IBM FileNet P8, Version 5.2.1            

Import options

The import options on the Configure Import Options window control the import process for converted objects into the destination environment. The import options include many settings, such as how objects are created and updated; how the objects are stored; how object metadata such as ownership, IDs, security permissions, and time stamps is added; and whether audit data is generated for the import.

Option Set

The Option Set field lists the import options set file that was selected in the Import wizard.

Update Options and Create Options

Select the behavior that you want to occur when the object to be imported exists in the destination object store.
Update if newer

The Update Options work with the Create Options to determine how objects are handled.

Create if new option is also selected.

Converted assets are created if an object with the same ID is not present in the destination. Converted assets that are present in the destination are updated if the assets are newer than the assets that are in the destination. The DateLastModified properties for the import object and the object in the destination environment are compared to determine which is newer.

The contents of documents are immutable and content can be modified only by importing a new document version.

This option is the default setting. If you select Update if Newer, you must also select the Use Original Create/Update Timestamps and Users option and the Import Object ID option.

Never Create option is also selected.

Only delta property changes to existing assets are applied when the converted assets are newer than the assets in the destination. If the converted asset does not exist in the destination, it is not created.

Selecting this combination enables the Property Update Options, which direct the import operation to update only certain properties or to update all properties. You can select the Update only localized properties for class definitions, property templates, and choice lists option when you want to deploy only localized display name and descriptive text property values, and not the entire object, to the destination system.

Always Update

The Update Options work with the Create Options to determine how objects are handled.

Create if new option is also selected.

All assets in the converted data set are imported into the destination regardless of whether they are older or newer than the assets at the destination. All objects in the destination with the same object ID as imported objects are updated. Objects are created if an object with the same ID is not present in the destination.

The contents of documents are immutable and content can only be modified by importing a new document version.

Never Create option is also selected.

Only delta property changes are applied to existing assets. If the converted asset does not exist in the destination, it is not created.

Selecting this combination enables the Property Update Options, which direct the import operation to update only certain properties or to update all properties. You can select the Update only localized properties for class definitions, property templates, and choice lists option when you want to deploy only localized display name and descriptive text property values, and not the entire object, to the destination system.

Never Update

The Update Options work with the Create Options to determine how objects are handled.

Create if new option is also selected.
Create assets only if they do not exist in the destination. Select these options to ensure that only assets that are not yet in the destination are moved.
Never Create option is also selected.
You cannot select this combination of options as no action would take place.

Workflow System Options

Use these options to specify whether the workflow system configuration is imported by using a merge or overwrite strategy.

Merge
Add the imported objects or properties to the destination isolated region if these objects or properties do not exist in the destination isolated region. If the destination isolated region contains objects or properties of the same name as the names in the imported (source) isolated region, the imported items are evaluated and appropriate changes applied.

For an in-use destination region, this option preserves any existing properties in the destination region, adding only new properties from the source region.

If the exported source contains workflow system properties, the import of the user information is skipped if that user is not defined on the destination system. This action applies to both overwrite and merge.

If the exported source contains a UDDI repository, only contact information is imported; business information is not imported.

Overwrite
Add the imported objects or properties to the destination isolated region, replacing any queues, rosters, and event logs of the same name in the destination isolated region. If the destination isolated region contains operations that are referenced by workflow definitions, the commit process fails.
This option is appropriate for:
  • Importing from a development environment into a newly initialized region that is used for a production environment.
  • Updating (replacing) existing objects or properties in the destination isolated region.

If the exported source contains a UDDI repository, the business name, authorized user, operator, and other business and contact information are imported; the inquiry URL and business key are generated for the destination region.

Standard Options

Use the standard options for security, owner, object ID, and other import information.

Import Security Permissions

Select this option if you want to retain object permissions from the source environment. A permission list consists of the Access Control List (ACL) for an object. If you chose to convert security principals, then the converted value is used for the permissions. By default, this option is enabled.

