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 Clients lose functionality due to outdated modules.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.