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Concept

In briefshort, the VCS configuration pack conception can be defined as an ability to transfer data from one instance to another, in an automatic or semi-automatic way. It is intended for application version control. Configuration packs help to automate transfer data and configurations from one instance to another, lessen the manual effort. The key point is configurations transfer, for not to reiterate it more and more on every instance, you can just import a configuration pack. So, this technology really is to make it easy and automate a migration update from one instance to another.

Application configurations are stored in configuration packs which are represented as a .SOP file containing a set of the application version records. In an OOB supply, the SimpleOne platform contains only the Simple application, but administrators (users with the admin role) can create their own Applications if needed.

Initially, the configuration pack should be assembled on the source instance (the instance containing source data) within the local pack related to the specific application. After that, the local pack can be exported to the configuration pack as a .SOP file.

Using configuration packs allows deploying this configuration on other instances, or, if needed, rollback versions of the specified record or some local pack as a whole to the previous state.

provides version control in SimpleOne. Version control system allows:

• monitoring changes, tracking who updated the record and when 
• restoring record versions
• transferring record versions created when updating or developing applications between unrelated instances.

VCS records provide a way to transfer data from one instance to another in an automatic or semi-automatic way. You can just import a configuration pack in order to avoid recreation of changes on every instance.This technology ensures easy update migration between instances.

For example, your team has created a new application on the development instance. Instead of copying scripts and recreating all elements one by one manually, they assemble a configuration pack and import it to the production instance. While importing this pack into the target instance, the system checks changes for possible collisions. This way, you can make sure that these changes work fine.

Configuration pack flow

Good practice is to develop new applications and implement changes into existing ones on a separate instance. This will lessen mistakes and risks for everyday processes on the production instance. Therefore, VCS records should be collected into one local pack within the relevant application.

The configuration management involves two main processes:

• Export – collecting VCS records into a local pack on Instance #1, the result of which is a Local Pack in the Completed state and a .SOP file.
• Import – uploading and deployment of the previously prepared configuration pack on Instance #2.

To learn more about version control in SimpleOne and more, see the following articles:

• Assembling and exporting local packs
• Importing configuration packs

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Local packs 

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Local packs allow the development of application configurations on a separate instance, exporting it as a .SOP file, and implementing changes to the production instance. This approach minimizes the risks of mistakes, errors, and conflicts, which may affect the production instance during application development.

Technically, the configuration pack is the set of the saved records of the Local pack is a record in the VCS Local Pack (sys_vcs_local_pack) table compiling relevant records from the VCS Record (sys_vcs_record) table. Every record of this table contains JSON formatted changes and other attributes described below.

{"value": "Report Item", "policy": "Open", "sys_id": 159653803414986194, "column_id": 156941403909472422, "record_id": 159653803414985080, "language_id": 156628684306541141, "application_id": 155931135900000002, "sys_created_at": "2020-08-04 10:47:14", "sys_created_by": 155931135900000001, "sys_updated_at": "2020-08-04 10:47:14", "sys_updated_by": 155931135900000001}

The configuration pack transfer between instances can be also called "import". On the picture below, you can find the cross-instance configuration versions import flow:

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On the picture above. blocks colorization is based on the tables affected as described below:

Table

Color

Record versions

After any transaction (create/update/delete) for the versioned table object, the record is created in the VCS Record (sys_vcs_record) table corresponding to the object state after the transaction. The record version contains the information described below.

VCS Record form fields

The table name for the target record.

Transaction type. Available options:

• Create
• Update
• Delete

Local packs

Technically, a local pack is a record in the VCS Local Pack (sys_vcs_local_pack) table related to versions of the related records in a VCS Record (sys_vcs_record) table. Every single version is an atomic state of versioned tables (those ones which have the is_VCS_enabled attribute turned ON). All record versions in the local pack are displayed on a related list on a local pack form.

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To create a local pack, please complete the steps below:

1. Navigate to Configuration Pack → Local Packs.
2. Click New and fill in the fields.
3. Click Save or Save and Exit to apply changes.

