Even if you're only casually acquainted with Drupal 8, you probably know that the core upgrade path to Drupal 8 was completely rewritten from the ground-up, using many of the concepts of the Migrate and Drupal-to-Drupal migration modules. Using the new core Migrate modules, it is possible to migrate much of a Drupal 6 (or Drupal 7) site to Drupal 8 with a minimum of fuss.
But the core "Migrate upgrade" is similar to previous major-version upgrade paths: it's an all-or-nothing approach. This session demonstrated how to pick and choose exactly what to migrate — specific content types, fields, users, and more — giving developers fine-grained control over the migration process.
The workshop included code samples and a live demo, walking attendees through the creation of custom migration configurations using Drupal 8's core Migrate and Migrate Drupal modules.
About the Speaker
Mike Anello is a Drupal developer and trainer at OSTraining, the organization behind Drupal 8 Day. His session focused on practical, real-world migration techniques that give developers control over what content moves to Drupal 8.
For those planning a migration to Drupal 8, understanding the core Migrate modules is essential for a smooth transition from older versions. This session focuses on the practical steps involved in moving custom content from Drupal 6 or 7 into the modern Drupal 8 framework. Attendees gain insight into how the new system handles data mapping, field transformations, and entity relationships, making the upgrade process more manageable. Whether you are working with a small personal site or a large enterprise platform, the techniques covered here help reduce downtime and preserve content integrity throughout the migration journey.
The Drupal community has long recognized that upgrading between major versions can be a daunting task. This workshop demystifies the process by breaking down the migration workflow into clear, repeatable steps. Participants explore how to write custom migration scripts, handle edge cases, and test their results before going live. By leveraging the powerful tools built into Drupal 8 core, developers can automate much of the heavy lifting while retaining full control over how their content is structured. This session is ideal for site builders and developers seeking a reliable path forward.