Start of changeIf you do not select this option, the permissions of the object are inherited from the DefaultInstancePermissions property of the class definition of the object in the destination object store. The permissions that are defined by the DefaultInstancePermissions property of any class definition are always imported, regardless of whether the Import Security Permissions option is selected. End of change

Import Owner

Select this option to include the owner information from the source environment in the destination object store. If you chose to convert security principals, then the converted value is used for the owner information. By default, this option is enabled.

If you do not select this option, the owner of the object is inherited from the DefaultInstanceOwner property of the class definition object.

Import Object ID

Select this option to retain the existing ID of the imported objects. If the option is not selected, the import process generates new object IDs. By default, this option is enabled.

Reasons to select this option include, but are not limited to, the following use cases:
  • Object relationships by ID are common. Disabling this option can cause import failures if the assignment of a new object ID results in a situation where object relationships cannot be resolved at the time of import.
  • Some metadata, such as class definitions and property templates, have unique symbolic names. The unique symbolic names prevent duplicate copies of these objects from existing in a single object store. Therefore, you can update only an existing class that has a unique symbolic name. The class requires that the Import Object ID is set. Not setting this option violates a uniqueness constraint on the server, and the object import fails.
  • For class definitions, property templates, and choice list values, you can use FileNet® Deployment Manager to optionally import only the globalized display names and descriptive texts.
    Important: If the import option Only update localized properties for class definitions, property templates, and choice lists is selected, FileNet Deployment Manager imports only the display names and descriptive texts properties for existing class definitions, property templates, and choice list values. If the class definition, choice list or one of its values, or property template does not exist in the destination object store, the asset is not created.
Use Original Create/Update Timestamps and Users

Select this option to preserve the source system property settings for the Creator, DateCreated, DateLastModified, and LastModifier properties. These property values in the converted objects are carried over into the destination environment. By default, this option is enabled.

If the option is not selected, the date and time of the import operation is used for the DateCreated and DateLastModified properties, and the Creator and LastModifier properties are set to the user who is performing the import. The user name is for documentation and is not mapped by the convert operation. If the user that is specified for the Creator or LastModifier property does not exist in the destination LDAP, the import operation does not post an error.

Tip: If the Update Options option is set to Update if newer, the Use Original Create/Update Timestamps and Users option must be selected for the update to work correctly.

To modify system properties, you must have the Modify certain system properties privilege on the destination object store. If you do not have adequate permission, insufficient permission errors are returned for each imported object, and each object fails to import.

Import Retention
Select this option to import FileNet P8 object date settings:
  • If the Import Retention option is not set when you import a new object, the retention date defaults to the FileNet P8 default setting for the retention date property. When an object is updated, the value is not modified.
  • If the Import Retention option is set when you import a new object, the retention date is set to the same value as the source object. When you update an object, the retention date is set to the same value as the retention date of the source object, provided the date entry does not violate FileNet P8 rules. Specifically, you cannot set a date to an earlier date, and you cannot change a Retain Forever setting to anything else. If your update attempts to violate the rules for an object, a warning is returned.
Remove deleted property definitions from class definitions
Select this option to remove property definitions from the updated class definitions in the destination environment that were deleted from the source environment class definitions. You might use this option if you previously imported class definitions into the destination environment, and then modified those class definitions to remove some property definitions. When you perform another import into the destination environment, you want those property definitions that were removed from the source environment to also be removed from the class definitions in the destination environment.
Transfer workflows after import
When you select the Transfer workflows after import option, if a workflow definition document is the current version of the document in the destination environment after it is imported, FileNet Deployment Manager automatically transfers the workflow definition into the destination workflow system.

If the connection point used when the workflow definition was transferred to a workflow system in the source environment was mapped, the connection point that is put in place during the convert operation is used for the transfer operation.

If the connection point was not mapped, and the connection point name from the source environment is not present in the destination environment, the analysis function places a warning in the change of impact report. If the import operation is performed without correcting the issue, the import of those objects fails.

