Moving an application to production

These are the reasons to move applications, or part of their content:
  • To move applications to production after you have completed testing the development environment.
  • To move applications to a different farm. For example, to test a new version of Infor EPM.
  • To move applications from a development single tenant to a production single tenant. Some operations require the assistance of Cloud Ops because of the upload limit of 128 MB.

You can move a custom application and Infor EPM business application as an initial action or an update to an already existing application in the target environment.

This table shows actions and explanations about which you must remember when you move an application to the production system:

Type of action Custom applications Infor EPM business applications
Initial To package a custom application into the .biapplication file, click Export on the Applications dashboard. Then install the application in the target tenant.

To extend standard business applications, you can create a custom application, which provides custom reports and Application Engine processes to the standard application.

To package a custom application into the .biapplication file, click Export on the Applications dashboard. Then install the application in the target tenant.

Note: In on-premises environments, you must manually install Infor EPM business applications in the target tenant's farm.

See "Installing Business Modeling-based Infor EPM business applications" or "Installing Designer-based Infor EPM business applications".

Initial/Update To move the OLAP model and the relational model, including the Staging tables, load queries, and scripts, use the bundle export feature in relational modeling. Then import the .rmbundle file into the target tenant.

See "Export and import".

Note: In the case of big tables and data within them, use the SQL Management Studio to move data.
To extend the OLAP database (DEPMAPPS), use the bundle export feature to move the OLAP model and the relational model, including the Staging tables, load queries, and scripts. Then import the .rmbundle file into the target tenant.

See "Export and import".

Initial/Update Currently, you cannot export and import security configurations such as IFS roles and users' role assignments. You must perform the configuration manually. Currently, you cannot export and import security configurations such as IFS roles and users' role assignments. You must perform the configuration manually.
Update Each time you move updated content, we recommend that you perform these actions:
  • Before import, back up the OLAP database. See "Exporting and importing OLAP databases".
  • Verify whether to move only parts of the OLAP database and some data roles to the production tenant. Typically, the OLAP database cubes and dimensions, and data roles are created and filled through the OLAP Modeling in the production tenant. Therefore, export and import of the OLAP database may not be required.
    Note: Verify whether the OLAP database contains content and security configuration that are not within the OLAP model, such as data roles, application roles and their permissions in access cubes. If it does, then you must export and import the database or parts of it.

    See "Application exports".

  • Caution: 
    Always import application and, if required, data roles before you import the OLAP database. Otherwise, you will lose your data.

    In the OLAP database, the Roles dimension (_GRP) is automatically refreshed through the roles in the target system when the system is started.

    When you use the application export and import features, the correct order of the export and import is kept.

  • Ensure that you import either single application roles or the .biapplication file with the application roles before you import the model bundle.
  • Use one of these methods to import the OLAP model to the production tenant:
    • Import new OLAP model objects and overwrite existing objects. This method ensures that no records are lost during import.
    • Clear out the existing OLAP model and replace it with the new model.
      Note: Ensure that you save the production model data before import. You can import the model data back after the model import.
  • Verify whether there are any Staging tables for which to move data to the production tenant.
    Note: Tables in the production tenant contain real data that must not be overwritten.
Each time you move updated content, we recommend that you perform these actions:
  • Before import, back up the OLAP database. See "Exporting and importing OLAP databases".
  • Typically, export and import of the OLAP database (DEPMAPPS) and data roles to the production tenant is not required. In the production system, data roles are generated through Business Modeling. The OLAP database cubes and dimensions are also created and filled through Business Modeling.
  • Verify whether to move data that resides in the Integration tables. Typically, data in the Integration tables is kept only temporarily and is cleared after import to Business Modeling.
    Note: Moving the schema of the Integration tables is not required. The tables are created and managed through Business Modeling. If you add custom properties to a business object in Business Modeling, then the Integration tables are automatically extended by additional fields.

This table describes the tasks, in the order in which the tasks must be completed, for moving an application manually:

Completed Task Additional information
Create the target application.

When moving content of a custom application the first time, you must create a target application to which to import content.

Select the same capabilities as in the source application when creating the target application.

Note: Skip this task if you use the Export Application function to export a custom application to a .biapplication file.
Note: Creating the target application is not required for protected and standard applications, which are deployed.
Applications dashboard

See Managing applications ST.

Add custom data connections.

Custom data connections that are used by Application Studio reports are moved with the report export/import.

Data connections for OLAP mappings and so on must be recreated earlier.

Data Connections dashboard

See Adding a data connection.

Export and import queries and tables. Relational Modeling dashboard

See Exporting a model and Importing a model.

Export and import OLAP data roles.

You must import the OLAP data roles into the production application before you import the OLAP data.

Data Roles dashboard

See Exporting data roles and Importing data roles.

Export and import application roles.

You must import the application roles into the production application before you import the OLAP data.

Note: This task does not apply to restricted applications such as Infor EPM business applications. For protected applications, you must export and import only custom objects.
Application Roles dashboard

See Exporting application roles and Importing application roles.

Export and import OLAP data.

Typically, you do not transport OLAP data from development to production because the data is mostly in production.

However, you may need to move OLAP data from production to development in order to develop custom reports using real data.

Databases dashboard

See Exporting and importing OLAP databases.

Export and import mappings. Mappings Overview dashboard

See Exporting mappings and Importing mappings.

Export and import Application Engine processes.
Note: For restricted applications such as Infor EPM business applications, custom processes are located in a custom application that extends the restricted application.

For protected applications, you must export and import only custom objects.

Application Engine Process Editor

See Exporting processes to folder and Importing processes from folder.

Export and import Application Studio reports.
Note: For restricted applications such as Infor EPM business applications, custom reports are located in a custom application that extends the restricted application.

For protected applications, you must export and import only custom objects.

Application Studio

See Exporting, importing, and printing.

Export and import dashboards.
Note: This task does not apply to restricted applications such as Infor EPM business applications.

For protected applications, you must export and import only custom objects.

See Exporting dashboards and Importing dashboards.
Backup and restore the Designer and Integration databases. Microsoft SQL Server

See the Microsoft SQL Server documentation.

Configuration values such as configuration sets and versions are stored in configuration cubes and are included in the OLAP database backup.

Cloud Ops must complete this task for single tenant installations.

Update the tblSystemProperties table for the Designer database. Use SQL Server Management Studio to clear the values these fields:
  • FarmOLAP
  • FarmProfileName
  • COSAPM
  • COSProject

After clearing the values, start Designer and register the database repository.

See Registering a Designer database.

Cloud Ops must complete this task for single tenant installations.

Export and copy ImportMaster definitions (IMD). Requires the ImportMaster full client.

See the ImportMaster online help.