Siemens · ALM migration
Polarion ALM to Codebeamer
Transform LiveDocs, work items, link roles, workflows, and project templates into a coherent Codebeamer target.
Complexity
Enterprise
Primary domain
ALM
Planning baseline · Reviewed July 2026
01 / Context
Start before the first export.
Polarion migrations live at the intersection of structured documents and work-item data. LiveDocs, spaces, link roles, custom fields, and workflow conventions must be translated together so that users arrive in a target model that still reads—and behaves—like an engineered system.
02 / Scope
What can move?
Migration scope should be decided by business value and evidence obligations—not by what is easiest to export. The following entities are typical starting points for Polarion ALM.
Projects and spaces
LiveDocs
Work items
Custom fields
Link roles
Attachments
Workflows
Baselines
03 / Mapping
Source concept → target intent.
The target should express how teams will work in Codebeamer. These are common design patterns, not guaranteed one-to-one conversions. The final decisions belong in a version-controlled mapping specification and must be validated against the source version, available APIs, and agreed target configuration.
| Polarion ALM | Possible Codebeamer pattern | Design note |
|---|---|---|
| LiveDoc | Tracker + document view | Rebuild headings, order, and work-item placement. |
| Work item type | Tracker / item type | Align taxonomy with the target process. |
| Custom field | Tracker field | Normalize enums, users, dates, and references. |
| Link role | Association type | Preserve direction and trace meaning. |
| Project template | Project template | Recreate the desired future configuration. |
04 / Failure modes
What can break.
LiveDoc fidelity
Headings, embedded work items, tables, and rich content require structural and visual checks.
Template sprawl
Years of project-level customization can create many subtly different schemas.
Link-role semantics
Similar-sounding roles may have different direction, constraints, or reporting use.
05 / Plan
Five steps to cutover.
Cluster project variants
Group projects by template lineage, field schema, workflow, and LiveDoc patterns.
Create the target taxonomy
Define Codebeamer projects, trackers, document views, fields, and associations.
Prototype a complex LiveDoc
Use representative rich content, reuse, links, and workflow states to prove fidelity.
Automate repeatable waves
Run extract, transform, load, and reconciliation with stable ID mapping.
Validate with authors
Combine automated checks with document-level review by experienced Polarion users.
06 / Validation
Validate meaning, not only counts.
A defensible validation pack combines automated reconciliation with human review. It should show what moved, what changed by design, what failed, who accepted each exception, and which source snapshot the target represents.
Structural
Counts, types, hierarchy, fields, attachments.
Relational
Links, direction, coverage, reuse, versions.
Operational
Workflows, permissions, reports, user acceptance.
When scripts stop scaling
Build a repeatable workflow.
When repeated rehearsals, large volumes, relationships, or evidence requirements make one-off scripts difficult to control, purpose-built tooling can help. Product scope still needs to be confirmed against the source system, version, data model, and target design.
Read the NANGA Migrator overview07 / FAQ
Early migration questions.
Can Polarion LiveDocs be migrated?
They often can. Document order and embedded work items may be reconstructed in Codebeamer document views, subject to source content patterns, available interfaces, the agreed target design, and validation.
Can links between work items be retained?
They can often be retained when link roles, direction, and target association types are mapped before relationships are loaded.
Should Polarion workflows be copied exactly?
Usually not. Preserve governance and approvals, then simplify source-specific states and transitions where the future process allows it.
Continue your plan
Turn findings into decisions.
This guide clarifies the source side. Next, connect those findings to the target operating model and decide how the migration will be delivered.
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DOORS Next
Move components, modules, artifacts, links, and configuration-aware requirements into a clean Codebeamer structure.
Open guidePTC
PTC RV&S
Translate item types, documents, relationships, workflows, and project structures while retaining the operational context teams still need.
Open guideOptional expert support
Strategic Migration Consultation
Use one representative Polarion ALM project to test scope, target architecture, mapping risks, validation, and cutover assumptions before committing to full delivery.
Consultation delivered by NANGA SYSTEMS
A useful first conversation clarifies
Scope and risk
Clarify the source landscape, representative scope, and the uncertainties that need evidence.
Target decisions
Identify the Codebeamer structure, mapping choices, and operating-model questions to resolve.
Evidence and next step
Define how results will be validated and what the most useful first migration wave should prove.