Life Cycle Management - migration from Version 11.1.2.1 to 11.1.2.3

Scenario –

You had to migrate  an artifact (say Shared Services security) from Version 11.1.2.1 to Version 11.1.2.3. Basically, the first thing that can strike your mind would be to use LCM to migrate the security. However, can the task be fulfilled simply via the use of LCM? Let’s see it.

Here we are migrating “Native Directory” from 11.1.2.1 to 11.1.2.3.

In the source environment (11.1.2.1), let us launch Shared Services.

In Shared Services, 

Application Management 

     Application Groups

               Foundation

                        Shared Services (Click it - and you will see the artifacts populate to the right)

Basically, you will see

     Native Directory

     Task Flows

Expand Native Directory and select just "Groups" - we are migrating only Groups for this exercise.

Click "Define Migration"

For Source Options in the next step, leave Default.

The next window is where we can type in the name of our choice for Destination. Let us give a name "Group_Export" and click Next.

Go through all the steps and click "Execute Migration" in the last step.

The Migration Status Report should have status as "Completed" in case the export is successful.

Refresh Shared Services, and expand the "File System" node and we will see "Group_Export" item under the File System.

Now, let's get in to the folder where the Export folder is populated after the process.

The path in my environment is "oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\EPMSystem\Server\epmsystem1\import_export\admin@Native Directory"

Here, I have a folder named "Group_Export" which was created during the LCM export process.

The folder "Group_Export" contains two other folders - "Info" and "Resources".

While the folder "Info" has two files - "listing.xml" and "sourceinfo.xml," "Resources" folder has a folder "Native Directory" which contains a file called "Groups.csv"

Now let us see how the LCM process works in the target environment (11.1.2.3 - in this case). Process is almost the same, however, we need to notice the differences in files that are created during the LCM process. 

In the target environment (11.1.2.3), let us launch Shared Services.

In Shared Services, 

Application Management 

     Application Groups

               Foundation

                        Shared Services (Click it - and you will see the artifacts populate to the right)

Basically, you will see

     Native Directory

     Task Flows

Drill down the Native Directory and select just "Groups" - we are migrating only Groups for this exercise.

Click "Export"

"Export to File System" box appears. Type in an appropriate name and click "Export." In this case, I will type in "Group_Export"

Check the Migration Status Report. The status would be "Completed" if it exports successfully.

Refresh Shared Services, and under "File System" you will notice "Group_Export" like in the following figure.

Now, let's go to the Import_Export folder (the repository for LCM files). In my environment, the path to the Import_Export folder is "oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\EPMSystem\Servername\epmsystem1\import_export" 

Make sure you know the path. 

As I dig in to the folder, I can see a .ZIP file named "Group_Export.zip" - here is where the difference lies.

You extract the .zip file and you will see a folder named "HSS-Shared Services" and two files "Export.xml" and "Import.xml" - This is where the main difference is in terms of the files that are created during LCM export using version 11.1.2.1 and 11.1.2.3.

However, if you dig deeper into the "Resources" folder and further down to the "Native Directory" folder, you have the file that you basically need - in this case, the "Groups.csv" file.

So at this point, all you need to do is
a. Copy the "Groups.csv" file from the source environment and paste it to the target environment in the "Native Directory" folder
b. Go to the "Group_Export" folder so it will have the following files under it

c. Zip the three files shown above and name it "Group_Export.zip."

d. Move the "Group_Export.zip" file under the "import_export" folder (the location where the file was created during the LCM export process in the beginning.

Now, you should be able to do a LCM import from the "File System" tree in the target Shared Services.

LCM and the magic of 7-zip

LCM is a great tool in the EPM world in terms of migrating artifacts from one environment to another, however, it being a real world, we know it is not perfect to the core. Moreover, when it comes to migrating reports from one environment to another, owing to the long, crazy, weird hard-to-remember paths that 

Hyperion is used to, we get those errors while trying to copy the “EXPORT FOLDER IN SOURCE ENVIRONMENT” to “IMPORT FOLDER IN TARGET ENVIRONMENT.” I think you understand what I mean, right, if you are used to LCM and those errors.

This is where 7-zip comes in handy. Windows comes with its very own Win-Zip, however, I am not a huge fan of it. 7-zip is a free tool and, I believe, it works a lot better when it comes to zipping the Hyperion kind-of files.

This is how it can be used in the process of LCM.

When you perform an LCM export in the source environment, a folder is created in the IMPORT-EXPORT folder.

For example, if you have performed an LCM export with the ADMIN account and named the export “REPORT 2013” the following would be the path/file you would be looking for –

\\Server\d$\oracle\Middleware\user_projects\epmsystem1\import_export\admin@Native Directory\REPORT 2013.

Here is the trick now. If you try to copy the folder “REPORT 2013” directly to the target environment, you can get errors, such as “file too long” OR “permission related” etc. This is where you can use 7-zip. As I have already mentioned earlier, it is free to download, and it takes only a minute or so to install it. Zip the “REPORT 2013” folder, and copy the “zipped” folder and paste it to the target IMPORT-EXPORT folder. Now you go to the target server and unzip it, and there you go, you have the files, ready to be imported in the target environment.