A method for preserving the read/unread data when a database associated
with an email program is moved from a source database to a destination
database comprising a Migration Program (MP). The MP addresses the
problem of the integrity of the association between the note IDs and the
universal IDs when the database is moved, which alters the read/unread
data for the user's messages. The MP determines the universal IDs
associated with the note IDs. The MP then translates the note IDs into
large pointers using the universal IDs. The MP then copies the
read/unread table to the destination database and correlates the note IDs
to the universal IDs. The MP then creates the note IDs. The result is
that the association between the note IDs in the read/unread table, the
universal IDs in the universal table, and thus the document data is
preserved.