Staging Personalization rules to production

Use the steps in this file to move Personalization rules from a staging system to a production system. There are a number of methods for moving rules between servers, each suitable for different situations.

Choose one of the following methods to move rules:

Method: Export from source then import into destination

Steps	Advantages	Disadvantages	Users
Use the Export button in the Personalization Navigator portlet on the source to export a nodes file. Use the Import button in the Personalization Navigator portlet on the target to import that file.	This method is the easiest way to move rules. Uses a familiar export and import paradigm.	Cannot be scripted. Requires Personalization Navigator portlet to be installed on the target server.	Development teams. Quick, ad-hoc changes in small deployments and test environments.

Method: Publish using the Personalization Navigator portlet

Steps	Advantages	Disadvantages	Users
Use the Publish menu options in the Personalization Navigator portlet to publish the entire workspace or to selectively publish	Easy and quick to use. Once a publish server is configured, we can publish rules in two clicks. This method does not require rules to be saved on the file system. If publishing the entire workspace with smart delete, we can ensure two work spaces are the same.	No intermediate file is produced by the process, so there is no record of what was published other than log files. This approach is driven from a graphical user interface, so it is not scriptable.	Business users with rule authoring responsibilities.

Method: Export from the source and then publish into the destination

Steps	Advantages	Disadvantages	Users
Use the export button in the Personalization Navigator portlet on the source to export a nodes file. Use the pznload command line utility (pznload.sh and pznload.bat) to publish the nodes file exported to the target.	This method can an be scripted. Allow the changes to be tracked, controlled, and the earlier versions to be reverted by maintaining copying of the nodes files and rerunning a script.	Requires use of a command line interface.	Administrators Move between staging and production environments

• If the rules are referenced by Personalization components, ensure the Personalization components are published and syndicated in WCM.

• If the rules are referenced in pages or portlets, move the page and portlet definitions with XML Access or Release Builder. This is related to attribute based administration.

Parent Reference

Related concepts:

Publish personalization rules overview