How to backup and restore ServiceDesk Workflow project customizations

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Article ID: 180002

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ServiceDesk

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What are ServiceDesk Workflow Project Customizations?

ServiceDesk can be customized to work differently than the out of box software initially works. Customizations are accomplished by changing Workflow projects, such as SD.IncidentManagement, by adding new or modified code. Customizations are primarily implemented by ServiceDesk or Workflow administrators or by consultants, and require programming skills to implement.

Once the code changes for a customized project are completed, the project is saved and then republished to the ServiceDesk server. This should normally be the same as the original version of the project, not a second version (SD.IncidentManagement0, SD.IncidentManagement1, etc.), as this can result in process errors. After the project has been republished, changes will then take effect for new tickets, after IIS and server extensions have been reset.

To learn more about how to customize, save, and publish Workflow projects for use with ServiceDesk, please refer to the ServiceDesk 7.0 MR2 Customization Guide:

ServiceDesk 7.0 MR2 Customization Guide
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=DOC2150

Where Customizations are Saved

Workflow project customizations are saved to the project's folder, which is found in the <ServiceDesk_installation_drive>:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\Workflow Designer\WorlflowProjects\<project> folder. After the project is published, the published version (the IIS virtual directory) is located in the <ServiceDesk_installation_drive>:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\Workflow Designer\WorkflowDeply\Release\<project> folder.

 How to Backup and Restore Customized Projects

Customized projects can be backed up by copying the project's folder to a backup location outside of the Altiris folder. The virtual directory is not needed to be backed up.

Customized projects can be restored by pasting the backed up project's folder and then republishing it.

  1. Delete the current project's folder that is to be restored. The user may want to backup the current version to a second backup location in the case that it may need to later be restored.
  2. Paste the backup project's folder into the projects folder <ServiceDesk_installation_drive>:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\Workflow Designer\WorkflowProjects.
  3. Open the project in Workflow Designer and republish it to the server.
  4. Restart IIS and server extensions.

Note: Do not restore customized project's folders after upgrading to a new version of ServiceDesk. New versions of ServiceDesk include new code. Reverting to older code for customized older project's folders may result in critical issues. This is not recommended and may not be supported by Symantec Technical Support. If issues occur due to this, you may be asked to revert to the out of box default project for verification on if the issue continues afterwards. If it does not, you will then need to re-create your customizations in the new version of the project's code to resolve any issues that the old code had caused.

How to Recreate Customizations

If ServiceDesk was upgraded to a new version, all former project customizations may have been overwritten by the new code. This is working as designed. Unfortunately, this requires that all customizations be re-created in the new project versions. This necessitates documenting where customizations are made, so that, if an upgrade occurs, these can then be easily re-created in the new version before it goes live on the production network.

Note: Specific customizations are not tracked by Workflow and ServiceDesk. Symantec Technical Support is unable to help tell a customer what projects have been customized or where the customizations are at in any specific project, or to troubleshoot issues occurring because of customizations. Documenting where customizations have been implemented at are the responsibility of the user or consultant who implemented them. If you are uncertain where customizations have been made, contact the user or consultant who implemented the customizations for assistance in re-creating these.

Related Articles

How to restore a ServiceDesk Workflow project to its out of box version after it has been customized
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH127262

Are previous ServiceDesk customizations kept when upgrading or reinstalling ServiceDesk?
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO30327

After upgrading ServiceDesk, certain areas no longer work as they used to
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH133473

 How to migrate a ServiceDesk server and SQL Server to new servers
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO21544

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