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Promotion

The Promotion page moves configuration from one instance to another — development to test, test to production — item by item, with the files each item uses. Export builds a package; import shows what the package would change, field by field, then writes it after a version snapshot. The keys that belong to an instance — passwords, URLs, hosts, the license, the environment name… — never travel and are never overwritten on the target.

Open it from Management → Promotion.

At a glance​

PromotionMove templates, lists, jobs, connectors and settings between instances, item by item. Instance keys never travel.ExportImportFilter items…DOCUMENT TEMPLATE (2)invoices— Customer invoicespdf-template:standardxsl/invoices.xslubl/invoices-ubl.xslcredit_notes— Credit notesPDF TEMPLATE (1)standarddependencyCONNECTOR (3) ›SETTINGS TEMPLATE (4) ›Selection1 item(s), 1 dependency(ies), 2 file(s)The package holds the items, their filesrelative to the environment root, and amanifest. Passwords, secrets, URLs, hosts,the license… are never exported.⬇ Export packageClear selectionExport or importpreview before every writeTree by kindtick a kind to take allDependenciesfiles and PDF template followAdded automaticallynamed by a selected documentSelection countitems, dependencies, filesInstance keysnever exported, never overwrittenExport packageZIP with manifest, items, files Source instanceExport: tick the itemsdependencies addedExport packagePackage (.zip)manifest.jsonitems/ · files/no instance keysTarget instanceImport: preview and diffpolicy and commentApply, after snapshot

What can be promoted​

KindContent of the itemTravels with it
Document templateA document.Its files — pre-processing XSL, indexation XSL, RTF, UBL XSLT and its PDF companion (.pdf.json), custom Schematron — and the PDF template it names.
PDF templateA PDF template.—
ListA reference list or a custom list.—
Notification ruleA notification rule.—
Daily digest · Auto-retry · Lifecycle checkA daily digest, an auto-retry or a lifecycle check.—
ConnectorAn API, SQL, database or FTP connector, without its secrets and targets.—
Settings templateE-invoicing, e-reporting, directory lookup, watched folders, integrity checks, report queries or JDE print queue, without its instance keys.—
FileThe shared UBL defaults file (ubl-defaults.xsl, the operator values of the common XSL).—

The global settings, single sign-on and the column overrides of the NomaUBL database are never promoted: they describe the instance itself.

Export​

  1. Pick the items in the tree, grouped by kind with their count. The kind check box selects every visible item of the kind; Filter items… narrows the tree.
  2. Read the dependencies shown under each item: the files it uses and the items added with it. A PDF template named by a selected document is ticked automatically and flagged dependency.
  3. Export package downloads the ZIP. The side panel counts the items, dependencies and files of the selection; Clear selection starts again.

Package content​

EntryContent
manifest.jsonThe items with their kind and checksum, the source instance and release, the author and the date.
items/One JSON fragment per item.
files/The referenced files, with their path relative to the environment root — the %APP_HOME% and %ENV% placeholders of the properties stay valid on the target.

What never travels​

Passwords, secrets, tokens, API keys, the license, URLs, hosts, users, the database schema, the environment name and colour, and the watermarks of the jobs (last BIP job, last scan, last retrieval) are never exported. On import, the target keeps its own values for these keys.

Import​

From DEV · release 10.24.1 · admin · 2026-10-24 09:15
KindItemStateChangesDetailApplied
Document templateinvoiceschanged3
PDF templatestandardidentical0
Filexsl/invoices.xslnew0

Preview
Items: 0 new, 1 changed, 1 identical, 0 skipped
Files: 1 new, 0 changed, 0 identical, 0 skipped
Changed items and files
Replace with the package ▾
Comment for the snapshots and the log
✓ Apply

  1. Choose a promotion package (.zip). The page reads the manifest — source environment, release, author, date — and computes the preview without writing anything.
  2. Read the preview. Each item and each file has a state: new, changed, identical or skipped. The grid gives the number of changed fields per item; a row opens the field diff — key, change (set, added, changed, removed), Target value and Package value.
  3. Choose the policy for changed items and files:
    • Replace with the package — changed items and files take the package version;
    • Keep the target, write only new ones — only new items and files are written.
  4. Add a comment, recorded with the snapshots and in the log.
  5. Apply and confirm. The panel switches to Result, the Applied column marks what was written, and Choose another package clears the page.

What Apply writes:

  • each item is inserted or updated by name in its own configuration file;
  • each file is written after a version snapshot, visible and restorable in File versions;
  • the instance keys already present on the target keep their value;
  • the import is one entry of the versioning log, with its author and comment.

The grid is the shared data table; its view is listed in the List views editor.

Access​

Grant Promotion in the Management group on the Roles page. The settings grant is also required.

The Package mode of File versions remains available for raw files that belong to no item.

Tips & best practices​

  • Promote from the lower environment up. Edit in development, check in test, then import the same package in production: the package is the record of what was moved.
  • Read the diff before applying. A changed item with an unexpected key often reveals an edit made directly on the target.
  • Use Keep the target to add without overwriting — for example to bring a new document to an instance whose existing documents have been tuned locally.
  • Write a meaningful comment. It is the label of the snapshots to restore if the import has to be undone.