Importing assets

You can import assets from one webMethods B2B instance to another by using a compressed file.

Before you begin

  • Use a compressed file to import assets from both a cloud instance, and from an on-premises Trading Networks instance.
  • You can import assets that are exported from Trading Networks 10.5 with Trading Networks Server 10.5 Fix 6 or higher versions, or from Trading Networks 10.7 with Trading Networks Server 10.7 Fix1 or higher versions. Export assets in binary format to reduce the file size compared to XML format.
  • If the asset file contains only skipped assets, then the importing of the asset file fails.
  • The size of each asset file that is exported from cloud instance must not exceed 4 MB and from Trading Networks it must not exceed 1.5 MB. If your asset file is larger than the allowed limit, export them again in smaller file sizes in a dependency order and then try to import them again.

    If you do not follow the dependency order, it results in missing dependencies. For example, you cannot import a processing rule without importing a partner profile. The following list shows dependency order:

    1. Partner profile
    2. Field groups
    3. Queues
    4. Document attributes
    5. Business documents
    6. Processing rules
    7. Agreements

    If the export file is within the maximum size limit and has too many assets, import them in the dependency order.

  • If the compressed file that contains business documents from the 1.1 version of webMethods B2B, those documents do not get imported.

Procedure

  1. In webMethods B2B, from the side navigation menu, click Asset movements and choose the following option:
    • Import, and on the Import assets page, select one of the following options to import the assets:
    Import .zip file
    Select a compressed file to import.
  2. Select the assets to import, from the different asset type tabs, and click Next.
    When you click the Dependencies, Referred by shows the list of assets where the current asset is being used. Refers to show the list of dependent assets.
    webMethods B2B does the analysis of the assets and shows the status of each asset. Following are the different status of assets:
    Added
    If you import assets that are not present in the target instance, it gets added to the instance with the status as Added.
    Updated
    If you import assets that are existing in the target instance, and when you force import the assets, then the status is Updated.
    Ignored
    System assets or any of the asset properties of Trading Networks instance that are not supported in webMethods B2B are categorized as Ignored.
    Missing dependencies
    Some assets require other assets. For example, the processing rule depends on partner profiles and document types, and document type depends on document attributes. For moved assets to work properly, the dependent assets must also move to the target instance, if they are not already present. When you select an asset to import it, the system scans the target instance for the presence of the dependent assets. If the dependent assets are not present in both the target instance or in the assets you selected, then those dependent assets are listed as Missing dependencies. For example, if a processing rule refers to a partner profile that does not exist in both the target instance or the import file, it is a Missing dependency.

    Click Include dependencies to include all the dependent assets. This option is enabled only when the dependent asset is present in the import file, but you did not select it.

    Conflicts
    When an asset exists in the target instance, and is imported again with force as false, it causes conflicts without overwriting the asset. If assets are present on the target instance with different ID, conflicts can occur with warnings. For example, if a partner profile exists in the target system and is also available in the import file, it is a conflict. To avoid such conflicts, you must import the assets, using the Force import option.

    Click Clear conflicts to remove the conflicted assets from import.

    Critical
    Assets that are not imported for any other miscellaneous reasons are termed as Critical. For example, importing a different enterprise when the enterprise is already present in the target instance.

    To download the analysis report, click the Download analysis report icon.

    The analysis report contains information about the statuses and the severities of the assets moved. The three categories of severities are Error, Warning, and Info. Resolve the errors shown in the analysis report to import assets successfully.

  3. Click Import.

    Select the option to import the assets:

    Option Description
    Force import To overwrite assets that might exist in the target instance.
    • If you import a previously nonexistent rule into a target instance, the processing rule retains the same sequence number in the target instance.
    • When an existing processing rule is imported again to a target instance with the Force import option, the rule in the target instance is updated, but the sequence number is not retained. Therefore, the rule is appended to the end of the rule list. You must manually change the sequence number after you import all the processing rules.
    Attach import summary with activity log To view the import activity in the activity logs.
  4. Click Proceed.
    On the Import assets page, review the imported asset list.

What to do next

Click the Download import summary icon to view the list of success, warning, and error messages. Use the relevant message detail to rectify each error or warning that depends on the severity in the downloaded file. If you have more assets to import, click Start new import.

Assets that are native to an environment are channels, partner users, purge or archive schedules, and runtime transaction data, tasks, and the entries recorded in the Course of transaction.

The following are the actions that you must take after you complete the import activity.

Archival and purge schedules
Update the default archival schedule and create the relevant purge schedules. For more information, see Archiving and purging data.
Functional permissions
Create the relevant users and permissions for each user. For more information, see Managing User Roles and Permissions.
Partner profiles
The Delivery settings are ignored when partner profiles are imported from an on-premises Trading Networks instance. Create outbound channels and associate them with the partner profiles. For more information, see Associating an outbound channel with a partner.
Processing rule
The Execute a service action while the importing processing rule from an on-premises Trading Networks instance is ignored. Create an integration in webMethods Integration and associate it in the Call an integration action. For more information, see Adding a Processing Rule.
Communication credential for each partner profile
Re-create the communication credential in the partner profiles. For more information, see Adding communication credential and Associating a communication credential with a partner.

On importing an XML document, manually associate it with the webMethods Integration project and the document type to populate the required schema.

The integration endpoint that you configured in all the processing rules must be valid when the endpoint is accessed from the target instance.

To see the complete list of skipped assets, ignored asset properties, and system-generated assets, see Reference information for asset movement.

Note:

If any EDI document depends on other assets, and during import if the dependent assets are not present in the target instance or import file, then the document import fails. The document schema is created in webMethods Integration. Later, if you try to import the same document again, the instance already has the document.

When you import a compressed XML file that is exported from Trading Networks, the associated partner certificates are not included. Add these certificates manually after the import process. If you want to include certificates along with partner profiles during import, export the file in the compressed binary format from Trading Networks.