Promoting a Snapshot

Promoting in an On-premise Environment

Prerequisites:

To promote a snapshot, you must have the following privileges:

Deploy Process Apps to This Host on the destination server (set in SBM Application Administrator).
Promote to This Host on the destination server (set in SBM Application Administrator).
Export Process Apps from This Host on the source server (set in SBM Application Administrator).
Deploy for the process app that you are deploying (set in Application Repository).

You must also verify or add any endpoints and target servers used in the process app in the destination environment.

You typically only promote using snapshots when you have a set of snapshots that are provided by a solution, or when you want to promote a process app and its configuration data as it existed at a certain point in time.

Note the following important information:

If you are promoting from one environment to another (known as promoting a "live" snapshot in earlier versions of Application Repository), the best approach is to select a process app from the Process Apps tab instead and either:
- Use a promotion profile to specify the source and target environments and the endpoints.
- Promote the process app, and manually specify the source and target environments and endpoints in the promotion wizard.
An alternative approach is to Get the process app one environment to make sure it is the latest before promoting it to the target environment. See Getting a Process App from SBM Application Engine.
The Global Process App (and any process app containing the Global Application) typically should be promoted only to environments in the same environment set from which it was originally loaded. For more information, see About the Global Process App and Global Application.

To promote a snapshot:

On the Snapshots tab, select a source from the Sources drop-down list:
- All – Displays all available snapshots.
- File – Displays snapshots in the local file system.
- Environment – Displays snapshots from the selected environment.
In the Actions column, click the Promote icon on the snapshot that you want to promote.
On the Destination page, select the environment to which you want to promote the snapshot.
On the Entities page, select one or more applications that you want to promote. Use the following options to manage configuration data and entities:
- Include entity data
  Select this check box to include data such as projects, notifications, and reports and more as part of the promotion. You can manage selections for application-specific entities in the tabs that appear on the Entities page. For more information about configuration entities and their promotion options, see About Configuration Entities.
- Merge conflicts
  Select or clear this check box to manage conflicts between entities. If you are promoting snapshots included with a solution, such as Serena Service Manager, select the Merge conflicts check box to ensure that specific entities, such as roles and roles assignments, are automatically merged if they exist in the target environment but not in the snapshot you are promoting. If the Merge conflicts check box is cleared, some entities are deleted from the target environment when the snapshot is promoted. For more information, see Merging Conflicts.
If there are application or orchestration endpoints that need mapping, on the Mappings page, perform the following steps:
1. Select an endpoint that does not have a destination.
2. Click the Edit icon.
3. From the list, select a destination endpoint or click Create a new endpoint, and then provide connection information for the new endpoint.
4. Repeat these steps for each endpoint as necessary.
The Summary page displays the settings that you have designated for the promotion.
- In the Summary section, click the Source, Destination, Entities or Mappings values to change the settings before you promote the snapshot.
- In the Settings section, change the following settings, if necessary:
  - Verify endpoints
    Before starting the promotion, confirm that each endpoint URI can be accessed.
  - Stop promote
    End the promotion if an error occurs or if there is a warning.
    
    Important: When you promote the Global Process App or any process app containing the Global Application, set the Stop Promotion option to on any warning. If you inadvertently promote the wrong Global Process App or Global Application, the promotion will stop and give you an opportunity to confirm whether you are promoting the process app snapshot to the correct environment.
  - Send e-mail notification
    Send e-mail to the addresses that you specify with the status of the promotion under the conditions you choose.
  - Schedule for
    Enter a date and time to schedule the promotion (in the local time zone specified by the SBM Application Engine user profile)..
  - Save profile as
    Enter a name if you want to save the promotion details as a new promotion profile, and then click Create profile.
When you are satisfied with all of your choices for the promotion, click Promote.

A dialog box that confirms the promotion appears. Click OK to exit, or click View Activity to see the promotion status.

Promoting in SBM On-demand

Prerequisites:

To promote a process app snapshot, you must have the Deploy privilege for the process app that you are deploying, which is granted on the Privileges tab.

You must import solution files provided by Serena Software, Inc.. For details, refer to The Solutions Tab.

After you import files for solutions, such as Serena Service Manager, follow these steps to promote snapshot files and complete your solution installation.

Select a snapshot that you want to promote.
In the Actions column, click the Promote icon.
On the Destination page, select the environment to which you want to promote the snapshot.
Note: The list should only contain one destination selection. If it contains multiple destinations, contact Serena Customer Support for guidance.
On the Entities page, select one or more applications that you want to promote. Serena recommends that you promote all entities to ensure you receive full functionality provided in the solution. Use the following options to manage configuration data and entities:
- Include entity data
  Select this check box to include data such as projects, notifications, and reports and more as part of the promotion. You can manage selections for application-specific entities in the tabs that appear on the Entities page. For more information about configuration entities and their promotion options, see About Configuration Entities.
- Merge conflicts
  For best results, always select this check box when you promote snapshots provided with your solution. This ensures that specific entities, such as roles and roles assignments, are automatically merged if they exist in the target environment but not in the snapshot you are promoting. If the Merge conflicts check box is cleared, some entities are deleted from the target environment when the snapshot is promoted. For more information, see Merging Conflicts.
On the Mappings page, click Next.
On the Summary page, verify your settings, and then click Promote.