Backing up Artifacts and Application

You can create two types of snapshots: export and backup.

• Backup to create a snapshot that can be used to clone an environment, for example to migrate an application from a production instance to a test instance for troubleshooting or additional development work.

  When you backup the environment, you create a snapshot of the entire environment, similar to the daily maintenance snapshot, by exporting the application with all of its data and artifacts. Backups include artifacts belonging to Document Repository, Core (previously labelled Planning), Data Management, Calculation Manager, and Groups and Membership. Artifacts in Core includes Relational and Essbase data, global and security artifacts, configuration and plan type artifacts, etc. required for the current application. Please note that the availability of artifacts belonging to these categories is governed by the application in the current environment.

  Note:

  • For Planning only: The backup process exports data associated with member driven smart lists, if any, enabled in Aggregate Storage (ASO) cubes. Depending on the number of such members enabled for ASO, the cube design, and the amount of data the generated MDX query to export data may contain deep cross-join sections that may cause the backup process to fail with a memory allocation error.
  • Always use the daily maintenance snapshot to restore Planning environments.

• Export to create an incremental backup of specific artifacts in an environment. Generally, you use incremental snapshots to create backups that can be used to update another environment.

  Examples:

  • Export artifacts that you tested in a test environment to create an interim snapshot, which you can import into a production environment. Similarly, you can export the Essbase data from one environment and then import it into another.

  • Export groups that you created in an environment to create identical groups in another environment. To select groups for export, in Categories, expand Groups and Membership and then Native Directory, and select Groups.

Note:

Migration does not support the export and import of application audit records. If you need to export audit records, enable and export audit data using the audit features of your business process. See the administration guide for your business process for more information.

To create a snapshot:

1. Access Migration (see Accessing Migration for Lifecycle Management), and then complete one of the following steps.
2. To back up the application:
   1. Click Backup.
   2. In Backup, enter a destination folder name. By default, full application snapshots are exported to Backup Date; for example, Backup 18-05-14, folder, which you can change.

      For folder names, do not enter characters that are not supported by the native operating system. For example, Windows does not allow colons in a folder name.

      The Migration Status Report, which indicates the progress of the operation, is displayed.

   3. Click Refresh to update the Migration Status Report to monitor progress. Click Close to close it.

      If the backup fails for any reason, the report displays Failed as the status. Click Failed to open the Migration Details screen, which indicates why the backup process failed and the corrective action. You can attempt the operation again after correcting the error that caused the backup to fail.

      The folder containing the backup is listed in Snapshots.
3. To export selected application artifacts from an environment:
   1. In Categories, choose the artifacts you want to export.

      • To export all artifacts of a component, select the check box next to the name of the component.

      • To export specific artifacts of a component, click the name of the component. In Artifact List, open available folders, and then select the artifacts to export.

   2. Optional: Click (Selected Artifacts), and then verify the list of artifacts selected for export.
   3. Click Export.
   4. In Export, click OK.
      By default, incremental export snapshots are exported to USER_NAME Date; for example, [e-mail] 18-05-14 folder, which you can change. For folder names, do not enter characters that are not supported by the native operating system. For example, Windows does not allow colons in a folder name.

      The Migration Status Report, which indicates the progress of the operation, is displayed.

   5. Click Refresh to update the Migration Status Report to monitor progress. Click Close to close it.

      If the export fails for any reason, the report displays Failed as the status. Click Failed to open the Migration Details screen, which indicates why the export failed and the corrective action. You can attempt the export operation again after correcting the error that caused the export to fail.

      The folder containing exported artifacts is listed in Snapshots.