About Export and Import
About Export
Windchill export enables you to place all the data stored in high-level objects in the local database into JAR files on the local file system. Optionally, you can include only objects that were created or modified within a date and time range. Later, use import to extract these JAR files to locations that you specify in the local database. The data that is exported (stored) and then imported (extracted) does not include information required for change control.
Export enables you to compress the data found in a variety of objects into a JAR file, including the following:
• Cabinets and folder contents—The content of objects supported by Windchill export that is located in cabinets and folders is compressed. Folders and cabinets are not supported, but for each supported object, data is included in the JAR file about the cabinets and folders that held it.
• Product structure (built with active configuration specification)—A part serves as the seed object for a complete product structure, which includes its dependent child parts and associated documents, built with the active configuration specification.
The following can serve as seed objects:
◦ Subclasses of WTParts
◦ Parts with serial numbers
◦ Instances of subtype WTParts
◦ End objects, which are also known as WTProducts
• CAD document structure (built with latest configuration specification)—A CAD document serves as the seed object for a complete CAD structure generated with the latest configuration specification. No parts or links between parts and CAD documents are exported.
• Product structure with CAD documents (built with active configuration specification)—This option combines the product structure and CAD document structure options. It exports the product structure of the parts and the CAD structure of the CAD documents, along with the build rules between the two structures. Parts, the product structure, CAD documents, the CAD structure, and content files are exported.
• Document—Ordinary or subtype instances of documents are exported.
You can view all of the types of objects that you can export in the Export window. Documents that are referenced by other objects are included in the export data. You can filter objects by their time of last modification to control which objects are included in the JAR file.
You can give the JAR files any name you want. The files have the . jar extension unless you specify a different file extension. You can open the JAR file with any software that opens and expands ZIP files.
About Import
Windchill import enables you to expand the compressed files created by the export process and place the objects in the local database. After you have imported the objects, they can be modified just like any other files.
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You can import the JAR and ZIP files that are generated from the Export option under > . Importing any other file types is not supported.
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If you use the default settings, import does not overwrite objects that already exist in the same namespace in the local database and have the same status as the object that you are trying to import. For most business objects, such as parts, documents, and CAD documents, import determines whether an object is unique based on the following identifiers:
• The Unique Federated Identifier (UFID) of the object, which is composed of the local ID, the domain, and the site. A UFID is assigned to an object when it is stored to the database. Changing the revision, version, or iteration of the object results in a UFID change, but changing the life cycle state of the object does not.
• The business identity of the object, which is derived from the value of the following attributes:
◦ For a WTPart—Number, version, iteration, and view
◦ For a WTDocument—Number, version, and iteration
◦ For a CADDocument—CAD name, number, version, and iteration
◦ For a reusable attribute or subtype definition object—Name and path
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Different object types can have different uniqueness identifiers.
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If an object to be imported has the UFID as an existing database object but a different business identity, the import fails. If you do not want the import to fail in this situation, select the Resolve Overridable Conflicts checkbox in the Import window or use a policy or rule file to change either the UFID or the business identity of the import object.
If there is a conflict in the value of other attributes, the system response varies depending on the attribute and the import options that you selected. For details about overriding conflicts, see
Import and Export Policies, Mapping Rules, and Conflict Messages.
Processes
The export and import processes can refer to mapping rule files that transform or block attribute data on the interface to the JAR file. In addition, the import process can refer to context mapping files which control into which context imported objects are placed.
The way objects in the database can be created or modified is governed by use of policy files or selected actions available in the user interface during import or export. These import policy files or actions are applied after any mapping rules files are applied.
A preview feature shows the expected results of importing from a specific file. This feature shows which files will be imported, what conflicts might arise, and whether the import process will be completed or will fail. However, it may not report every detail of the results of the import operation.
If the Detailed Log checkbox is not selected, the log shows how many objects will be imported and how many XML files will be processed. If the Detailed Log checkbox is selected, the log also shows which files will be imported, what conflicts might arise during import, and whether the import process will be completed or will fail. Note that because this is a lightweight check, it is possible for the import process to fail even if the preview did not indicate any issues.
Windchill export and import do not support the export and import of JAR files across releases. In other words, a JAR file that was created by performing an export in an earlier version of Windchill cannot be imported into a new version of Windchill unless a specific property is enabled. If a cross-release import is necessary, you can enable this property.
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This property should only be enabled if necessary. Any data inconsistency or integrity issues that arise after a successful import are not supported.
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To enable cross-release import, specify the following property in the wt.properties file and then restart the method server:
wt.ixb.import.allowCrossReleaseImport=true
Alternatively, to dynamically reload this property, specify it in a mapping rule file with the following format:
For more detailed information about conflicts and policies and mapping rules, see
Import and Export Policies, Mapping Rules, and Conflict Messages.
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Exporting or importing a large datasets may fail if the cache size is not sufficient. In this case, you should increase the cache size using the wt.ixb.cacheSize property in the wt.properties file and then restarting the method server. For example, you might set the wt.ixb.cacheSize to a value between 4000 and 6000.
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