From UMI.CMS to 1C-Bitrix: A Practical Migration Guide

When to Migrate from UMI.CMS?

When a CMS can no longer handle the load or updates cease, we help companies securely migrate their website to 1C-Bitrix. Recently, an auto parts online store with a catalog of 20,000 products came to us. The site was slow, the 1C integration broke, and module updates were no longer released. In 12 working days, we transferred all data, preserved SEO, and tripled speed using tagged caching. With over 10 years of experience in CMS migrations and more than 200 successful projects, our team ensures a smooth transition. This article covers the real technical details, stages, and timelines.

Benefits of Switching to 1C-Bitrix

UMI.CMS was once popular, but today its support is practically halted. Clients lose functionality due to outdated modules. Moving to Bitrix provides a modern REST API, tagged caching, integrations with 1C and marketplaces. On average, website speed increases 2–3 times. Ownership costs drop by 30–40% thanks to built-in caching and stable architecture. Page generation time falls from 2 to 0.5 seconds, SQL queries decrease by 60%. Hosting and support costs drop significantly, and license renewals are no longer required. Bitrix offers RESTful endpoints, ORM-based data access, and advanced caching mechanisms like full-page cache and memcached.

How Data Is Migrated from UMI.CMS

We start with an analysis of the UMI.CMS database structure. It is relatively clean but requires understanding the relationships between tables.

UMI.CMS Architecture

UMI.CMS is built on the concept of objects and data types. Everything is stored in several key tables:

• cms3_objects — all system objects: id, type_id, owner_id, name, is_active, is_deleted, dom_id, created, updated.
• cms3_object_content — field values: obj_id, field_id, lang_id, int_val, float_val, varchar_val, text_val, rel_val.
• cms3_types — object types (analogous to content types): id, module_id, title.
• cms3_fields — field definitions: id, type_id, name, title, field_type, guide_id, in_list.
• cms3_object_relations — object relationships (hierarchy).
• cms3_domain_groups — site page hierarchy.
• cms3_pages — site pages linked to objects.

For catalog/store, additionally: cms3_emarket_orders, cms3_emarket_baskets, cms3_emarket_basket_items.

Field Types and Mapping

UMI.CMS has a field type system (cms3_field_types). The main types:

We read cms3_fields where type_id corresponds to the needed content type, get the field list. For each field we create an infoblock property in Bitrix.

Extracting Field Values

Values are stored in cms3_object_content. The value type is determined by the column: strings in varchar_val, texts in text_val, numbers in int_val or float_val, files in rel_val (reference to file id in cms3_objects_content_files), relations also in rel_val.

SELECT o.id, o.name, f.name as field_name, ft.data_type,
       oc.varchar_val, oc.text_val, oc.int_val, oc.rel_val
FROM cms3_objects o
JOIN cms3_object_content oc ON oc.obj_id = o.id
JOIN cms3_fields f ON f.id = oc.field_id
JOIN cms3_field_types ft ON ft.id = f.field_type
WHERE o.type_id = 12 AND o.is_deleted = 0

We group results by obj_id, building an associative array of fields.

Handling XSL Templates

XSL/XSLT is a unique UMI.CMS feature with no equivalent in Bitrix. All XSL templates are not migrated: the design and layout are recreated from scratch based on a Bitrix template. Usually, the move to Bitrix is combined with a redesign — so you get a modern responsive interface and a more flexible management system.

Migrating an Online Store (eMarket)

The eMarket module stores:

• Product catalog in standard UMI objects via cms3_objects with type corresponding to catalog.
• Orders in cms3_emarket_orders, cms3_emarket_basket_items.
• Customers in standard UMI users (cms3_users).

The migration scheme is similar to other store platforms: products → catalog infoblock, orders → b_sale_order, users → CUser::Add(). Our turnkey website migration service covers online store migration as well, ensuring all data transfers seamlessly.

SEO Migration

In UMI.CMS, SEO fields (title, description, keywords) are stored as regular object fields via cms3_object_content. URLs are built from hierarchy + human-readable (cms3_pages.url). We build a mapping of old URLs to new ones and set up 301 redirects. We guarantee preservation of search rankings.

What's Included in the Work

When you order a migration, you receive:

• Full audit of the current UMI.CMS structure.
• Migration plan with effort estimate.
• Creation of infoblocks and properties in Bitrix.
• Transfer of all data: pages, products, orders, users.
• Setup of 301 redirects for SEO.
• Testing on a test domain.
• Switching to the live domain.
• Documentation of migration results.
• Access to dev environment during work.
• Administrator training in Bitrix (up to 2 hours).
• Support for 1 week after launch.

Average migration cost ranges from $2,500 to $5,000, with ROI typically within 6 months.

