IBM FileNet P8, Version 5.2

Importing converted objects

After you convert FileNet® P8 objects, you can import them to a destination FileNet P8 system.

Restriction: The contents of recovery bins are ignored by FileNet Deployment Manager. Objects that are marked for deletion on the destination system are not imported. If you are importing a document that was marked for deletion on the destination domain, a uniqueness constraint error (DB_NOT_UNIQUE) is returned. If an error occurs, take one of the following actions:

Remove the document that is in the recovery bin from the export manifest and rerun the import procedure.
Remove the document from the recovery bin by reinstating the document and rerunning the import procedure.
Delete the document from the recovery bin and reimport the document.

Restriction: A document object represents a specific version of a document whose content is stored as content elements. A document objects property can be modified, but the content elements cannot. If the import option “Import Object ID” is specified, and an imported document object exists in the destination object store with the same ID, the content of the imported document is unchanged even if the convert operation altered its contents in the converted deploy data set. If the conflict occurs, take one of the following actions:

From the destination object store, delete the specific version of the document that you are importing. A new document version is created, but is not modified, when you reimport the document. When you import a document object, it is assigned the next appropriate major and minor version number. The major and minor version numbers from the source system are not retained. Therefore, if a version is removed from the middle of a version series, when the document is reimported, it becomes the newest, and therefore the current, version.
If the document version cannot be deleted before the import process, for example, if you want to maintain the history of versions in the destination system, manually modify the content by using the appropriate tools in the destination system after the import process completes.

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.

To import converted objects into your destination environment:

In FileNet Deployment Manager, right-click the source-destination pair with the destination to which you want to import, and click import.
In the Import Options panel, specify the following options:
- Select Deploy data set: Select the deployment data set directory with the converted export objects. The default directory: drive\P8DeploymentData\Environments\destination_environment\Assets\Deploy_Dataset_Name\deploy_dataset.convertedcod.
  Restriction: A deployment data set is specific to the version of the Content Platform Engine from which it is exported. Attempting to import a data set into a different Content Platform Engine version can fail or have unexpected results.
- From the Select Storage Policy for Imported Objects list: Select the storage location for any content included in the import file.
  - Take the storage policy from the class definition at the destination: Select this option to use the location that is set in the StoragePolicy property for the object class definition. If that property is not set, then the default is database storage. By default, this option is enabled.
  - Take the storage policy from the exported object: Select this option to use the content store that is specified in the source object store. For objects with content such as documents and annotations, the import operation uses the location that is set in the StoragePolicy property of the Document or Annotation class. If that property is not set, then the default is database storage.
  - Use a specific storage policy from the destination object store: Select this option to activate the Storage Policies on the Primary Target Object Store list. This list displays the storage policies that exist on the target object store that is defined in the converted deployment data set. Selecting one of these storage policies saves all imported content into the file store that is specified by the selected storage policy.
- Storage Policies on Primary Target Object Store: This option is available only if you select the Use a specific storage policy from the destination object store option. The object store is populated with the storage policies on the primary target object store.
- Standard Options
  - Import Security Permissions: Select this option to include security permission lists for the objects that are imported into the destination object store. A permission list consists of the Access Control List (ACL) for an object. By default, this option is enabled.
    If 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.
    
    Select this option if you want to retain object permissions from the source environment.
  - Import Owner: Select this option to include the owner information in the destination object store. 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.
    
    Select this option if you want to retain the object owner from the source environment.
  - Import Object ID: Select this option to import the existing ID of the imported objects, which retains object relationships by ID. 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 therefore, any relationships that depend on object ID are updated with the new object ID, and the relationship remains intact. Disabling this option results in import failures if object relationships cannot be resolved at the time of import.
    - For object updates to work, you must retain the original object ID; otherwise, the import operation creates an object.
    - Some metadata, such as class definitions and property templates, have unique symbolic names, preventing 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.
  - 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.
    
    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 privileged write access 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 Date: 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. A warning is issued for an object provided the update attempts to violate the rules.
- Update Options: Select the action that the import operation runs if an imported object exists in the destination object store:
  - Update if Newer: This option updates the object only if the instance in the import data set is newer than the object at the destination. The DateLastModified properties for the import object and the object in the destination environment are compared. Update if Newer is the default setting.
  - Always Update: This option always updates the object if the objects exists at the destination.
  - Never Update: This option never updates the object if the object exists at the destination.
- Create options: The Create options are tied to the Update Options. If Update if newer or Always Update are selected, both Create if new and Never Create are available. If you select Never Update, only Create if New is available.
  - Create if new
  - Never create If you select Never Create, click Next. An Import Options > Select Properties dialog displays. This provides an option to ’Select the properties to update’. From the Property Update Options choices, select either Update all properties or Update only localized properties for class definitions, property templates and choice lists.
Tip:
- If you select Update if Newer, these import options must also be selected: Use Original Create/Update Timestamps and Users and Import Object ID.
- If you select Always Update, this import option must also be selected: Import Object ID.
Click Next.
Optional: If you want to perform custom operations before or after each object is imported, use the Scripts panel to specify the scripts to run. See About import scripts.
1. For each script that you want to use, select the Run-Type:
  - To run the script before you import objects, select Pre-Import.
  - To run the script on each imported object before you save it, select Pre-Save. Select this option to modify the object to be imported or potentially cancel the import of the object.
  - To run the script on each imported object after you save it, select Post-Save. Select this option to change existing objects with dependencies on the imported object.
  - To run the script after you import all objects, select Post-Import.
2. Click Add/Browse to select the script file that you want to use for the selected Run-Type.
Click Finish. The import operation starts.
When pre-save scripts are included, and if an object is not saved because the import operation is set to Update if Newer or Never Update, the pre-save scripts are not included for that object.

If post-import scripts are included and if the import operation fails, the post-import scripts do not run.
To view the imported objects in a current administration console session, refresh the target object store.