Email Duplication frustration

[bhwong]

Hi,

When using ZCS Import Wizard for Outlook to transfer emails from Outlook into Zimbra account, we encounter incomplete migration due to either email with huge attachments or network disconnection. Unfortunately, there is no check for duplication. So we can't use it to import again as there are already new emails coming into the Zimbra account.

The workaround we can think of that has a check for duplication is to create a temp zimbra account to import from outlook again. Export it as Zimbra archive and import this Zimbra archive into the user Zimbra account and select replace duplication.

To our surprise, Zimbra import failed to replace duplicates and now there are 2 copies of every emails. What can we do next? Is there an utility to remove duplicate like Outlook add on for Zimbra?

So why did Zimbra Import failed to replace duplicates?

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by bhwong

To our surprise, Zimbra import failed to replace duplicates and now there are 2 copies of every emails. What can we do next? Is there an utility to remove duplicate like Outlook add on for Zimbra?

So why did Zimbra Import failed to replace duplicates?

I assume that you had the option to "ignore previously imported items" checked? Did you also read the message at the end of the wizard that said "Delete all log files,
including logs to resume an import", if you left that box checked and just ended the wizard then you'll get duplicates.

[rmvg]

Originally Posted by phoenix

I assume that you had the option to "ignore previously imported items" checked? Did you also read the message at the end of the wizard that said "Delete all log files,
including logs to resume an import", if you left that box checked and just ended the wizard then you'll get duplicates.

What a stupid default

[bhwong]

Hi,

If you read properly, I'm using Zimbra webclient's export and import function under preference to check for duplication for the 2nd import. Not ZCS Import Wizard for Outlook, which is used for for the first import.

Anyway, both methods create duplicates, not to mention that after ZCS Import Wizard for Outlook, the dates shown is imported dates, not email received dates.

[rmvg]

Yes very frustrating in the end i had to use thunder bird with a plug in to remove the duplicates then re-sync back the deletes very time consuming and messy. As far as i am concerned an almost unacceptable solution some of my users have 10 GB + of email, and it took weeks to remove all/most? of the duplicates.

PS The PST to ZCS import wizard did not affect my dates can you image how pissed the users would be if it did!!

[mannix77]

what was the plug in you used in Thunder bird?

[bhwong]

Interestingly, not all imported emails have dates display as imported date. Only some. I wonder why.

[Waffles]

Originally Posted by phoenix

I assume that you had the option to "ignore previously imported items" checked? Did you also read the message at the end of the wizard that said "Delete all log files,
including logs to resume an import", if you left that box checked and just ended the wizard then you'll get duplicates.

That's not true.

With the 7.1.3 import wizard I'm still getting duplicates. That "Ignore previously imported items" is checked and grayed out so we can't change it, and I've made sure that I'm not deleting log files (because I'm looking at them after I close the wizard). Tried it 5 times now. Still duplicating messages.

So what I'm having to do is just create an IMPORT user, try importing, if I get a ton of errors, then I just stop the import, delete that import user, recreate that import user, tweak settings, scan PST, etc and try again until I can get the number of errors minimized to something manageable.

[bhwong]

It appears that duplication is still an unsolved frustration. Will be good if de-duplication function is inside Zimbra UI so that we can remove them even when they are already imported into our accounts.

Even better, have de-duplication at the storage level so that duplication won't take up additional storage.