Which tables to Migrate for J Users +VM Shoppers / orders / account details only

[DubStudio]

Hi there,

I have just completed the following migration onto my development site using a third-party component (JMigrator):

VM 2.6.17 (J 2.5.28) to VM 3.6.10 (J 3.9.15)

So far so good, my only query at this point is what tables I should transfer once I have finished the new site. I would like my users to have a seamless transition so they can still log in, see their old orders and account details, but all the products will have been changed so I don't want to bring any of the old guff with me.

Is this even possible?

[GJC Web Design]

virtuemart_userinfos

and in screen ..

[DubStudio]

Amazing, thank you!

I am hoping that deleting all my old products and replacing them with new ones won't create any problems when they look at their old orders from the previous site. I guess that's kind of impossible, since the order will have a link to a product that no longer exists. I can live with that I think, but I wonder the best way of handling this. Is there a way to redirect from old orders to non-existent products?

[jenkinhill]

Where a product is no longer available I prefer to unpublish the product rather than delete it. Would that help?

[pinochico]

Where a product is no longer available I prefer to unpublish the product rather than delete it. Would that help?

Don't use this - delete or unpublish!!! - then You generate 404 for product URL, than was indexed.

Use publish and discontinued checkbox and use override template for showing unpublish products:

Original solutions from the big ecommerce company ALZA in Czech - https://www.alza.cz/samsung-850-evo-500gb-kit-d2418828.htm
Solutions in VirtueMart eshop - https://www.kolo-park.cz/obchod/zvonek-velobel-mini-zluty-detail

Of Course, You must hacked model product and category and search - discontinued product can't be searched or show on category view (maybe new version VM is include this option in core), only if you click on indexed link on google.

[DubStudio]

Thanks, yes I think unpublishing is the way, because I don't want out-of-date product details hanging around anywhere on the site. I also don't want any 404 pages, so I think I will keep the old products unpublished but check the "notify" option from the "Product Details Page" dropdown, and use an override to explain the product may either be legacy or out of stock, for example:

"(<b>%s</b>) is probably a legacy product from the previous website, in which case you can find our new range by browsing the site. Otherwise, it might be an out-of-stock item, in which case please click the link below and we can notify you when we get a re-up."

I can't foresee any negative implications of this, but if anyone can think of any I would appreciate the input

[GJC Web Design]

my take would be if your never going to stock these products again why keep the urls alive?
404 is the method to kill these links from search engines.. or 301 them to an equivalent or similar product so at least the old links die and transfer their juice to the newer products

[DubStudio]

Good point, I will kill the links on my site, but I can't kill the links on their past orders can I? I don't want them to see 404 pages if they click on the products they have previously ordered. It makes more sense for them to be told that the product has either been taken down and replaced (or its out of stock) rather than seeing no information at all.

[pinochico]

#GJC Web Design
my take would be if your never going to stock these products again why keep the urls alive?
404 is the method to kill these links from search engines

I think no, is not.

The search engines keep this url min half year and meanwhile, they make the site weaker by adding a negative rating because it contains invalid links (like spam farm links).
If I have an e-shop with many more 10,000 products and products are automatically imported from ERP, admin has no time and the ability to create the right 301 redirects (With an error in the order summary links).

The right method for good seo is as I wrote, but let everyone decide how they need or send me better solutions.

I have to keep the power of websites healthy and I use the methods that lead to this result. I am inspired by the e-shops that are the leader and unfortunately mostly do not do what the programmers advise me, but they do what I want.
Of course, if I use an e-shop with few products, it is possible to use other manual methods (301 redirects, unpublish products), but I still create wrong links in the list of buyers orders - it will not please them.

[DubStudio]

Personally I find it a bit annoying when I am searching for something and it comes up in a shop as "out of stock". I know the shop has probably kept it there to improve SEO and that annoys me even more. Why would you want your site to bring you traffic for things that you no longer sell anyway?

Going back to the OP, I am interested in making a smooth experience for my users, not wasting their time with dead links.

[pinochico]

Using Google Search Console?

Connect your eshop to GSC and check how much you have 404 and why.
Then find a better solution than just turning off the products and creating a 404.

You won't find discontinued products on our site - search and view is modified.

It upsets and annoys me again when I click on a link on google and it doesn't work without explanation.
Then I never go to such a website again because I don't trust it.

there is no need to practice the same as I do. It is still possible to use what was done before - turn off the product.

But I will use another method I wrote. My experience is simply different.

[DubStudio]

I am sorry I am not sure I understand. In the example links you gave, the products are still published, but the images are greyed out. They still show up in google searches, and also (I am guessing) when someone checks their previous orders (because their old orders probably contain links to the discontinued products).

I am looking for a solution where the discontinued products do not show up in google searches, are not linked to from previous orders and do not give 404 messages.

The "notify me" checkbox serves this purpose, because it makes the products invisible, but instead of giving a 404 message it gives an alternative message. Unless I am missing something, that seems to be the best solution in this case?

[Studio 42]

You can add own system for your case. Eg verify discontinued product and add a 404 redirection in this case to the category.