Application Deployment, Integration, and Maintenance
What to know
Update sets (sys_update_set) capture configuration changes as customer update records. Know the lifecycle: work in a named update set, complete it, export or retrieve it in the target instance, preview to see conflicts, then commit. Batches group update sets. Skipped records appear during preview or commit when an artifact is missing or a newer version exists, and must be investigated rather than ignored. Update sets do not carry transactional data, and some system properties are not captured.
Application deployment for scoped apps uses the application repository or app publishing: publish a version, install it in the target instance. Source control integration and CI/CD pipelines move applications between instances. Cloning copies production configuration and data over a sub-production instance and is a maintenance routine, not a deployment mechanism.
Integration: import sets use a data source, a transform map, and coalesce fields; transform scripts (onBefore, onAfter) enrich records. REST and SOAP support both directions: outbound REST messages, inbound scripted REST APIs, and the REST API Explorer. A MID Server is required when the endpoint sits behind a firewall on-premises. IntegrationHub and Flow Designer provide no-code actions.
Maintenance: upgrade skipped records must be reviewed after every family upgrade; instance scan and health check catch configuration drift.
Traps
- Assuming update sets move data rows or user records.
- Committing without previewing, then overwriting newer work.
- Forgetting coalesce on a transform map, producing duplicates on every import run.
- Trying to hit an internal endpoint from the instance without a MID Server.
- Treating a clone as a way to deploy a new application.
Worked example
Moving a custom form change from dev to test: confirm the change is in the correct update set, complete it, export the XML, import in test, preview and read every skipped record, then commit.
Rule of thumb: preview before commit, coalesce before import, MID Server before on-prem.