VCS Local Pack form fields

Local pack state. Available options:

• In Progress
• Completed
• Ignored
• Rollback Previewed
• Rollbacked.

Version restoring

A non-actual version (the is_current attribute value is equal to FALSE) can be restored if needed. To perform this, please complete the steps below:

1. Navigate to Configuration Pack → Records.
2. Find the record to be recovered. You can use list search for search criteria narrowing, or a Condition Builder.
3. Click on a desirable record to navigate into it.
4. Click Restore Version.

After that, a new VCS record is created in the current local pack; the Restored by field value of this record is equal to the ID of the version used for restoring.

Default local pack

Default local pack is a local pack named "Default 1" created automatically after creating a new application. It is not recommended to use this local pack to store versions for the purpose of further import to other instances; create separate packs for these tasks.

If a version has been created in a default local pack erroneously, then you can move it to the required local pack. For this, please complete the steps below:

1. Navigate to Configuration Pack → Records.
2. Find the record to recover. You can use list search for search criteria narrowing, or a Condition Builder.
3. Click on a desirable record to navigate into it.
4. Click the magnifier icon on the left of the Local Pack field and choose the required local pack.
5. Click Save or Save and Exit to apply changes.

Protection Policy

The Protection Policy (policy) attribute is responsible for the possibility of the record changing (for example, overwriting). It it used, in particular, for data protection purposes.

How it works

When the record in the versioned table is created, its Record and Record Policy attribute values are equal to Open. After first updating, its Record and Record Policy attribute values changes to Changed.

Records with these two states for the Record and Record Policy attributes are freely modifiable.

Also, one more protection policy state for record is Protected. Records with this state cannot be changed or deleted.

During the importing process,. the records with the policy state allowing overwriting can be updated. Both record policy values set in the system and in configuration pack are taken into account. All possible policies combinations are described in the table below.

Local Pack Exporting

After you are done with record versions collection within the task implementing, you need to export the changes for further import to other instances. For this, please complete the steps below:

1. Navigate to Configuration Pack → Local Packs.
2. Find the local pack to export. You can use list search for search criteria narrowing, or a Condition Builder.
3. Click on a desirable local pack to navigate into it.
4. Change the state value to Completed.
5. Click Export Local Pack button.

Local Pack Merging

Two local packs can be merged in one if necessary. For this, please complete the steps below:

1. Navigate to Configuration Packs → Local Packs.
2. Choose local packs you need to merge selecting the appropriate checkboxes and click the Merge button.
3. Fill in the name and description of the consequent local pack.
4. Wait until local packs are merged.
5. As a result, a new local pack is created referenced with the last versions of the VCS Record (sys_vcs_record) for every record.
6. Resulting local pack transits into the In Progress state.
7. The original local packs are removed.
8. If any versions were referenced to original local packs and didn't get into the resulting one, then this reference is reset.

Local Pack Import

To deliver an exported local pack on a target instance, the import procedure should proceed. What is implemented within this procedure:

• The transactions stored in configuration pack (a local pack that was exported) are applied on a target instance.
• A local pack copy created on a target instance.

To import a local pack, please complete the steps below:

1. Navigate to Configuration Pack → Retrieved Packs.
2. Click New to create a new configuration pack.
3. Attach previously exported .SOP file to this configuration pack.
4. Click Save or Save and Exit to apply changes.
5. Click Load pack button on the top right to load records from the attached .SOP file to temporary table.

After records are loaded, additional UI actions appear on the retrieved pack record form:

1. Reload pack
2. Prepare changes
3. Import pack

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VCS retrieved pack form fields

State of the current configuration pack imported. Available options:

• New
• Previewed
• Loaded
• Committed.

The import process includes two immanent phases described below:

1. Previewing pack and preparing changes
2. Importing

Preparing and importing

During this phase, the import engine checks for the possible conflicts before the pack is imported. To preview the configuration pack, please complete the steps below:

1. Navigate to Configuration Pack → Retrieved Packs.
2. Find the configuration pack containing previously loaded records to preview (you can filter a list by a state value equal to Previewed).
3. Click on a selected pack it to navigate into it.
4. Click the Retrieved Records tab.

