Setup | Compare setup data using configuration packages

Hi, my name is Mike.

In this video, you’ll learn how to compare setup data in a configuration package from your source environment to that in the target environment before importing the configuration package.

You will need the Application Implementation Consultant role to perform this activity.

Before you can compare, you must first export setup data from your source environment and upload the configuration package into the target environment.

You must also run export and create a configuration package with the setup data of the target environment.

Review the ‘Exporting Setup Data to Configuration Packages’ video for more information on how to export into configuration packages.

To start, go to Setup and Maintenance

Open the task panel and then select Manage Export and Import Processes

Compare the setup data.

You want to import setup data from your Test into your Production environment.

You’ve already uploaded the exported configuration packages for your Test environment to this environment.

You’ve also run an export to create a configuration package with the same setup objects in this environment.

So now you’re ready to compare them and create a new comparison process.

Select the uploaded configuration package from your Test environment as Source 1.

Next select the configuration package from the export process you previously ran on this production environment as Source 2.

After you make your selection, the process name is set by default as a combination of the two configuration packages.

However, you can change it if you want to give a more meaningful name.

Submit the process now.

Once submitted, the process is listed at the top of the table and the Status column displays the current status.

Periodically refresh the page and continue to monitor the status until the process finishes.

Now that the process has finished, view the process details.

It is important to review the process details if it does not complete successfully.

For example, if the configuration packages you selected for Source 1 and Source 2 were from exports of very different setup data objects, then the process completes with warnings and the process details show all of the business objects that are not common in the selected configuration packages.

In this case, the process completed successfully, so you don’t have to review the details.

Review the comparison results.

The objects with setup data discrepancies between the two configuration packages are listed by default, but you can change the selection to see all the objects that were compared if you want to.

You’re only interested in the discrepancies, so you don’t have to change the selection.

First check the Only in Source 1 column to determine which records exist only in the configuration package from the Test environment.

If you import this configuration package, these records will be created in the Production environment.

Take a look at the details of the new Disbursement Payment Method.

Open the report using Excel.

The Disbursement Payment Method will be created here if you run import with this configuration package.

Return to the results.

Next check the ‘Only in Source 2’ column to determine which records exist only in Production.

If you import the configuration package from Test, the import process will not change these records in the Production environment.

The import process never deletes records.

For example, this only exists in Production but not in the configuration package from Test.

Open the report to see the details.

If you determine this record should be removed from the production environment, then you will have to delete it manually

Finally, check the ‘In Both with Mismatch’ column to review the records that exist in both but have different attribute values.

Review the details.

The report contains two rows for each record.

The first row shows the values from the first configuration package, which in this case is the Test environment.

The second row shows the values from the second configuration package, which in this case is the Production environment.

The configuration package names are shown at the top of the report for your reference.

Freeze the column headers and the first two columns in order to identify the records and packages, and then for each record, scroll to the right to find out the discrepancies between the two sources.

Values are only presented for the attributes with discrepancies, so you can easily identify them.

In this case only the Format Value was changed.

If you import this configuration package from Test, then this value will be updated in the production environment.

Continue to review the discrepancies for the remaining objects and close the page when you finish.

Based on your findings, decide whether or not to import this configuration package from your Test into your Production environment.

Watch the Import Setup Data Using Configuration Packages video for details on how to import setup data.

Thanks for watching.