Change Packages

A change package is a way to prepare, process, and migrate STEP configuration changes between systems in a larger system landscape. Change packages are designed to:

Minimize offline tracking of configuration changes
Lessen the chance for introducing faulty configuration changes
Assist system administrators with impact analysis to enable more informed decision making

The overall flow of change packages is shown below:

Once created, a user may add or remove items from the package until they are satisfied with the contents. The change package can then be sealed and exported for loading to another system. Upon loading of the change package to the target system, an impact report can be run that helps identify areas that may need to be updated prior to installation and could be impacted upon installation. This provides an indication to the user of how successful the change package will be if applied. The user may then choose to remove or install the change package. If installed successfully, the configurations contained in the change package will be loaded to the system and will be available for immediate use.

Change Package Objects

A change package object is a system setup object to house a set of configurations.

Note: Change packages can include the following STEP objects: action sets, asset importer, attributes, attribute groups, attribute transformations, business rules, classification product link types, completeness metrics, contexts, D&B, dimensions, dimension points, derived events, event processors, event queues, gateway endpoints, integration endpoints, link types, list of values, match codes, matching algorithms, object types and structures, PIM tables, reference types, setup entities, setup groups, status flags, sufficiency configurations, unique keys, units, unit groups, users and user groups, Web UI configurations, workflows, and XSLT style sheets.

Change Package Icons and Statuses

Icon	Status	Description
	Open	Change package can be edited, therefore it is not final or ready for export. Packages are open when created and when re-opened from a sealed state. An impact report can be run only if it was previously sealed. Cannot be exported. Items can be added and removed. Packages can be deleted and the items within them are left on the system unchanged.
	Sealed	Change package is locked for editing and ready for export. Can have an impact report run. Can be exported. Items cannot be added or removed. Packages can be deleted and the items within them are left on the system unchanged.
	Dormant	Change package has been imported from another system but not yet installed. Can have an impact report run. Can be exported. Items cannot be added or removed. Packages can be deleted and there is no impact to the items within them. If the package has been previously installed, the items within the package are left on the system unchanged. If the package has not yet been installed, the items within it are no longer available for installation.

Change Package Tab

Flipper	Description
	Basic information about the change package including the Status (open, sealed, dormant), if the change package has been exported, if the package has been signed, and where the package originated (e.g., created on the current system or imported from another system). If the package has been sealed or an impact report has been run on the package, additional fields are present with links to these processes.
Primary Items	A list of objects that have been directly added to the change package, as well as allowing the user to add and remove items from the change package. Users can add a single object (Add Item) or add an object and all of its child objects (Add Hierarchy). For details, refer to the Editing a Change Package topic here. Items in this list are part of the change package and will be created and/or updated on the target system when the change package is installed.
Secondary Items	A system-generated list of objects that are part of the change package due to the addition of a parent using the Add Hierarchy option. This list can only be edited by adding or removing the driving primary item. Items in this list are part of the change package and will be created and/or updated on the target system when the change package is installed.
Items Required For Transfer	A system-generated list of objects that are required for the change package due to interactions with the selected objects. This list can only be edited by adding or removing the driving primary item. These objects are essentially prerequisites for the transfer as the selected primary objects and/or the secondary objects have some dependency on them. The objects are included in the change package as a means of ensuring that the primary and secondary items are successfully transferred, and will be created and/or updated on the target system when the change package is installed.
Possibly Impacted Items	A system-generated list of items that might be affected by the transfer of the change package on the new system. This list can only be edited by adding or removing the driving primary item. These objects are dependent in some way on the primary or secondary object, but are not required for configuration of those objects and are therefore not included in the change package. They will only be modified if they already exist on the target system.

Log Tab

The Log allows administrators to monitor modifications to change packages. This information, along with the data displayed directly on the change packages, provides detailed logging and tracking for comprehensive audit trails.

In addition, when an item is added to a change package or removed from a change package, the log of the item itself is also updated accordingly.