Deploy Custom Objects

After you create custom objects, you must deploy them to apply the changes to the database.

When you deploy custom objects, the database is updated to add new fields, tables, relationships, and indexes for the custom objects, so it is important that they are correct before you deploy them.

When a deployment occurs, the object designer is unavailable until the deployment completes so you should carefully consider when to deploy to ensure your site is not negatively impacted. Use the Deploy Immediately option with care on production sites. An email is sent to a specified address upon completion or if the deployment fails to complete.

When you deploy custom objects, all custom objects in all packages are deployed. Custom objects that have previously been deployed will be examined for changes. If no changes have been made to those objects since the previous deployment, the objects are ignored during deployment.

During deployment, several tasks are performed that can take some time. The custom objects are first written to a file, and then the database is updated to add the tables, fields, indexes, and keys for your custom objects. Given how intensive this process is, deploying on your production site should be performed after business hours or when work on the site is at a minimum. You can schedule deployments to occur when you want and you can specify the maximum amount of time that can be granted to the deployment, so scheduling a deployment for off-peak times is easy.

1. Click Configuration on the navigation pane.
2. Expand Database, and then double-click Object Designer.
3. Click Deploy.
4. Enter the email addresses you want to send notifications to in the Email Address field.
   Separate multiple addresses with commas.
5. Specify when you want the deployment process to begin.
   The amount of time required for deployments varies significantly depending on a number of factors, including the number of custom objects being deployed, the fields they contain, and the relationships that must be created. In general, deploying new custom objects takes less time than re-deploying existing custom objects to modify or add fields, since the tables for existing custom objects may contain large numbers of records that will need to be updated.
   1. To immediately deploy all custom objects, select Deploy Immediately.
   2. To specify a time when you want the deployment process to start, enter the date and time you want the deployment to begin.
      You can either enter the date and time you want or you can click the calendar next to the field and select the date for the deployment. The default time is the current time, adjusted for the time zone defined in your staff account. The start time can be no more than forty-eight hours past the current time.
   3. Click Cutover Window and select the amount of time after the cutover start time that the deployment process can start.
      The process may not start immediately at the specified cutover start time due to issues that prevent the cutover from starting such as the database being unavailable or a utility being unable to run. If the cutover cannot start during this window, the deployment process is halted. If the deployment process fails to begin during the cutover window, you will need to open the object designer and select the deployment options again. No other options are available on the object designer until deployment completes.
6. Click Deploy.
7. Click Yes.

Results:

After custom objects are deployed, new workspace types are made available for objects that have the Object is Available in Workspaces, Scripting, and Workflow option enabled so you can work with them in the same way you work with incidents or contacts. In addition, standard reports are automatically created for deployed objects that have this option enabled.

You also can view a report that shows the number of deployed custom objects on your site using the Agent Browser User Interface (Agent Browser UI). See View Custom Object Use for more information.