Export Structures

Use this function to create an export file containing the structures you want to move or copy to another IBM® Controller installation.

Before you begin

To export change tables, you must first create them from the Maintain menu for the structure you want to export. You can define the change tables for account structures, dimension structures, and company structures. By exporting the change tables, the recipient’s chart of accounts and history are changed when the structure file is imported.

About this task

You can export the following structures:
  • Accounts and forms
  • Form sets
  • Submissions
  • Actualities
  • Journal types
  • Automatic journal types
  • General configuration
  • Control tables
  • Copy and change tables
  • Transfer tables
  • Rights
  • Linked structures
  • Company and extended dimensions structures
  • Reports and report books
  • Currency rates and codes
  • Workflows
  • Import specifications (in IBM Controller Classic and in Controller Web)
  • Country and region codes
  • Lookup tables (in IBM Controller Classic and in Controller Web)
  • IC templates
  • Allocation definitions
  • Job definitions
  • User-defined business rules
  • Subsets
  • User roles

If you are going to make major changes to the Controller structures, you can export all structures to an export file and save it as a backup before performing the changes.

The new structures (accounts, company, and other structures) must also be included in the export file when exporting the change tables. Tell the recipient of the structure file that the change tables are enclosed so that they can back up their structures before they do the import.

Export structure files as compressed files. Compressed files are encrypted and can be read only by Controller.

Procedure

  1. On the Transfer menu, click Export Structures. The Export Structures window opens.
  2. Select the Directory button. In the Directory text box, enter the path to the directory to which you want to save the export file or click the Select Directory button to select the relevant directory.
  3. If you want to send the export file by email to a specified user, select the Email button. In the text box, enter the email address of the user you want to send the file to.

    This option is only available if the option Use email is selected on the General 3 tab in General Configuration and an SMTP server is configured.

  4. Select Compress Export File to create only one export file, which contains all relevant structures and file types.
  5. Select the structures or settings you want to export. In the Selection column, enter the specific structures you want to export.

    For some structures, you can export to only a selection of structures.

    Note:

    The Movements accounts – generate ... table (combinations between base accounts and movements accounts) is included in the Linked structures category to help with the export and import. They are not exported with Accounts or Forms structures.

  6. In the Change Table column, select the relevant change table if you want to include a predefined change table to the exported structure. By exporting the change tables, the recipient's structure and history are converted when the structure file is imported.
  7. If you want to export all structures and settings, click the Select All button.
    Important: Only import specifications for importing external data can be selected manually. Import specifications for external structures are exported when All is displayed in the selection column.
  8. Click Run to export all the selected structures and save as an export file.

Results

If you chose to compress the export file, then a .fzp file that contains the structures you selected is exported to the specified directory. If you didn't choose to compress the export file, then a folder called FstrucController that contains the structures you selected is created. You can now import the structures to another instance of Controller. For more information, see Import Structures.