Importing and exporting the contents of dictionary processes

Applies to version: 2021.1.x and above; author: Dawid Golonka

Introduction

The model way of implementing the WEBCON BPS system is to work on three types of environments. Processes are configured on the development environment, tests of the created solution are carried out on the test environment, and end-users of the system work on the production environment. Moving processes or changes in processes between environments is possible by using the built-in application import/export mechanism.

Starting from version 2021.1.1, the mechanism was extended with transferring the contents of the dictionary processes and workflows for storing document templates.

Transferring the contents of the dictionaries

A workflow for the dictionary process has been created that stores the personal data of employees. The report below presents the created fields and the contents of the dictionary.

Fig.1 . Dictionary of personal data

The dictionary and its content will be exported and then imported within one environment.

To do this, go to WEBCON BPS Designer Studio and from the “Actions” tab select “Export application”. For more information about this mechanism, see Importing and exporting applications in WEBCON BPS.

During the export of the dictionary processes, in the “Related elements” step, you can also transfer the contents of the process – “Export data”.

Fig.2 . Exporting the application – “Export data” option

After finishing the export process, you get the package that can be imported into the new environment. In our case, the package will be imported in the same environment. To see results – first, clear the contents of the dictionary:

Fig.3 . Deleting the dictionary content

The next step is to import the created package with the dictionary process - in WEBCON BPS Designer Studio, from the “Actions” tab, select “Import application”. In the “Import the contents of dictionaries” step, you can import the dictionary instances.

• Import – it allows you to update the existing dictionary instances in a given environment and add new ones. Instances that are not in the package will not be changed (deleted or modified).
• Replace all instances – it allows you to delete all existing instances of the dictionary and add those from the package.

Fig.4 . Importing the contents of the dictionaries

When the data is completely replaced, the system will display a warning:

Fig.5 . Warning

After importing, the “Dictionaries import report” was displayed with information about the changes made and any errors. A user can download the error log file to analyze the failure cases.

Fig.6 . The dictionary import report

As you can see in the report below, deleted users are listed in the “Personal Data” dictionary again:

Fig.7 . The data has been imported into the dictionary

Transferring the contents of the document template process

A new "Response templates" process has been created with three Word file templates.

Fig.8 . Document template dictionary with three Word files

Let’s export the package containing the document templates process. The same as with dictionary processes, in the “Related elements” step, select the “Export data” option.

Fig.9 . Exporting the application – “Export data” option

As the exported process will be imported in the same environment, we made a few changes in the document templates process – a new template was added and two existing templates were deleted.

Fig.10 . Making changes to dictionary data

The next step is to import the previously created package. Similar to importing the dictionary processes, an additional “Import the contents of dictionaries” step has appeared in the import wizard. In this case, we have only selected the “Import” option which allows for updating existing instances and adding new ones.

Fig.11 . Import of document templates

In the "Dictionaries import report" step, you can see the type of changes made to the dictionary data.

Fig.12 . Dictionaries import report

After importing, there are four document templates in the dictionary:

Fig.13 . Dictionary content after import

Summary

The addition of the ability to transfer data from dictionary processes allows for the improvement of the process of migrating applications between environments. In addition to this, the user still has the option to export/import the contents of the dictionaries using an Excel file. Thanks to these solutions, there is no need to manually transfer data, which reduces the risk of errors and facilitates work.

Access to the “Dictionaries import report” in the import wizard allows you to check if the data transfer was successful, and also to solve any problems – by providing files with error logs.