Google Groups Migration: Email Not Found in Referential

Resolve mapping issues during Google Groups migration.

Last updated: 2025-01-15 Troubleshooting

Error Message

Migration Log Error

Matching member ('user@domain.com') error: Email not found in referential

This error appears in migration logs when a group member cannot be matched to a target user.

User Mapping Flow

👤
Source User
Posts content
Mapping Table
User not found
⚠️
Warning
Cannot map author

Root Cause

Missing User in Mapping List

This error occurs when a user who posted content in the source Google Group is not included in your migration mapping table. The migration engine cannot find a corresponding target email address for this source user.

Why This Happens

  • • User was removed from the organization but posted in the group previously
  • • External user contributed to the group
  • • User was accidentally omitted from the mapping table
  • • Domain name changed and old emails weren't mapped

Solution

Add User to Mapping Table

1

Open Mapping Configuration

Navigate to your project and access the Mapping Users section in the configuration.

2

Add the Missing User

Add the source email address from the error message and specify the corresponding target email address.

Source: user@olddomain.com → Target: user@newdomain.com
3

Restart the Migration

After adding all missing users, restart the migration process. The content will now be properly attributed.

Bulk User Mapping

If you have many missing users, export your mapping table, add entries in a spreadsheet, and re-import. This is faster than adding users one by one.

Impact on Migration

What Happens If Not Fixed

Content will still migrate - Posts from unmapped users are not lost. They will be created at the destination.

However - The author information will come directly from the source email rather than being mapped to a target user. This means:

  • • The post author will show the old email address
  • • The author won't be linked to a user profile in the target system
  • • Permission-based features may not work correctly for those posts

Prevention Tips

  • Export all group members before migration and verify mapping coverage
  • Include former employees who may have posted to groups
  • Map external users to a generic account if needed
  • Run a test migration to identify mapping gaps before full migration

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