4.6. Data Transfer Export

 
The Data Transfer feature allows the user to copy objects or designs that can then be used to:
  • transferring data from one IRM system to another
  • creating small blocks of data that can be used as templates, being inserted into the system multiple times
  • setting up test cases
  • transferring Equipment and other Types back to Planet Associates in order to have them incorporated in the IRM Library.
 
Differences from Data Export / Import include:
  • Data Transfer does not require specifying Templates or Configurations in order to generate output
  • format is JSON only
  • Data Transfer generally has fewer options, as it's meant only for IRM-to-IRM operations
  • Data Transfer allows multiple Super Categories of objects to be exported and imported in a single operation
  • can operate only on the current selection, or an Area
 
The rest of this section focuses on Data Transfer Export, while the import side is covered in Data Transfer Import.
 
The Data Transfer Export operation is started from the Export drop-down menu in the Object Grid, by selecting the Data Transfer of Selected Objects option:
 
An alternate method of starting the operation is to select the Data Transfer Export menu option from any of the Area context menus (from Object Grid, C&T tree, or Design World Area Operations):
 
This is followed by a pop-out dialog containing additional options - to include all of the selected Type objects and their helper-class reference objects in the output:
 
Both methods after click on the Download button generate a single zipped JSON output file containing the appropriate objects, which the browser downloads. Unlike DDR / Data Export, there are no additional options for saving to the Launcher, sharing with other users, etc.  On the other hand, Data Transfer Export allows the selection to contain many different types of objects.
 
Note: objects that are outside the selection/Area, but are linked via ordinary references are not included in the exported file. For example, an Equipment objects Ports and Slots are included in the export, but not any Users or Software. However, even though the referenced objects are not included in the output, the reference fields themselves are included in the object.  Whether or not such references can be used after the object is imported depends on whether the target object is available.  Usually, the target object is available if the data is re-imported to the same Site, while target objects may not be available when importing to a different Site.
 
Another benefit of this feature is that there is no requirement that all the objects in the selection must come from the same Area; it is possible to involve more than one Area by making the selection via the Object Grid or by a Design World canvas that contains more than a single Area.