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Import and Export Personalization Configurations

In this section:

About Personalization Import and Export
Import and Export Rules
Export a Personalization XML Template
Import a Personalization XML Template

About Personalization Import and Export

In the Personalization console, you can export a configuration as an XML template. Whole configurations, individual items, or groups of items from a configuration can be exported to an XML file. You can copy the full and partial configurations from one personalization database to another.

To create a new configuration or to update an existing one, you can import the exported XML configuration into a personalization database.

Caution: Importing configurations makes changes to your database which cannot be undone. It is recommended that you back up your database prior to using the Import feature.

Personalization imports and exports are performed for the following groupings, represented by nodes in the import and export dialogs:

Application Groups
Applications
Windows Settings Groups
Custom Windows Settings
Windows Settings Conditions
Personalization Groups
Sites
Global Application Exclusions
Settings

You can further define the import and export by selecting individual items from any group.

Two cmdlets within the EMPImportExport Powershell module can also be used to import and export configuration data from personalization server databases.

Import and Export Rules

When importing or exporting personalization configurations the following rules apply:

Any configuration item that has a dependency with another item is automatically included in the import or export and cannot be deselected. For example, when you select an Application Group, all the associated User Applications are automatically selected. The same is true of any Windows Settings Conditions that are required for the Windows Settings being imported or exported.
The Default Site and Default Users personalization group are the last elements in their respective nodes and always maintain this position on import.
Imported User Applications and Application Groups are placed in alphabetical order in the configuration. For example, if Application Groups A, C and E already exist in a configuration and groups B and D are imported, the order following import is A, B, C, D, E.
Order numbers are not exported for Personalization Groups. This means that imported Personalization Groups are placed after any existing groups in the configuration but before the Default User group. For example, if groups A, C, E and Default User already exist in a configuration and groups B and D are imported, the order following import is A, C, E, B, D, Default User. The same behavior applies for Sites.
Environment Manager XML configuration files that were not generated by the Export feature - such as some of the templates supplied by Ivanti Professional Services, or XML files that have been edited outside of Environment Manager - can be imported. However, because these files have been created or edited outside of the Environment Manager console, any errors are not validated and could impact the configuration on the database.
The following settings can be merged on import:
- Global registry inclusions & exclusions
- Global file path inclusions & exclusions
- User Applications added to an existing Application Group
- Application Group registry inclusions and exclusions
- Application Group file path inclusions and exclusions
- Servers added to an existing site
The following settings cannot be merged on import and result in an overwrite:
- User Applications that already exist
- Personalization groups that already exist
- Servers added to a site which already exist in that site
- Windows Personalization Servers
When merging sites, the Membership Rules, Servers & Virtual Hosts, and Properties are always updated with the settings from the imported site.
When importing Windows Settings Groups, the following apply:
- Windows Settings Groups are always merged (or can be skipped)
- Windows Settings Conditions are always replaced (or can be skipped)
- Individual (customized) Windows Settings are always replaced (or can be skipped)

Export a Personalization XML Template

In the Personalization console of Environment Manager, connect to the database that contains the configuration you want to export.
From the Tools ribbon, click Export.

The Export Configuration dialog displays.

The left-hand column of the dialog displays the nodes under which the configuration elements are grouped. Highlighting a node displays all associated elements for that node in the right-hand pane. By default, all nodes and elements are selected.

Clearing the User Applications checkbox excludes all managed applications from the export. However, if an application is a member of a selected Application Group, it cannot be deselected unless the group has first been deselected.
Select the checkboxes for elements of the configuration that you want to export.

In the example below, all Application Groups, Personalization Groups, User Applications have been selected for export.
Click OK to open a Save As Windows browser dialog.
Navigate to where you want to save the configuration file. Enter a file name, accept the default file type setting (Configuration Files *.xml), and click OK.

An XML file containing the selected elements is created. For whole configurations or large portions thereof, this may take a few seconds. When complete a confirmation dialog displays.

Import a Personalization XML Template

Caution: Importing User Personalization configurations makes changes to your database that cannot be undone. It is recommended that you back up your database prior to using the Import feature

In the Personalization console of Environment Manager, connect to the database into which you want to import configuration items. This could be a new configuration or an existing one that you want to overwrite or add to.
From the Tools ribbon, click Import.

A Windows browser dialog displays.
Navigate to the configuration file that you want to import.
Select the file and click Open.

The Configuration Import dialog displays. This dialog contains the configuration elements in the file for import. Only those nodes that were exported are included.

The left-hand column of the dialog box displays the categories under which the configuration elements are grouped. Highlighting a category displays all associated elements for that node in the right-hand pane. By default, all nodes and elements are selected.
Use the checkboxes or buttons to select the elements that you want to import into the configuration and click OK.

Deselecting the User Applications checkbox excludes all managed applications from the import. However, if an application is a member of a selected Application Group, it cannot be deselected unless the group has first been deselected.
When an existing item is encountered that has the same name as that in the file being imported, a conflict occurs. Conflicts are displayed in the Resolve Conflicts dialog, which enables you to select an action to resolve each conflict.

If there are no conflicts, go to step 8.
From the Resolve Conflicts dialog select the action required for each element:
- Replace - The element in the current configuration is deleted and the one from the new configuration added.
- Skip - The new element is not imported and the existing one remains unchanged.
- Merge - Combines the contents of the two elements to include the contents of both. For example, when importing an application group that already exists in the database but contains different applications, those applications are added to the existing configuration to expand that application to include all the applications from both application groups.
  If you are importing default (out-of-the-box) Windows Settings Groups, you can only Merge or Skip a group. If you are importing customized Windows Settings Groups, you can only Replace or Skip. Conditions always import in Replace mode, or you can Skip them.
Multiple conflicts can also be resolved at category level by selecting Replace All, Skip All or Merge All, where available.
Click OK.
A warning states that you are making irreversible changes. Click OK to proceed.