Saving Customizations in a Single XML File

[guy_yedwab]

Hi everyone,

I came up with a cute strategy to save a series of customizations into a single XML file, and several people around the office told me that it seemed pretty helpful, so I'm posting it here.

Why use this method?
-Save your customizations locally so that a clone, wipe, z-boot, etc. can happen without ruining your customizations.
-Share customizations with other users without having to leave your customization as an update set on your instance forever.
-Create a customization package people can download to their own instance.
-Email customizations to one another, or attach them to forum posts

Alright, here goes.

PART ONE: CREATING AN UPDATE XML
1) Create an update set containing your customizations, and once it's done mark it as Completed
2) Set up a data source in your instance pointing at itself (copy-paste your own url into the data source url).
3) Click Retrieve Completed Update Sets.
4) Go to System Update Sets > Retrieved Update Sets
5) Select your update set, and export to "XML (all)"

Congradulations! You now have a single XML file that has all of the customizations in a single file.

PART TWO: USING THE UPDATE XML
1) Go to System Update Sets > Retrieved Update Sets
2) Import the XML that you've exported using the above method
3) Click Commit Update Set.

Congrats! In three easy steps, you've applied your customizations from a file you saved locally.

Let me know how it works for you!

[guy_yedwab]

You can also use this method to back up customizations, to create a customization "Baseline".

[jerome_lambercy]

Hi,

I'm a bit puzzled about the last point (5) of the creating an update XML.

How did you manage to export a 'Retrieved Update Set' and all child records from 'Customer Updates' all at once ?
I can't see any 'XML (all)' menu entry. Did you made it yourself ?
More generally, how to you export table record and all child associated record ?

It should work though, using two different export-import XML files. Thanks for the trick.

[jerome_lambercy]

Hi again,

Found out, seem I'm working on an instance that doesn't has yet the functionality.

Sorry about that.

[guy_yedwab]

What release are you on? The System Update Sets plugin came out Winter 2009 Stable 3, and from my testing with Winter 2009 the "Export > XML (All)" option should be available when you right-click the form's header bar. If your instance has the System Update Set functionality, it should have the Export to XML (All) functionality as well.

Make sure you're doing it from the form (you can't export to XML all from the list). If it's not available from the form, there may have been some customization or security change, since if you export some records to XML using the XML (All) choice you may seriously damage performance.