Migrating Documentdb To Cosmos

DocumentDB to Cosmos SDK Migration

Overview

Migrate from the legacy Microsoft.Azure.DocumentDB (V2) SDK to the modern Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos (V3) SDK. The V3 SDK introduces a new object model (CosmosClient → Database → Container) and requires explicit partition keys on most operations. All data-plane calls are async-first, and the Document base class is replaced by generic types or dynamic.

Package Reference Changes

Old References (Remove)

<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Azure.DocumentDB" Version="{any}" />
<!-- Or the .NET Core variant -->
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Azure.DocumentDB.Core" Version="{any}" />

New Reference (Add)

<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos" Version="{latest-stable}" />

Use tools or NuGet to find the latest stable version.

Workflow

Migration Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Detect DocumentDB SDK usage
- [ ] Step 2: Update package references
- [ ] Step 3: Replace client and resource model
- [ ] Step 4: Convert CRUD operations
- [ ] Step 5: Update queries
- [ ] Step 6: Migrate error handling
- [ ] Step 7: Build and verify

Step 1: Detect DocumentDB SDK Usage

Scan the project for:

• using Microsoft.Azure.Documents; and using Microsoft.Azure.Documents.Client;
• Types: DocumentClient, Document, DocumentCollection, ResourceResponse
• Methods: CreateDocumentAsync, ReadDocumentAsync, ReplaceDocumentAsync, DeleteDocumentAsync
• RequestOptions and FeedOptions usage

Step 2: Update Package References

Remove Microsoft.Azure.DocumentDB or Microsoft.Azure.DocumentDB.Core from the project file. Add Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos.

Step 3: Replace Client and Resource Model

// Old
var client = new DocumentClient(new Uri(endpoint), authKey);

// New
var client = new CosmosClient(endpoint, authKey);
var database = client.GetDatabase(databaseName);
var container = database.GetContainer(containerName);

The V3 SDK uses a hierarchy: CosmosClient → Database → Container. There is no need to construct URI links manually — use the fluent getter methods instead.

Step 4: Convert CRUD Operations

// Old — Create
ResourceResponse<Document> response = await client.CreateDocumentAsync(
    collectionUri, document, new RequestOptions { PartitionKey = new PartitionKey(pk) });

// New — Create
ItemResponse<MyItem> response = await container.CreateItemAsync(
    item, new PartitionKey(pk), new ItemRequestOptions());

// Old — Read
Document doc = await client.ReadDocumentAsync<Document>(
    documentUri, new RequestOptions { PartitionKey = new PartitionKey(pk) });

// New — Read
ItemResponse<MyItem> response = await container.ReadItemAsync<MyItem>(
    id, new PartitionKey(pk));

// Old — Delete
await client.DeleteDocumentAsync(documentUri,
    new RequestOptions { PartitionKey = new PartitionKey(pk) });

// New — Delete
await container.DeleteItemAsync<MyItem>(id, new PartitionKey(pk));

Step 5: Update Queries

// Old
var query = client.CreateDocumentQuery<MyItem>(collectionUri,
    new SqlQuerySpec("SELECT * FROM c WHERE c.status = @status",
        new SqlParameterCollection { new SqlParameter("@status", "active") }),
    new FeedOptions { EnableCrossPartitionQuery = true });

// New
var query = container.GetItemQueryIterator<MyItem>(
    new QueryDefinition("SELECT * FROM c WHERE c.status = @status")
        .WithParameter("@status", "active"));

var results = new List<MyItem>();
while (query.HasMoreResults)
{
    FeedResponse<MyItem> page = await query.ReadNextAsync();
    results.AddRange(page);
}

Cross-partition queries are enabled by default in V3 — remove EnableCrossPartitionQuery settings.

Step 6: Migrate Error Handling

// Old
try { /* operation */ }
catch (DocumentClientException ex) when (ex.StatusCode == HttpStatusCode.NotFound)
{ /* handle */ }

// New
try { /* operation */ }
catch (CosmosException ex) when (ex.StatusCode == HttpStatusCode.NotFound)
{ /* handle */ }

Step 7: Build and Verify

1. Build the project:

   dotnet build
   

2. Run existing tests against a Cosmos DB emulator or development account
3. Verify partition key values are passed to every CRUD and query operation

API Differences

Troubleshooting

Partition Key Required Errors

The V3 SDK requires an explicit PartitionKey on most item operations. If the V2 code relied on a default or single-partition collection, add the partition key path to the container configuration and pass it with each call.

Missing Document Base Class

V3 does not require items to inherit from Document. Replace Document with a plain POCO or dynamic. If code accesses Document.Id or Document.SelfLink, map Id to a property on the POCO and remove SelfLink references (V3 does not use self-links).

Query Pagination Changes

V3 queries return a FeedIterator that must be iterated with HasMoreResults / ReadNextAsync. Replace any synchronous AsEnumerable() or ToList() calls on the old IDocumentQuery with the async iteration pattern.

Connection String Format

V3 accepts either an endpoint+key pair or an AccountEndpoint=...;AccountKey=... connection string. If the V2 code parsed connection strings manually, switch to the single-string CosmosClient(connectionString) constructor.