Import Export Tool

Reply

walekarsa Posted: Fri, Oct 23 2009 2:15 AM

rated by 0 users

Hi all,

I want to export few custom item types onto other Aras Installation. I read about the Import/Export tool from the Aras help. THe help tell me to do the following steps

"

1. Expand the Administration folder in the tree view.

2. Click the ItemTypes node to display its default page in the main window.

3. Click the Search icon to display a full list of ItemTypes and highlight the ItemType for export in the main grid.

4. Select Export ItemType from the Actions menu located in the main toolbar.

  On following the above mentioned steps I am not able to see the "Export item Type" menu. I can only see the Reset preference tab.

Kindly help me in this regards.

Reply

tstickel replied on Fri, Oct 23 2009 10:20 AM

rated by 0 users

The Help topic that you referenced is obsolete.  A newer Innovator Import/Export tool is available as a community project at http://www.aras.com/communityprojects/?projectid=DD32FF42D8B14CB28CD4732AAF2F5349 (assuming you are running Innovator 9.0.1 or later).

Reply

walekarsa replied on Mon, Oct 26 2009 3:14 AM

rated by 0 users

Hi Terry,

Thanks for Your reply. I have made some custom item types, like a Product Specification Document. I have a custom lifecycle and workflow associated with it a custom Worflow,and in the Workflow I have a custom Method as the Server Event. I want to

1. Export the Custom Item types only.

2. Export the entire Configuration ofr 'Desgin' tab on TOC.

How do i go forward.

When I expand the various packages available for export I am not able to see my Cutom Item Types.

Kindly Suggest.

Reply

tstickel replied on Mon, Oct 26 2009 9:58 AM

rated by 0 users

I assume that you downloaded and installed the Innovator Import/Export tool that I referenced in my previous post.  If so, then you need to create a new package definition for your custom objects:

1, In Innovator go to Administration/PackageDefinitions on TOC.  Create a new Package Definition, all you initially need to do is give the package a name. (see the Section, "Creating a Package Definition from the Aras Innovator UI", in the the Solution Upgrade Package Management Tools manual that is included in the zip file you downloaded.)

2. For each custom object that you created (e.g. methods, lifecycles, workflow maps) you can add the object to the new Package Definition by displaying the object in the object's search grid and selecting its row (e.g. to add a method to the package definition you would use the Method search grid).  Then from the Tools Menu, select Admin/Add To Package Definition.  A pop up window will be displayed that lists all of the available package definitions, select the new package definition from Step 1.  Repeat this for each custom object you created.

To export the new package you would follow the instructions in the Section, "Export Tool", found in the Solution Upgrade Package Management Tools manual that is included in the zip file you downloaded.  This will just export the custome objects you created.

To export the entire configuration of the "Design" tab on TOC you would export the Package, com.aras.innovator.solution.PLM 

Reply

walekarsa replied on Wed, Oct 28 2009 3:09 AM

rated by 0 users

Hi Terry,

Done exactly the same but still am facing some minor issues.

1. While exporting it throws an error saying references to unknown packages have been removed. When I see the log file the references related New Part that I had specified for Custom items have been removed.

2. However the imports .mf and the Custom Item folder was created. I tried to import it into another Aras instance, but it throw an error while doing so. Then just discovered that when I open any Identity say Sandeep Walekar all the Custom Item types were seen besides 'Member tab. They were seen as a reltionship item. Also I saw the item list of item types some of the item types were there but not all.

3. In my earlier instance F_Catalogue was available in the design folder but here it was not present I am confused as to where the things went wrong.

Just need clarifications on some of my doubts.

1. If I select the product only, which is made up of relationships , Workflow , lifecycle, permissions, forms. and not the other related items will these be automatically imported or I have to manually select these. If yes I am not allowed to select 'New part permission item in the above case.

2. What does one mean by Referenced item, levels and package depends on tab.

Hoping for your kind reply

Thanks in Adv.  

Reply

Ronan Jouchet replied on Tue, Jun 22 2010 11:13 AM

rated by 0 users

Hello,

Creating a package works fine in order to group brand new items, but what about the case of modified stock Aras item types that are already present in other packages?

