Custom export

Introduction to custom exports in ConSol CM

Custom exports allow creating scene files which contain specific entities selected by the user. The exported scene file can be imported on another system to transfer parts of the configuration.

Concepts, terms and definitions

• Scene / Scenario: ZIP file which contains ConSol CM data for importing
• Dependency: Entity which is referenced by another entity, can be mandatory or optional

Purpose and usage

The custom export is used to transfer parts of the configuration of a system to another system, which can have a different configuration. It allows to select specific entities of different types of objects to create a scene file which contains everything needed for a certain functionality.

Example use cases:

• Export a news queue to implement a news functionality on another system.
• Export a field or page visualization to reuse it on another system.
• Export a specific list, script or template to make it available on the target system without having to update the whole configuration.

The following table summarizes the differences between custom exports and the staging export:

Area	Staging export	Custom export
Typical use case	Transfer the configuration from a development system to a production system	Transfer a part of the configuration from a development system to another development system
Scope of the export	All entities of the selected types	Selected entities of different types
Dependency handling	Dependent entities are exported automatically	Dependent entities are suggested but can be removed

The exported scene file can be imported on Import page of the target system, see Import.

The creation of a custom export starts with adding one or several main entities (see Available entities). Depending on the type of entity, some dependencies are added automatically. These are the dependencies which are required either from a technical or a business point of view. Afterwards, you can open the dependencies dialog to add dependent entities for the entities which have been selected for export. It depends on the type of entity if a dependency dialog is available. You can remove both automatically and manually added dependencies. Therefore, you have the full control about the content of your exported scene.

warning

It is your responsibility to make sure that all required entities will be present on the target system after importing the generated scene file. For example, if you export a queue and remove the customer group, the queue will only work correctly on the target system if it already contains a customer group with the same name, or you select another customer group in the queue settings after the import.

Available entities

The following entities are available for initial selection:

• Role: Select one or several roles.

• View: Select one or several views.

• User function: Select one or several user functions

• List: Select one or several sorted lists.

• Script: Select one or several scripts. Select the With referenced scripts checkbox to export the scripts called by the script as well.

• Template (WAS and WEB): Select one or several templates.

• Case | Contact | Resource field group: Select one or several field groups. Select With all fields to export the fields as well.

  Automatic dependencies: list categories, lists, scripts

  Manual dependencies: fields

• Queue: Select one or several queues.

  Automatic dependencies: activity forms, contact models, customer groups, list categories, lists, data fields, case field groups, scripts, contact field groups, workflow.

  Manual dependencies: templates, contact roles, roles, views, projects, text classes, calendars, resource relations

• Case search action: Select one or several search actions for cases. Automatic dependencies: field groups, fields, scripts, forms

• Text class: Select one or several text classes.

• Contact model: Select one or several contact models.

• Resource model: Select one or several resource models.

• Localized label: Select one or several labels.

• Page customization: Select one or several page customization attributes.

• Portal configuration: Select one or several portal configurations

• System property: Select one or several system properties. You can export both custom properties and system properties (properties which belong to the product ConSol CM), see Different kinds of system properties.

Available information

The following information is available in the table:

• Type: Type of the entity to be exported.
• Name: Internal name of the entity to be exported.
• Context: Reason why this entity was added to the export. Only for dependent entities.

The scene export includes the content.csv file which contains a list of all entities included in the export with their type, ID, name and transfer key.

Tasks

You can perform the following tasks with custom exports:

• Add a main entity: Click the New entity button, select an entity type and select the desired entities. You can add entities of different types by selecting another entity type. Click the Add button to add the entity to your export collection.
• Add dependencies: Click the Add dependency icon in the row of the entity for which you want to add dependencies. Select the desired entities in the available sections and click the Add button.
• Remove dependencies: Click the Remove dependency icon in the row of the entity which you want to remove from your export collection.
• Generate scene file: When you have gathered the desired entities in the export collection, you can click the Export button to generate the scene file which contains the selected entities.
• Save an export collection: When you have gathered the desired entities in the export collection, you can click the Save button to save the collection, i.e. the references to the entities which should be exported. You need to provide a name for the collection. Optionally, a description can be entered.
• Load an export collection: Click the Load collection button, and click the Load icon of the desired collection. The main table is filled with the referenced entities, and you can export the collection.
• Modify an export collection: Load the export collection, and add or remove the desired entities. When you click the Save button you can leave the prefilled name to modify the existing collection, or enter a new name to create a new collection.
• Delete an export collection: Click the Load collection button, and click the Remove collection icon of the desired collection to delete it.