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.