on Linked Server. As the linked server, type NOTES.
You are now ready to access legacy data. To retrieve data from the Domino database, run the SQL query.
Professional Solution: – Using CubexSoft NSF File Conversion Tool
We’ll use this technique in order figure out how to open legacy data from Lotus Notes using a program called CubexSoft NSF Converter. This do-it-yourself utility transfers data from the Lotus Notes NSF format to the Outlook-compatible PST format. You can also convert to file types including MSG, EML, RTF, PDF, and many others.
To access this tool, follow these steps.
Download the utility, then install it by following the software. Once the installation is complete, double-click the tool to launch it.
Step 1. After opening the software, go to Add Files option to load NSF files by selecting “Export Single Files or Export Multiple Files” buttons. After that, press OK to continue.
Step 2. Now, the software will access the contents of the file and will show them for you. From the list, you can choose the legacy data you need to see.
Step 3. After this, press the Export button to choose “Saving Output Options” from the list.
Step 4. Browse the location to store converted data as desired location.
Step 5. Finally, press the Convert button to begin the conversion. After completing the process, you will get a message “Process Completed Successfully”. After that, press Ok to finish the procedure.
Conclusion
We covered two techniques to access legacy data from Notes in our final section. The first method is difficult and time-consuming; even a minor error could render the data inaccessible. The second approach, which involves using a third party NSF to PST Converter application like CubexSoft IBM Notes Export, is significantly simpler and suitable for users of all technical backgrounds. Additionally, you have more freedom to select the information you want and the format you prefer.