On this tab, you can find all records loaded from the configurations file. The Retrieved Records functionality allows to filter records out by state, fix errors if necessary and go on with importing without reassembling the .SOP file.

Retrieved record form field

Field

Description

The target table name in which this record version should be created.

Please note that only system names for tables are used in this field, not titles.

Transaction type. Available options:

• Insert
• Update
• Delete

The current record protection policy after the transaction is over. See the relevant article section for more information.

Available options:

• Open
• Changed
• Protected

Use case

After loading a .SOP file into a retrieved pack record, some VCS records have thrown errors due to any reasons (for example, the translation records on the target instance are different with the ones in retrieved pack, what causes data inconsistency, or any other reason). In this case, a person implementing import should follow the steps as described below:

1. After navigating onto the configuration pack being importing, click on the VCS Preview Log tab.
2. Find the erroneous records (they can be found by the state other than Good).
3. Click on a such record.
4. Read the text in the Error Text field to get the error cause.
5. Make necessary changes to the record in the JSON Copy field and save the record clicking the Save or Save and Exit button to apply changes.
6. Click the Prepare changes button.
7. Make sure that record state has been changed to Good.
8. (optional) Repeat these steps for every erroneous record if there are more than one.
9. After you are done, click the Import Pack button.

After a pack is finally imported:

• A local pack record on a target instance is created.
• All versions created on the previous stage are copied onto this local pack.
• The is_current attribute value for these records changes to TRUE.
• All records from this pack are created on the target instance in relevant tables.
• Temporary records from the Retrieved Records table are deleted.
• The retrieved pack state changes to Committed.
• The date and time of this operation are displayed at the Committed at field.

VCS Preview Log fields description

Field

Description

Table Name

The table name for the target record.

The preview log record state. Available options:

• Good
• Allowed
• Warning 
• Skipped
• Collision

The type of transaction created the version object. Available options:

• Insert
• Update
• Delete

The attribute responsible for the record protection policy. See the relevant article section for more information.

Available options:

• Open
• Changed
• Protected

Collisions processing

Generally, collisions may appear during the configuration pack import process. Their leading cause is that the dependent table or record does not exist in the database.

Consider a common use case:

1. We have exported the Incident table, child for the Task table;
2. We are importing it to the instance without the Task table;
3. In this case, the Incident table cannot be created on the target instance, because there is no parent table from which to inherit.

After that, you can find the erroneous record at the VCS preview log related list (in the VCS retrieved pack section). This record has the state=collision and the appropriate Error Text containing the error cause. Erroneous records cannot be included in the saved records pack (VCS records) bound to the retrieved pack that is used for data recovery.

Collisions disposal methods

The idea in the collision fixing process is to try to dispose of collisions in the highest level tables; this method lets to remove collisions in the lower-level tables automatically. It can be done about like this:

1. Filter the records in the VCS preview log by the state (state=collision);
2. Analyze errors for the records at the top of the list;
   1. Alternative way: you can filter the list by the Table field. The highest-level tables to analyze are, for example, sys_db_table, sys_number, sys_db_column, and some others.
3. After the error cause was found, it must be fixed on the source instance, and the configuration pack is to be exported and previewed again. clicking Preview Again Local Pack.
4. If collisions are gone, then this configuration pack now can be imported. Herewith, all the records from the last configuration pack attached, are imported and retrieved pack status changes to loaded. The records are added to the VCS record (sys_vcs_record) table. The last preview log is available in the Related Lists area.
5. After importing, the retrieved pack applying possibility appears. For this, click Apply Local Pack. The system restores records from this configuration pack (in other words, from the VCS record (sys_vcs_record) table records. attached to this retrieved pack). The retrieved pack changes its state to Committed.
6. If the collisions are not gone, then return to the previous steps.