When you select the Transfer workflows after import option, FileNet Deployment Manager updates any imported workflow subscriptions to use the newly transferred workflow definition if the following conditions exist:
  • The workflow definition document that is referenced by the workflow subscription is the current version of the document on the destination environment.
  • The workflow definition was transferred into the destination workflow system by the import.

Import Mode

Select the options to control if an audit file is captured and if the import operation commits changes to the destination environment.

Import only
Select this option to import the objects without creating an audit file. The objects for the selected deployment data set are imported into the destination environment, but no audit record is captured. You might choose this mode if an audit report is not needed and you want to save system resources or increase processing speed.
Import with audit
Select this option to import the data and create an audit file. The objects for the selected deployment data set are imported into the destination environment. Before and after information is captured for each of the objects, then they are written to an audit file. Choose to import with audit if you want to later generate an audit report to save a record of what changes occurred for historical or governance purposes.
Audit only
Select this option to create an audit report without importing any data. Before and after information is captured for each of the objects in the selected deployment data set and written to an audit file. The objects are not imported and the destination environment is not modified by the import operation. You might choose this mode if you need to generate an audit report for a review process that is required by your organization or to gain a more detailed understanding of what effect the import has on the destination environment before you commit to changing the destination environment. This option does not prevent event actions from updating the destination system. Event actions are run only for subscriptions that are triggered by retrieval events on assets in the destination system.

File Options

Select the options for an audit file. These options apply only if you selected Import with audit or Audit only. For more information about the audit file, see Auditing changes to imported objects.

Delete created files on error
Select this option to delete audit files if an error occurs.
Audit file name
A file name is required if you select either the Import with audit option or the Audit only option.

Property Update Options

Specify whether all properties are updated or only localized properties. These options are only available if Create Option > Never Create is selected.

Update all properties
Select this option to update all properties.
Update only localized properties for class definitions, property templates, and choice lists
Select this option to update only localized properties. For example, select this option if you translated the properties for class definitions, property templates, and choice lists, and you want to deploy only localized display name and descriptive text property values, and not the entire object, to the destination system.

Select Storage Policy for Imported Objects

Use these options to control the storage policies and location for any content that is included in the import file.

Use default storage policies or areas from the class definitions at the destination
Select this option to use the location that is set in the StoragePolicy property for the class definition of the object. If that property is not set, then the default is database storage. By default, this option is enabled.
Use storage policies or areas from the imported objects in the deployment data set

Select this option to use the storage area or storage policy that is specified in the converted deployment data set.

If the deployment data set was converted with storage policy mapping enabled, and this option is selected, then the import uses the substituted storage policy references that were put in place during the convert operation.

If the storage policies were not mapped, then the import operation uses the location that is set in the StoragePolicy property of the Document or Annotation class of the source object store. If that property is not set, then the default is database storage.

If the referenced storage policy does not exist in the destination, the analysis function places a warning in the change of impact report. If the import operation is performed without correcting the issue, the import of the affected objects fails.

Select a specific storage policy from the destination object store
Select this option to activate the Storage Policies on the Primary Target Object Store list. Selecting one of these storage policies saves all imported content as directed by the selected storage policy.

Storage Policies on the Primary Target Object Store

If you selected Select a specific storage policy from the destination object store in the previous option, you select from the list of storage policies that are defined in the destination object store.

Scripts

Select script files to run during the import. You must specify the type of script and the order to run the scripts. You can incorporate scripts into the import process to complete custom operations before the import process begins, before and after an object is saved to the target object store, and after the import process completes. The use of scripts includes the following limitations:
  • If pre-save scripts are included, and if an object is not saved because the import operation is set to update if newer or to never update, the pre-save scripts are not included for that object.
  • If post-import scripts are included and the import operation fails, the post-import scripts do not run.

For more information about scripts, see Import scripts.



Last updated: March 2016
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