Convert Properties to External IDs

Preparation

Make sure you belong to the restricted or deployment user group on production machines.

Converting Data Types

Any string based data type can be converted into an External ID. To convert a property's data type to External ID:

1. Log in to a maintenance host

$ ssh maintenance.eqiad.wmnet

2. For each property to convert, run the following script with the property ID (double check that the ID is correct) and Phabricator task:

$ mwscript extensions/Wikibase/repo/maintenance/changePropertyDataType.php --wiki=wikidatawiki --property-id P12345 --new-data-type external-id --summary '[[phabricator:T1234567|T1234567]]'

3. Go to Wikidata to confirm that the provided Property ID's data type has been converted to External ID