A replication package is used to gather all versions of supported objects in a product or library. The replication package can be exported from Windchill and imported into another Windchill installation that has the same administrative characteristics (such as object type hierarchy, object attributes, and so on). This type of package is intended to be sent to another Windchill installation within the same company. Because replication packages are used internally, additional attributes are included when the package delivery is exported. For example, when importing a technical data package into an external Windchill system, basic attributes about each part are imported to allow for collaboration on design data. When importing a replication package into an internal Windchill system, additional attributes such as participant data about the part creator or workflow process history are also imported.

As a result of the different usage intent, the actions available on a replication package are different from the actions available on packages, technical data packages, CDRL packages, and SDRL packages. For example, because CDRL package content is established using initially selected objects and collection rules, the Route action is available so that the package content can be reviewed prior to being sent to the package recipient. Replication package content is populated by all objects in the selected products or libraries for internal replication and therefore the content does not need the same type of review process. For a list of the most common actions used on a replication package, see Replication Package Information Page.

Only users in the Replication Package Administrators group are able to view and complete actions on replication packages. Depending upon how replication package authorization is configured for your system, the deliveries associated with a replication package may or may not be limited to just the Replication Package Administrators group. For more information about the group and how to set up access to replication packages and associated deliveries, see Replication Package Administrator Group.