For example, suppose that on one project for Bob Inc,
1. I created a BRD ItemType
2. I modified the ECN ItemType

Now, after creating my BobincPkg PackageDefinition:
1. adding BRD to BobincPkg works
2. but adding ECN to BobincPkg fails, with the following error message: Unable to add item ECNPackageElement with Element Id '85F86794FACF42599F07019F7BEA1D46', generation '' already exists.

Currently I leave everything in the PLM package, and have to spend 10 minutes selecting items at each export, which is a royal pain. What should I do? What is the recommended methodology?

Thanks for your help!

Reply

scottmahr replied on Wed, Jun 29 2011 5:34 PM

rated by 0 users

I am interested in the questions in the post above.  Also in the doc it has a list of things that you should include in packagedefinitions 

"ItemTypes (Exclude ItemTypes with is_relationship=1)"

Why would you exclude the is_relationship items?  Is it because all the info is already captured in the relationship type entities?  

I am going through putting all my stuff into packages.  So far I have created a package called com.aras.innovator.solution.PLM.quotes, does that sound like a good idea?  

My main issues is that I have no clue what I am doing, and haven't seem much info on this process.  Any help/pointers/best practices would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Scott

Reply

Ronan Jouchet replied on Thu, Jun 30 2011 10:29 AM

rated by 0 users

Hi Scott,

Lots happened since my last post and now I have an answer to my own question, and yours. Here's a snippet from our internal wiki at Processia; the information about the "Fixes" folder should be of interest to you. Credit goes to the official documentation, as well as Aras support who provided additional best practices.

---------------

Aras Corp. advice

(from the "Aras 9.2.0 Configuring Solutions Guide" PDF)

• You should not package any ItemTypes that have the "Is Relationship" option selected. These ItemTypes are automatically included in the definition of the RelationshipType element.
• You should not include any Lists that have been generated to bind a set of PolySources to a Poly ItemType. These Lists have the same name as the Poly ItemType and must be newly generated in the destination database.
• It is also typically not recommended that you include Users and User Aliases in a Package Definition. Including Users in a package makes your solution less generic and ties your solution to a set of pre‐defined individuals that must always exist in production

Packaging

• Exported changes can be incremental, i.e. you can trim the XML produced by the Exporter, so that the importer (used with the "merge" action) adds only what you created. For example, the following AML will add a Report to an ItemType, without fully recreating the ItemType (which is what the exporter produces).

<AML>
 <Item type="ItemType" id="4F1AC04A2B484F3ABA4E20DB63808A88" action="add">
  <Relationships>
   <Item type="Item Report" id="6E606D9524D240489BFDBCD974201DBA" action="add">
    <related_id keyed_name="Multilevel BOM Report AML+RD" type="Report">CEBACA1749984E9780078BF6027BB708</related_id>
    <sort_order>1280</sort_order>
    <source_id keyed_name="Part" type="ItemType" name="Part">4F1AC04A2B484F3ABA4E20DB63808A88</source_id>
   </Item>
  </Relationships>
 </Item>
</AML>

• Here is the process suggested by Mike from Aras support to package solutions:

1. Use a comparison tool such as Beyond Compare or WinMerge to compare the current version of the exported file to the previous version
   1. Manually delete all lines that are identical except for those that are required to import changes in the child tags
   2. Test the Import in a database that does not already have the changes made and debug any errors
2. Use the Fixes folder to apply any additional edits that cannot be applied during the Import for dependencies reasons. The best example is when a package definition has a circular reference. PLM depends on QP that Depends on PLM. This was the reason for creating the “Fixes” folder originally. Modification to core Items (e.g. the ECR ItemType, the ECN Form, etc.) should go as incremental XML in this folder (which should be as the same level as the "Action" / "Form" / "ItemType" folders).
   
   Innovator 'Fixes' folder
   
3. The DependsOn tag is used in the following way:
   1. If the package referenced in the DependsOn tag is one of packages imported in the import session, then it is loaded prior to the package that depends on it. Otherwise it’s assumed that the package referenced by the DependsOn tag already exists in the target database.
   2. If an Item in a package references an Item from another package, then the other package must be listed in DependsOn or the reference will be removed. In the case that a circular reference is required, the dependency can be fixed by adding one of the references into the Fixes folder.

• Don't wory too much about the add/edit actions: if an item already exist and you try to add it, Innovator will interpret this as an edit.