Docstar - Export/Import function overwrites objects without knnowledge or consent

PSA for us few Docstar users :slight_smile:

We run a pretty standard setup where we have a DEV instance of our PROD installation and in that DEV instance we build, test, and prove our objects like Data links, integrations, fields and document types - and workflows. And we have those objects all pointed at a test database…

What we’ve found is that if you export a workflow, and choose no other options/objects on the export screen, that it will bring the fields, document types, datalinks, and integration details, etc. that are referenced within the workflow out into the export file without you knowing.

Then, when you import the workflow and click the checkbox for “overwrite” (because you are bringing in an updated version of the workflow from DEV) that it will overwrite ALL the objects it brought with itself, without warning or consent, and will simply tell you at the end that it did so by presenting a little list of objects it decided (all on it’s own) to overwrite. In our case, it redirected the entire AP Automation integration to our DEV database (because it brought over those integration settings).

If it’s not apparent, I am mildly outraged that an export/import process could be coded in such a way. I absolutely see the logic of bringing referenced objects along as to ensure it will compile and run without error, but to do it silently and without documentation/warning of any kind, is terrible. Thankfully we caught it before any real damage was done.

I’ve reported it Docstar/Epicor, who has also submitted to DEV as ticket DOC-4997, and hopefully others will be able to save themselves the potential trouble!

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@MikeGross What DS version is this on? Our AP Auto consultant took his workflow changes to prod this week and I noticed that the prod server now point to TEST. I thought he had done that and was going to go off, but this calmed me into just asking a nice question as to why it was pointed there.

Greg

@gpayne This is in version 20.1.129. And glad I could help spare that consultant your wrath :slight_smile:

@MikeGross We are 20.2.85 so it must still exist.

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The best thing i found to do was my own versioning in the Workflow name - This way the new version will never exist in production and you dont check the overwrite checkbox when importing. This will then only import the new workflows/items. You will need to amend existing production items to point to the new workflow, but you dont overwrite existing items.

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