Creating update packages to deploy incremental changes of applications

BMC Helix Innovation Studio enables application administrators and business analysts to create update packages of codeless applications. You use the update package to deploy incremental changes of codeless applications to collaborative development, test, or production environments. For example, you can deploy updates such as application fixes, newly added features, or changed configuration data. 

The update package can contain the application's modified data, which is, the JAR file, definitions, and configuration data of an application. You can choose to include specific data, such as only JAR files, definitions, or configuration data in an update package. 

You can share the update package with administrators, who can deploy incremental changes of a codeless application to a test or production environment. 

Workflow of creating update packages 

The following image shows the workflow for promoting an update package from development or tailoring environments to production environment. However, BMC Helix Platform does not offer separate environments or server instances: 

Before you begin

Make sure that you complete the following actions:

• You have created a codeless application in Innovation Studio.
• You customized the application as per your requirement by adding record definitions, view definitions, rules, processes, named lists, or associations.

To create update packages

The deployable update package is downloaded as a ZIP file, and consists of the following items:

• JAR files, which includes only the manifest file that contains the bundle descriptor
• Definition data, such as records, views, processes, rules, named lists, documents, and associations.
• Localized data
• Configuration data 

The update file is named in <developer ID>.<application name>-<update from version>-to-<update to version>-update.zip> format. For example, com.example.workorder-1.0.0-to-2.0.0-update.zip. 

The following video (4:20) provides the process overview to create update packages. The video shows an older version of BMC Helix Platform. The previous product name was BMC Helix Innovation Suite. Although there might be minor changes in the UI, the overall functionality remains the same:

 https://youtu.be/oBcglgR59I0

To create an export package, perform the following steps:

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio and navigate to the Workspace tab. 

2. Select the application that you want to package. 
   The application details are displayed.

3. Click Actions > Create update package.

   The Create update package window appears as shown in the following image:

   

4. Provide the following information:

   UI element	Description
   Select definitions	Select the definitions that you want to include in the update package and click Next. You can filter the definitions based on name, modification date, or modified by and select the definitions from the search results.
   Add data	Select the data to include in the update package. To include configuration data in the update package, select the Include configuration data in the package check box.
   Order data	Reorder data items by moving them up or down and click Next. The data items are installed in the same order on the target computer.
   Select definitions to delete	(Optional) Definitions that have been deleted are displayed here. If you want to remove the definitions from the target computer after deployment, select the deleted definitions to be removed. If you do not select any definitions, the definitions are available for use on the target computer after the application is deployed. Important: If the centralized tenant configuration setting VersionControl-Object-Modification-Log-Mode is enabled and you delete any objects, then the system records all these deleted deletions and displays them in the Select Definitions to Delete tab.
   Options	From the Options area, specify the following information and click Next: Application name: Enter a display name to identify the application. For example: Work Order. Update from Version: Enter the version number of the source application that you want to update. The update package cannot be created if you select an invalid version of the source application. Update to Version: Enter the version number of the target application you want to update to. BMC Helix Innovation Studio updates the application and its version only if the source application's version is different from the target application's version. Important: To share the application's incremental changes with other developers in a collaborative environment, the Update to Version number and Update to Version number must match so that you avoid updating the application. Description: Enter a short description for the update package. Depends On: Select the application or library on which your application should depend on. You can select multiple applications or libraries.   Developer ID, Application ID: Review these autopopulated fields. You cannot change the value of these fields. The Developer ID matches the ID configured in your sandbox instance.
   Package	Click Create Package to create the update package. After the package is created, click Next. If the package creation fails, see Troubleshooting codeless application deployment issues.
   Download	Click Download. The update package is downloaded to the default download location of your web browser.

The deployable update package is downloaded as a ZIP file. You can upload the update package to a version control system and share the package with administrator. The administrator can then update the application by using the update package. 

Where to go from here

Update the application by using the update package