Managing the import and export of connection objects

The Import/Export function lets you export IBM MQ objects to a file from a source queue manager, and import object definitions to other queue managers. It also lets you import objects with specific tags, or export tags to a file or another connection. You can also create a backup of existing object definitions.

Related topic

Managing-connections

Note that support for the Import/Export function is limited in MainView Middleware Administrator (Monitor Edition). For example, the import/export by tags is not supported.

See a summary of the functionality differences between the full version of MainView Middleware Administrator and MainView Middleware Administrator (Monitor Edition).

Important

In order to import you need ADMIN permissions, and in order to EXPORT you need at least INQUIRE permissions (OPERATOR and ADMIN permissions include INQUIRE permissions).

Warning

When importing objects, 

MainView Middleware Administrator

 calls the create method for the object, passing the replace flag set to true. This means that for any attributes not specified, the value(s) from the default object will be used. This can potentially result in attribute values for existing objects being overwritten with the default attributes.

When using the Import/Export feature with z/OS or distributed export files, be aware that the syntax for z/OS objects is slightly different than that distributed in the WMQ object definitions file. This means you can import/export to and from distributed export files to another distributed queue manager, or you can import/export to and from z/OS to another z/OS queue manager but you cannot use a z/OS export to a distributed import (or vice versa) because of the WMQ syntax differences.

To import IBM MQ objects

  1. Expand the connection to the required IBM MQ queue manager in the Navigation Panel.
  2. Select Import/Export from the Navigation Panel.
  3. In the displayed Import/Export Object Definitions screen, select the Import Action.
  4. From the list of Available Connections, select the relevant connection(s) and click < (or click << to Add All). The selected connections are listed in the Selected Connections box.

  5. Select the file format from XML or MQSC, and then click Select File to browse to the relevant file.

    ImportExport.jpg

    Important

    The import functionality will work for files created in the format as MVMA creates them on export. Other formats, modified, or custom may or may not work.
    For example, files while containing MQSC commands valid per IBM MQ's documentation may fail when imported through MVMA's import/export functionality when not being
    in MVMA's MQSC export format. In this case it is recommended to run the MQSC file as described in Running-MQSC-commands by uploading it from within the MQSC Console.

  6. In the Object Tagging section, select from one of the following:
    • Do Not Tag Imported Objects: Select this option (it is selected by default) if you do not want to tag any of the imported objects.
    • Tag Imported Objects Using: Select this option to display a drop-down list of available tags that you can tag the imported objects with. Select the relevant tag. Note that you can also enter a new tag name into the field to assign the objects to that new tag.
  7. Click the Next icon in the Import/Export Object Definitions toolbar.
  8. In the displayed confirmation screen, review the details of the file you imported and then click the Execute icon to import the file to the specified queue manager, or click the calendar icon to schedule the import for a later time (repeated imports can be automatically scheduled as required). See Scheduling-tasks for further information on scheduling.
  9. The Action Results screen is displayed, indicating the result of the actions you reviewed in Step 8.

To export IBM MQ objects to a file

  1. In the displayed Import/Export Object Definitions screen, select the Export Action. 
  2. Select from one of the following:
    • Connection: If you want to export objects from (or by) a connection, select Connection and then select the relevant connection from the drop-down list. By default, the current connection is selected. 
    • Tag: If you want to select objects from (or by) a specific tag to export, select Tag and then select the relevant tag from the drop-down list.

  3. In the To drop-down list, select File. This option enables you to export objects into a downloadable file. To export objects to a connection, see the following procedure.

    Important

    Because one tag may reference objects for multiple connections, exporting tagged objects supports exporting from all source connections referenced by the tag - but only when the selected target is a file. In this case, the file provided will be an archive (zip) of the export files created for each connection in the selected target format (XML or MQSC).

  4. In the Objects section, select the output format as XML or MQSC.  
  5. Select the objects to be exported by selecting the relevant checkboxes and entering a Name Pattern. Note that you can only use character strings followed by an asterisk * ; for example ABC*. 
  6. You can also select Include System Objects, but selecting it alone is not enough to apply the definition. A specific object type from the generic objects list is also required. For example, select Include System Objects and Subscriptions.

    In addition, you can select the Include Authority Records checkbox to collect the authority records for any objects you select in the Object Types list. The Authority Records checkbox located in the Object Types list, when selected, will gather authority records for all object types. 

    ImportExport_export.jpg
  7. Click the Next icon in the Import/Export toolbar.
  8. In the displayed confirmation screen, review the details of the objects you want to export and then click the Execute icon to export the file, or click the calendar icon to schedule the export for a later time (repeated exports can be automatically scheduled as required). See Scheduling-tasks for further information on scheduling. Note that you can also click the Back arrow icon to return to the previous export screen or click the Cancel icon to exit the export process.
  9. The Action Results screen is displayed, indicating the result of the actions you reviewed in Step 8.

To export IBM MQ objects to a connection

  1. In the Import/Export Object Definitions screen, select the Export Action. 
  2. Select from one of the following:
    • Connection: If you want to export objects from (or by) a connection, select Connection and then select the relevant connection from the drop-down list.
    • Tag: If you want to select objects from (or by) a specific tag to export, select Tag and then select the relevant tag from the drop-down list.
  3. In the To drop-down list, select Connection(s). The Selected Connections and Available Connections list boxes are displayed. If you selected Tag in the previous step, an additional connection list box is displayed, from which you must select the relevant connection referenced by the tag.
    ImportExport_exporttags.jpg
  4. Repeat Steps 4 - 9 from the above procedure for exporting objects to a file.

    You can also define whether or not to tag the exported objects by selecting the relevant option from the Object Tagging section:
    • Do Not Tag Imported Objects: Select this option (it is selected by default) if you do not want to tag any of the imported objects.
    • Tag Imported Objects Using: Select this option to display a drop-down list of available tags that you can tag the imported objects with. Select the relevant tag. Note that you can also enter a new tag name into the field to assign the objects to that new tag.

 

Tip: For faster searching, add an asterisk to the end of your partial query. Example: cert*