Create, Export, and Import your RAP

In your source system, create a RAP of your production application or pre-prod application for migration.  Use your source production application or as close to your existing production application as possible.  

Export the RAP to your on-premises file system.  Then log into your Pega Cloud development environment and import your RAP.  Your rulesets are updated to the target GA version upon import.

For more information, see:

• Packaging a release on your development environment
• Exporting an application, product rule, or ruleset to an archive or repository by using the Export wizard  
• Importing rules and data by using the Import wizard  

Best Practices When Using RAP Files

When using the Import Wizard in Dev Studio to import a RAP file, the default maximum file size is 1 GB.  If your RAP file is larger than 1 GB, create more than one file, each of which is smaller than 1 GB.  

When importing more than one RAP file, any rules that have dependencies on other rules must be imported after the rules on which they depend.

If the RAP file contains changes that alter the database schema (such as altering columns or datatypes), the schema in the Pega Cloud environment must be modified manually before importing the RAP file.  To do this, download the DDL when importing the RAP file. Raise a Cloud Change ticket (CC) and attach the scripts to the CC.  The Pega Cloud team will review and execute the SQL scripts to apply the DDL changes manually.  After Pega runs the scripts, import the RAP file.  After running the scripts, the RAP file can be imported into the Pega Cloud environment without schema-related errors.

Before importing the RAP file, set the AutoDBSchemaChanges dynamic system setting to True to enable schema changes at the system level.

1. In Dev Studio, search for AutoDBSchemaChanges.
2. In the dialog box that appears for the search results, click AutoDBSchemaChanges.
3. On the Settings tab, in the Value field, enter true.
4. Click Save.

Pega Cloud uses a PostgreSQL database.  If you have converted from another type of database, do not apply the DDL when importing the RAP file.

If the RAP file contains rules (such as Connect-SQL) that connect to an external database, exclude the database rules from the RAP file.  Create the database rules manually, and reconfigure them, after importing the rest of the RAP file.

If the RAP file contains rules that connect to external sources other than databases, there are two basic options for how to import the files without getting errors:

1. Establish a connection to the external source. After the connection is established successfully, import the rules related to the connection to the external source.  For more information about each specific type of connection see: Integrating Pega applications with external systems
2. Exclude the connection rules from the RAP file.  Create them manually, and reconfigure them, after importing the rest of the RAP file.