Recommended Migration Timeline
Use this phased timeline to reduce release risk.
Phase 1: Audit (1-2 days)
- Inventory all XP/XM templates and Bynder field usage.
- Classify each field by cardinality, media type, and rendering behavior.
- Mark high-risk templates (business-critical or high-traffic).
Phase 2: Model and Configure (2-5 days)
- Map each legacy field to a SitecoreAI Plugin target.
- Configure mode and assetTypes on
__Standard Values. - Introduce dual fields where Sitecore-native and Bynder media must coexist.
Phase 3: Component Migration (time depends on component count)
This is often the most time-consuming phase.
- Update rendering code to use new field names and Plugin-based data.
- Replace legacy format-specific parsing with
parseBynderField(). - Implement and test dual-field fallback behavior where needed.
- Validate image, video, file, and link rendering paths per component.
Effort guidance (typical):
- Small implementation (1-10 components): 2-5 days
- Medium implementation (11-30 components): 1-3 weeks
- Large implementation (30+ components): 3+ weeks
Actual duration depends on component complexity, shared abstractions, QA depth, and release constraints.
Phase 4: Pilot and Validate (2-5 days)
- Migrate a small set of representative templates first.
- Validate authoring in Pages and rendering in front-end components.
- Confirm legacy XML, JSON string, and JSON object values all parse correctly.
Phase 5: Rollout and Cleanup (1-2 sprints)
- Migrate remaining templates in planned batches.
- Monitor production rendering and authoring feedback.
- Remove obsolete XP/XM-only parsing logic after cutover is stable.