Collision case 1

When installing a configuration pack in the system, some record “X” is added. At the same time, it is referenced to another records “Y” in this system and in this configuration pack. Both records that the record ‘X’ is referenced to do not exist. When the export admin initiates a configuration pack preview (using a Preview Local Pack button), the collision is thrown on this record, which is an expected result.

Collision solving:

The solution is the configuration pack rebuilt in order to get the record “Y” into it.

Collision case 2

The record “X” is deleted from the system. At the same time, there is a reference to this record in the configuration pack. When the export admin initiates a configuration pack preview (using a Preview Local Pack button), the collision is thrown on this record, which is an expected result.

Collision solving:

The solution is the configuration pack rebuilt in order to remove this record from it.

Collision case 3

Create a table on a source instance, with the field number equal to N.

Create the same table with the same name on a target instance, with the field number equal to N-1.

On the source instance, perform the export of the table fields into a configuration pack, after that download a .SOP file and unpack it on the target instance.

The result will be a collision thrown, and a message that this object is not valid, any actions on it cannot be taken.

Collision solving:

To solve this collision, create or update an object, excluding attributes missing on the target instance. In the above example, the N-fielded table will be successfully imported to the target instance, where the (N-1)-fielded table is created. But, the fields that exist in the source instance and are not in the target instance will not be created in the target instance. See the schema below.

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Collision case 4

The records on a target instance are newer than in a configuration pack to install. It can be determined by the date and time of record creation.

Collision solving:

Export admin needs to initiate a local pack preview. In the process:

1. Collision-causing records will be marked with the Skipped state.
2. When applying the local pack, the records with this state will be skipped. The records that were present on the target instance initially will stay.
3. In the case of record in the configuration pack is newer than on the instance, then it will be marked with the Good state, and it will replace the record on the instance.

Collision case 5

A table deleting from instance contains records (is not empty). If the table is deleted being empty, then there is no collision.

Collision solving:

1. Collision-causing records will be marked with the Skipped state.
2. When applying the local pack, the records with this state will be skipped.
3. If the record was marked with the Good state, then the table will be deleted.

Collision case 6

Use case description: configuration pack contains objects related to the application X. At some moment, export admin tries to apply this configuration pack on the instance that do not have this application installed.

Collision solving:

The solution is the configuration pack rebuilt in order to add records related to the missing application.

Collision case 7

Partial attribute mismatch between instances.

Use case description.

Create a table on a source instance, with the field number equal to N.

Create the same table with the same name on a target instance, with the field number equal to N-1.

On the source instance, perform the export of the table fields into a configuration pack, after that, download a .SOP file and unpack it on the target instance.

The field names on source and target instances are slightly different. See the schema below.

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Collision case 8

The collision cause is unique key violation.

Use case description

1. It was discovered that the target instance (instance #2) contains incorrect translation record for some element (element #1) or does not contain any translation record. This record should be located in the Translations (sys_translation) table.
2. This translation record for the element #1 has been created in an appropriate table on the instance #2.
3. On instance #1 (the source instance), a .SOP file has been assembled containing translation for the element similar to element #1. The column_id, record_id and language_id fields necessary for UNIQUE CONSTRAINT forming matched up on both instances.
4. This .SOP file has been uploaded on instance #2 like described above. VCS preview logs were generated.
5. After loading a pack on instance #2, a collision VCS record appeared containing an Error text more or less like this:
   1. "This record has a duplication of a unique key. DETAIL: Key (column_id, record_id, language_id)=(156941403909472422, 159170696512371798, 156628684306200767)."

Collision solving

The collision solving method is decide which translation record is more actual.

If an initial record located on the target instance is more actual, then the collision record can be dropped from the configuration pack and not imported.

If a new record being imported is more actual, then this record should be imported, what will cause initial record overwrite.

Snapshots

In version control systems (VCS), snapshot is the fixed system or database status description. To create a table snapshot, a table managing form can be used, and also, server-side API class SimpleVcs was implemented.

