13 Copy Groups
Use copy groups to immediately copy multiple database objects either between the Global Library and a study, or between studies. The advantage is that you make one copy operation for several objects instead of one copy operation for each object, and that you do not violate any data model rules in the process. The Copy Groups feature also has a Provisional branch with all of the same functionality.
You can create copy groups at either the study level or Global Library level. The definitional activities are the same at either level. However, most customers create and test copy groups at the study level, then promote them to the Global Library. This chapter describes study level activities. For promoting and maintaining copy groups at the study level, see Maintaining Global Library Copy Groups. You need to choose the variety of copy group to use, depending on your plans for it.
Copy groups can be ad hoc, provisional, or permanent.
Ad Hoc Copy Groups - If you do not intend to reuse a copy group, and you have no need to leave a record of the group's constituents, perform an ad hoc copy operation. You collect the definitions in the Copy Group form and move them somewhere else from the Special menu. If you do not save your work before exiting, the copy group does not remain in the database. You can perform an ad hoc copy operation from either the study or Global Library level.
Creating ad hoc copy groups is the same as creating global or study level copy groups. The difference is that after you invoke the copy operation from the Special menu, you exit the Copy Group form without saving your work.
Provisional Copy Groups - The Provisional Copy Groups windows in the Definition and Global Library subsystems provide a testing area for developing copy groups. When you are satisfied with them, you can promote them. Since the maintenance operations for provisional copy groups are the same as their counterparts, follow the same maintenance procedures as for their equivalents.
Permanent Copy Groups - If you expect to re-use a copy group at the study level, you can save it before exiting. The next time you perform a copy operation, you can choose it instead of re-creating it. You maintain study-level copy groups in the Definition subsystem. If your company enforces standardized copy group operations across studies, you can create a copy group in, or promote a copy group to the Global Library. You maintain these copy group records in the Global Library subsystem. (See Maintaining Global Library Copy Groups.)
For more information, see: