Bookshelf v8.1/8.2: Developing a Migration Strategy

Migrating is the act of moving a workflow process from a development environment to a production environment. Migration also describes the act of moving a workflow process from a lower version repository to a higher version repository. To migrate a workflow process, you can use one of the following utilities:

Comparison of Migration Options

Table 27. Comparison of Options for Migrating a Workflow Process
Migration Option	When to Use
ADM	You can use ADM to the following requirements: You must migrate customization data for your entire enterprise, including workflow process data. You must migrate more than 10 workflow processes at one time. For more information, see Migrating with Application Deployment Manager.
REPIMEXP	You can use REPIMEXP to meet the following requirements: You must migrate most of the repository objects or every repository object. REPIMEXP is the manual process for repository migration. If it is not necessary to use ADM, or if you cannot use ADM, then use REPIMEXP. If you do not connect Siebel Tools to your production repository, then you must use REPIMEXP. For more information, see Migrating with REPIMEXP.
Workflow Admin Service Business Service	You can use the Workflow Admin Service Business Service to migrate workflow processes in batch. As an alternative to using the Workflow Admin Service business service, you can use the File menu in the Siebel CRM application to activate and expire workflow processes in the client. For more information, see Migrating with the Workflow Admin Service Business Service.
Import/Export	You can use Import/Export if you must migrate about 10 or fewer workflow processes. For more information, see Migrating with Import/Export.

Migrating with Application Deployment Manager

Application Deployment Manager (ADM) is a deployment framework that automates the process of migrating enterprise customization data from one Siebel CRM environment to another, including from a development environment to a production environment. This customization data can include views, responsibilities, assignment rules, workflow processes, workflow policies, and so on.

ADM provides a single deployment tool that covers various areas in Siebel CRM. It can reduce manual setup and deployment work and decrease the error rate.

A deployment package for workflow processes in ADM includes the SRF, the workflow processes, their sub processes, and their run-time settings, such as activation and expiration times, monitoring levels, and so on.

Migrating with REPIMEXP

The REPIMEXP utility allows you to export and import repository objects in bulk. It migrates repository objects, including workflow processes, and is most useful when your organization is ready to roll out an entire release. The Repository Import/Export utility resides in the following directory:

You cannot pick and choose which workflow processes to migrate. To migrate a single workflow process or only certain workflow processes, it is recommended that you use the Import/Export migration option.

Migrating with the Workflow Admin Service Business Service

Migrating with Import/Export

You can use the Import/Export utility in Siebel Tools to export workflow processes from one environment and to import them to another environment. The Import/Export utility migrates only an individual workflow process or a small set of workflow processes. For example, Siebel Workflow Import/Export cannot migrate 150 workflows at one time. To use Import/Export to migrate a large number of workflow processes, you can do the migration in sets of 10 workflow processes or less. For more information, see Importing and Exporting a Workflow Process.

Migrating with Siebel Tools

When you use Siebel Tools, you import the workflow process to the repository of the target environment, and then click Publish to mark the workflow process for migration. You can then activate it. This configuration makes sure the versions of the workflow processes that exist in the repository tables are the same as the versions that exist in the run-time tables.

Figure 15 describes an incremental migration that uses the Import/Export utility and Siebel Tools.

Explanation of Callouts

You do the following steps if you use the Import/Export utility to import a workflow process:

Migrating with Siebel Tools and the Siebel Client

You can import a workflow process directly to the run-time tables. This configuration does not require you to manually write the workflow processes to the repository tables of the target environment or to activate them in the Siebel client. The Workflow Engine automatically does these steps.

This configuration results in the latest version of the workflow process in the run-time tables to be different from the version that resides in the repository tables. Importing directly to the run-time tables is an effective way to test a workflow process in a different test environment. It is recommended that you do not use this configuration in a production environment.

Figure 16 illustrates an incremental migration that uses Import/Export to export in Siebel Tools and import in the Siebel client.

Explanation of Callouts

You do the following steps if you use the Siebel client to import a workflow process:

Importing and Exporting with Siebel Tools Features

Backing Up Workflow Processes

Starting with Siebel CRM version 8.0, if you use SIF export and import in Siebel Tools to backup objects, then Siebel Tools includes Siebel Workflow objects in this backup. It does not include these objects prior to Siebel CRM version 8.0. To back up or restore a workflow process prior to Siebel CRM version 8.0, you must use the Import/Export utility. For example, if you archive a project in Siebel Tools, then Siebel Tools does not archive any Siebel Workflow objects that this project contains.

Importing and Exporting a Sub Process

If you import a workflow process that includes a sub process step, then you must import the sub process, and then import the workflow process that calls the sub process. You import the workflow process that calls the sub process only after you successfully import the sub process. This requirement also applies for importing workflow processes in batch.

If you export a workflow process, then it is not necessary to export the sub process first.

The name of the sub process must not exceed 100 characters in length. If the name exceeds 100 characters, then an error might error during import.

Importing and Exporting Carriage Returns

If a workflow process calls the SendMessage method of the Outbound Communications Manager business service to send email, and if carriage returns exist in the message body, then you can export the workflow process. If you import this workflow process back into the Siebel database, then the imported workflow process does not contain the carriage returns. Instead, Siebel CRM converts the carriage returns to square characters and converts the message body to a single paragraph.

To fix this problem, you must replace all the square characters with carriage returns. To enter a carriage return, you press the enter key.

Redeploying a Workflow Process After You Migrate It

When planning a migration strategy, it is important to consider redeployment work that you must perform after you migrate the workflow process. After you migrate a workflow process to a production environment, it might be necessary to redeploy it before you can run it.

Table 28 describes how redeployment requirements depend on the configuration you use to migrate the workflow process.

Table 28. Comparison of Migrating with ADM to REPIMEXP or Import/Export
Migrating with ADM	Migrating with REPIMEXP or Import/Export
It is not necessary for you to manually redeploy workflow processes in the target environment.	You must manually redeploy workflow processes in the target environment.

Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide		Copyright © 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Legal Notices.