Back up and restore process automations

Process automations developed in Blue Prism comprise any number of processes, business objects, and embedded application models. They can be backed up and restored separately from other areas of the system.

For backing up full systems, see Back up and restore the full system.

Backup

Objects and processes can be exported individually or as part of a release package for multiple objects/processes with additional components.

For more information about the automate.exe commands in the following sections, see Command line options.

1. Individual items – File > Export

   In Studio, select File > Export > Process/Object, select all the objects or processes to be exported and the file destination.
   This can also be achieved programmatically by using automatec.exe /export.

   

2. Multiple items – Release package

   Release packages are configured in Blue Prism and contain any mixture of objects and processes, and related file types.
   Once a package has been defined it is ready for export. The package will automatically be updated to include the latest version of each item as it is exported.
   The export can be done manually or programmatically by using automatec.exe /exportpackage .

   Use the Find References feature, accessed by right-clicking a process or object in the navigation tree, to add a selection of all related records to the release package.

   

Related file types that can also be exported within a release package include:

• Calendars – calendars configured for use by schedules set on holidays, working, and non-working days.
• Dashboards – the layout and presentation settings of each tile on the dashboard. The data source settings must be explicitly exported if required. No reporting data is exported.
• Credentials – credential records and their settings, but excluding sensitive information such as passwords and secrets.
• Schedules – schedule information such as which process automations should be triggered at a given time. No schedule log history is exported.
• Tiles – data sources settings, and query-information used by dashboards. No reporting data is exported.
• Work queues – work queue records and their settings. No work queue items are exported.

The export does not typically represent a full backup of these items, but only their configuration settings.

Restore

Use File > Import to import or restore objects, processes, or release packages into an existing Blue Prism environment.

If any conflicts are detected during the import, e.g. if an item with the same name already exists, there are options to overwrite, create a duplicate, or ignore the item.

This can also be achieved programmatically:

• When importing objects or processes use: automatec.exe /import.Use /overwrite to force objects or processes to overwrite any of the same names already in the store.
• When importing release packages use: automatec.exe /importpackage.

The default behavior when conflicts are detected as part of a package import process is described below:

Conflict	Outcome
An item in the release package has the same name/ID as an item of the same type that already exists in the store.	The item in the store will be overwritten.
An object or process will be overwritten but the item in the release package is marked as published, and the item in the store is not marked as published.	The item in the store will be marked as published.
An object or process will be overwritten but the item in the store is marked as retired.	The item in the store will stay retired.
The release package includes a tile, but the user does not have permission to import tiles.	The entire package will fail to import.
The release package includes a credential record, but the Blue Prism environment is not correctly set up to store credentials (i.e. no default encryption scheme is configured).	The entire package will fail to import.
An object in the release package matches the name or ID of a process in the store.	The entire package will fail to import.
A process in the release package matches the name or ID of an object in the store.	The entire package will fail to import.

Restrictions

There are several restrictions or considerations when importing objects, processes or release packages into an existing Blue Prism environment:

• The target version of Blue Prism must be the same or newer than the source version.
• Object, process and release package files only contain the information as outlined – typically they do not contain data such as credential secrets, or work queue items.