Moving an application to production

Often during the lifecycle of a project, you will need to move content to production after you have completed testing in the development environment. You can move content between different applications of the same tenant or from tenant to tenant.

You can move an implementation of Infor EPM business applications or a custom application.

To move custom applications, you can use the export and import option for local packages in CloudSuite Self-Service Portal.

When moving your implementation of Infor EPM business applications to another tenant, you transport some content between the Infor EPM business applications, and some content between custom applications, which hold your customizations and extensions. See the "Customizing restricted Infor applications" topic for information on which content resides in which application.

You can move only parts of an application.

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 cloud environments, the Infor EPM Business Applications application is provisioned in the target tenant.
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".

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 task must be completed, for moving an application manually:

Completed 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 - cloud.

Add custom data connections that are used by Application Engine processes, Application Studio, mappings, and relational modeling.

It is important to use the same unique names of data connections as in the source application.

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

Data Connections dashboard

See Adding a data connection

.
Export and import load queries, scripts, and tables of the integration and staging relational databases.

This task is needed if you want to move content to a different tenant.

  • If you have a small dataset, you can include your data in the bundle.
  • If you have large data sets, export only schema definitions and load queries. You should load the data later from the source.
Relational Modeling dashboard

See Exporting a model and Importing a model.

Export and import the business model.

This is valid only for the Infor EPM business applications. If you are moving a custom application, skip this task.

Business Modeling

See Model management.

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.

Security roles

When transporting an application to another tenant, you need to verify that the target tenant has the needed security roles and users.

Register security users and roles and assign them to OLAP data and application roles.

Users and User Groups dashboard

See Registering security users and roles or Registering IFS users and roles.

Export and import the OLAP database.

The OLAP database contains cubes, dimensions, subsets, rules, structure data, and 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 OLAP mappings for your custom solution. 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 a process package and Importing a process package.

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.