Option 1

1. Navigate to System Definition → All Tables.
2. Using the search bar and/or a Condition Builder, find the table you want to create a snapshot and navigate into it.
3. Click the Create VCS Snapshot button at the right top. This button is visible only when the versioning for this table is on (the is_vcs_enabled attribute is set to TRUE).

Option 2

1. Navigate to System Definition → Scripts.
2. Write down a script and call SimpleVcs#createTableSnapshot(tableName) method in it.

In both cases, the result is the snapshot, that is, the set of the VCS records for all the documents in this table that do not have such records at the moment of the snapshot creating.

Rollback

Rollbacks in brief

1. Any completed local pack can be rolled back;
2. Rollback will restore the versions of all the records in this local pack as they were before update collection within this local pack started, or before committing this local pack.
3. Deleted records are restored, and created records are deleted.

Example

• Before local pack committing, the record had a version X.
• After the local pack committing, it has version Y.
• And after rollbacking, it will have version X again, even if after local pack completing it has had any other version.

How to rollback a local pack

To rollback a local pack, please complete the steps below:

Resolve the issues encountered.

1. The currently selected application affects what options are available for the local pack. So please make sure that you select the application, such as Platform, that matches the content of the local pack.
2. Do not rollback the Default 1 local pack without an absolute necessity; otherwise, your SimpleOne instance configuration may be damaged.
   1. Rollback of any local pack is an operation that shouldn't be invoked without an emergency need; so use it cautiously.

This process both record updates and dictionary changes. Some changes caused by the rollback may lead to data loss.

Here is the expected result of the process:

Update

Rollback result

table. This allows associating VCS records with a particular pack and exporting them as a complete set.

Every single version is an atomic state of versioned tables (those ones which have the Is VCS Enabled checkbox selected). All records in this table contain JSON formatted changes and other attributes described below.

{"value": "Report Item", "policy": "Open", "sys_id": 159653803414986194, "column_id": 156941403909472422, "record_id": 159653803414985080, "language_id": 156628684306541141, "application_id": 155931135900000002, "sys_created_at": "2020-08-04 10:47:14", "sys_created_by": 155931135900000001, "sys_updated_at": "2020-08-04 10:47:14", "sys_updated_by": 155931135900000001}

Application configurations are stored in configuration packs represented as a .SOP file. Administrators can create their own applications if needed.

All record versions in a local pack are displayed in the VCS Record related list.

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VCS Local Pack form fields

VCS Records

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Configuration packs are also used to monitor changes in particular records.

After any transaction (create/update/delete) for the versioned table object, the record is created in the VCS Records (sys_vcs_record) table corresponding to the object state after the transaction. The record version contains the information described below.

VCS Record form fields

{"value": "Report Item", "policy": "Open", "sys_id": 159653803414986194, "column_id": 156941403909472422, "record_id": 159653803414985080, "language_id": 156628684306541141, "application_id": 155931135900000002, "sys_created_at": "2020-08-04 10:47:14", "sys_created_by": 155931135900000001, "sys_updated_at": "2020-08-04 10:47:14", "sys_updated_by": 155931135900000001}

Restoring VCS Records

All the record versions – both previous and current – are stored in the VCS Record table. Current versions have the Is Current checkbox selected.

If you need to restore one of the record previous versions, complete the steps below:

1. Open the record which version you need to restore.
2. Scroll down to the Related Lists area and open the VCS Records tab.
3. Open the record version you need to restore.
4. Click Restore Version.

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After that, a new VCS record is associated with the current local pack. It will be displayed in the VCS Records related list.

Protection Policy

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The Protection Policy attribute is responsible for data protection purposes. After creating a record in the versioned table, the Protection Policy for this record is Open. Once the record is updated, the Protection Policy becomes Changed. These values are transferred to the Record Policy field in the related VCS record, that is, the record version has the same Policy as the record itself.

Admin can update only the Local Pack and Is Strong Overwrite fields of records with any protection policy.

During the importing process, the records possible to overwrite can be updated. Both record policy values set in the system and in the configuration pack are taken into account. All possible policy combinations are described in the table below.

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