A group of configuration changes that users can move from one instance to another is called an update set. Thanks to this feature, administrators have the ability to group a series of changes into a specific set, and then move them to other systems (for testing or deployment) as a unit. Update sets track changes to system platform and application features, and the procedures help users manage their customizations, as well as resolve potential collisions before they are moved to another instance.
Update Set Batching
The concept of batching update sets was introduced as an improvement to update set management with the Jakarta release. Batching update sets via the parent field allows users to group several update sets to be released all at once. This concept has replaced and improved upon the methodology of merging update sets. When developers batch update sets, they’re able to move and review them easily between instances. Instead of having to back out an entire release, they can back out single update sets or entire sub-batches (branches).
Why batch update sets? Because dealing with multiple update sets can cause a wide range of problems, such as inadvertently leaving out a set (or more) or committing them in the wrong order. By grouping completed updates sets into a batch, these problems can be avoided. Updated set batches are organized into a hierarchy where one update set can function as the parent for several child sets.
A set can be both a parent and child, which enables the creation of hierarchies on multiple levels. The update set at the top of the hierarchy is called the base update set. When you commit or preview the base update set, you commit or preview the whole batch.
Merge Update Sets
The merge update sets feature allows developers to merge multiple update sets into a new update set. During this process:
· No update sets being merged will be deleted
· The latest update from all the update sets will be put into the new update set
· The older updates will stay in the original update set
When the merging is finished, it will show you the changes that were moved or skipped (like the collision report). Just like batching update sets, merging update sets is performed to simplify the update sets transfer process. Once update sets have been merged, they cannot “unmerge.”
Navigate to System Update Sets and click on Merge Update Sets (the list will show you only those update sets that are in progress), or click on Merge Completed Sets to get a list of completed update sets. Then, you should enter a name and description for the new update set and click Merge. It is recommended to scroll down to the Merged Update Sets list and open the old update set records to verify that the right changes were moved to the new set. Also, you should empty or delete the original update sets, so you don’t risk committing an older update set. If you need help with merging or batching update sets, feel free to call us or ask a question on Twitter.