TimeXtender supports multiple environment deployments that allow developers to create separate environments for development, testing, and production. These environments can be comprised of separate instances that can then be related to one another.
This article clarifies the steps to configure and and utilize these environments as follows:
- Create the development, test, and production environments.
- Add separate instances to each of the environments.
- Perform Instance migrations between instances to promote changes to a higher environment.
The below diagram shows an example of how instances can be promoted to different environments.
Adding a New Environment
Before you add environments, it's a good idea to add your instances. While you can always add and remove instances from environments, it saves you a bit of time if you can include all the relevant instances in the environment when you create it.
Add a new environment
- Navigate to Data estate > Instances and click Add new environment
- Name the environment and select the instances to include in the environment
Edit an environment
You can edit environments after they have been made by clicking on the edit icon.
It will show the same menu as creating an environment, the only difference is the name of the menu as it is now called Edit environment.
Delete an environment
You can delete an environment as well. You do so by clicking on the Delete icon.
However, you can see that it is not possible to click on it. An environment cannot be deleted as long as it has instances assigned. If you want to delete an environment with instances, first remove the instances by editing the environment. Once the instances have been removed it will be possible to delete it.
Migrate Instances
When you migrate an instance, you move the metadata in the instance to another instance, making the destination instance a copy of the source instance. This enables you to move work through multiple environments from development to production, you can only migrate an instance to another instance of the same type, but the instances don't have to be part of different environments. The flow is slightly different when you migrate between Ingest instances compared to Prepare and Deliver instances. More on that below.
Note: You cannot migrate to an instance that has never been opened in TimeXtender Data Integration since the metadata structure is created when the instance is first opened.
To promote changes from one instance to another, navigate to Migrations select the arrow next to the instance containing the changes that are to be promoted, and then select the target instance to promote to.
Select the destination instance in the To field, and when migrating Prepare instances select the Ingest instance mapping
When migrating Ingest instances, select the destination instance as well as the data source connection mappings.
When migrating Deliver instances, select the destination instance as well as the Prepare instance mappings and the semantic endpoint mappings.
Undoing a migration (Prepare and Deliver)
When you migrate a Prepare or Deliver instance, it creates a new version in the "to" instance with the content of the "from" instance. If you need to undo the transfer, you can use the standard version system in TimeXtender Data Integration to go back to a previous version.
To open an instance as the previous version and make it the latest version, follow the steps below:
- Open TimeXtender Data Integration, right-click the "to" instance, and click Open Version... to open the Select Version window.
- In the list, click on the previous version and click OK.
- You can only save an instance if it has unsaved changes. Make an inconsequential change like renaming a table and then renaming it back, then click File > Save. A warning message - "You are about to save an earlier version of the instance as the latest version" - will appear.
Troubleshooting
Warning: During the migration, the instances involved will be unavailable when data is being copied. Make sure that the instances are not being used for scheduled executions or development work during the transfer to prevent data loss or corrupted data.
Missing configuration when migrating instance
Make sure both source and target instances have similar mapped data source connections to proceed with the migration.
Target instance has not been initialized when migrating instance
Open TimeXtender and then open the target instance to initialize the instance. Then navigate back to the TimeXtender portal and migrate the instance.