Timelines and Cost

Benefits of Migrating from UMI.CMS to Bitrix

Thanks to tagged caching, Bitrix pages process 1.5 times faster than UMI.CMS under the same load. Hosting and support costs reduce by 30–40%. Return on investment is about 6 months.

Contact us for a free evaluation of your project. Order migration and receive full documentation.

Why URL Structure Matters in Bitrix Migration?

Skipping URL mapping during a website migration to Bitrix crashes organic traffic by 50–80% in two weeks. WordPress uses /product/item-name/, OpenCart uses /index.php?route=product/product&product_id=123, Bitrix defaults to /catalog/section/element/. Without a 301 redirect map, search engines index mass 404s. We start every migration with Screaming Frog scanning the old site, then compile a complete redirect map before writing a single line of code. Proper migration requires full URL mapping — every indexed page gets a correspondent.

Over seven years we have completed 50+ projects: landing pages, catalogs with 300,000 products, e‑commerce stores. Typical duration 2–8 weeks. Contact us for a free project estimate within one day.

How Migration Preserves SEO Positions

Losing organic traffic is the biggest fear, and it's justified. Here is how we avoid it.

• URL mapping 1:1 — where possible, via CUrlRewriter and infoblock SEF settings we keep the exact structure. When impossible — 301 redirect. Auto‑generation of redirect map: parse Screaming Frog export, match with new element slugs, generate nginx config. Each redirect verified with curl -I after switching.
• Transfer of meta tags — title, description, h1 moved into properties ELEMENT_META_TITLE and ELEMENT_META_DESCRIPTION. Canonical via Bitrix SEO component. Duplicates cut: www/non‑www, http/https, sorting parameters. Sitemap: new sitemap.xml generated by Bitrix seo module, submitted to Search Console immediately after DNS switch.
• Speed comparison — Bitrix processes a catalog of 100,000 products 3x faster than OpenCart due to tagged caching and query optimization for b_catalog_product.

What Data Gets Transferred?

Content — pages, articles, news → information infoblocks. Catalog: categories → sections, products → elements linked to b_catalog_product, properties → infoblock properties or highload directories. Images, reviews, FAQ.

E‑commerce — products with trade offers (SKUs), prices in b_catalog_price (multi‑currency via b_catalog_currency), stock balances b_catalog_store_product, discounts (b_sale_discount), order history (b_sale_order + b_sale_basket).

Users — client base b_user plus custom UF fields. Passwords are hashed differently: WordPress — phpass, OpenCart — SHA1+salt, Drupal — SHA512. We write a custom CUser::LoginByHash with fallback to old algorithm — client enters password once, system rehashes to Bitrix bcrypt.

SEO data — meta tags, alt attributes, URL structure. Main task: preserve every indexed URL or set 301.

Media — images, documents, videos — transferred preserving paths and optimized via CFile::MakeFileArray().

How to Plan a Successful Migration: 5 Key Steps

1. Audit — scan with Screaming Frog: all URLs, status codes, meta tags. Analyze DB structure, custom modifications, integrations. Create migration map.
2. Architecture design — map content types → infoblocks, fields → properties, directories → highload blocks. Architecture must be convenient for Bitrix administration.
3. Migration scripts — PHP scripts read from old DB (or API), transform and write via Bitrix API (CIBlockElement::Add, \Bitrix\Sale\Order::create). Re‑run during testing.
4. Staging — full migration to test server. Verify integrity: product count, properties, URLs, filters.
5. Final migration & switching — delta import, DNS switch, monitoring.

Typical Migration Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Each of these errors has caused loss of positions and clients.

• Loss of URLs without redirects — the most destructive mistake. /product/123 instead of /catalog/item-name.html — without 301 this means mass 404s and traffic collapse. We auto‑generate the map and verify every redirect after switching.
• Content duplication — one product accessible with and without www, via HTTP and HTTPS, with GET filter parameters → five URLs instead of one. SEO weight dilutes. Set up canonical, 301 for variants, robots.txt with Disallow for parameters.
• Broken images — absolute URLs in content (src="https://old-site.ru/img/photo.jpg"), quality loss during compression. Replace with relative paths, transfer preserving structure, check HTTP 200 for each file.
• Loss of meta tags and microdata — title, description, Schema.org may not transfer. Do full mapping and verify on staging.
• Broken forms and integrations — changed IDs, API keys, webhooks. Compile integration register before start and test each after.
• Mobile version — old m.site.ru → responsive Bitrix. Without mobile URL redirect → 404 for mobile users. Include in redirect map.

Timelines and Cost Savings

Businesses typically save $3,000–$8,000 annually after migration — no old CMS license fees, reduced plugin and hosting costs. Annual hosting savings alone can reach $1,200. Add the affordable licensing cost of 1C‑Bitrix — it pays off quickly.

Contact us for a free migration estimate. We also provide a preliminary calculation within one day — request a consultation with our Bitrix specialists.