Managing Containers

The Managed Containers feature is essential for managing environments within the Universal Model. This functionality allows for the export and import of entire environments, facilitating processes such as backups, migrations, and environment replication. By exporting an environment, you effectively create a comprehensive snapshot of all configurations and data, which can then be transferred or restored in another instance.

Manage Containers allows for the Export of Environments into a ZIP file. This file can then be Imported to other Tenants - e.g. Exported from a DEV Tenant and Imported to a QA Tenant. This functionality includes an Export Delta option to capture only differences made since an original Export.

Steps to Export an Environment

Overview: Exporting an environment involves creating a complete backup of the environment's settings, configurations, and data. The export process generates a zip file containing all the necessary JSON and XML files that encapsulate the environment's structure and content.

First, we need to select the environment and click on Export Environment. This will create a zip file that will automatically start downloading to the PC.

If you look inside that zip file, what's in there, you will find the list of JSON files (picture on the right). The list of fields and functions within the exported environment will appear.

The next step would be to import that zip file (environment) to the new tenant. Within the Manage Containers app, there is an Import Environment button. So, an exported environment (zip file) from another tenant can be uploaded like this. There is also an option to "Activate Environment." By selecting "Yes," the imported environment will be activated automatically upon import.

Import as New allows you to create a new Environment from the Exported Container file and gives you the option to activate it or not. "Import as a New" is when you import an already existing environment and have a chance to rename it.

Because we imported with option No on Activate Environment, the newly created PARAM2 environment has Runtime statuses of Inactive.

After Export and subsequent Import and Import as New, adding a new Function - Currencies1 should allow for an Export Delta.

Selecting the previous Export Container and selecting Export Delta yields a new Container - this one with a more recent timestamp. The original ZIP file contained 27 files. The new Delta Container only contains 12 .json files.

In order to migrate an exported and downloaded Container to another SAP PaPM UM instance, click on Create. Click the Upload icon.

Find your downloaded zip file. Click Open, then provide a description and click Create.

Finally, click the Import Environment button. The newly imported Environment now shows up in Manage Environments.