How to Export & Import Between Development & Production Oracle AS Portal instances?

The following steps provide an overview of the process:

1. Develop page groups, applications, and content on the source system.
2. Identify pages, applications, and content to export, then create transport sets
accordingly and export to the target system.
3. Import the transport sets on the target system, into your portal repository.

I. Exporting Data
To create a transport set for export:
1. Select the objects for export. You can do this from the Navigator as shown below.

2. Click the Export link to display the Transport Set Manager. Make the transport set name as descriptive as possible, and avoid using any special characters at the start of the name. For example, My Company Transport Set 18-JAN-2003.

3. Select the appropriate options under Transport Set Options: 

Export Access Control Lists: Includes access control lists (ACLs) associated with the objects in the transport set. If you select this option, the following happens:

o Users and groups associated with the objects are migrated.

o Privileges attached to the objects are migrated.

o Parameters and events associated with the users are migrated.

Validate System Tables: Enables you to choose if you want to validate system tables before you export.

4. Select either Export Now if you are finished, or Save for Later if you want to add more objects

5. To finalize the transport set, click Export Now. The objects marked for export are copied to the transport tables for migration. These operations happen in the background.
6. Check the log in your transport set manager for any errors by clicking the View Log Of Actions link

7. Next, select an appropriate export script based on your operating system.

8. Right-click the selected script, then click Save Target As.
9. Change the name and remember to include the correct file extension, .csh for UNIX or .cmd for NT. For example, MyScript.csh.
10. Save the file to the directory on your file system where you want to run the export script. Usually, this directory is where your export portal resides.

For e.g. if the development server name is dev.company.com, then copy the .csh file to a folder called $ORACLE_HOME/ExportImport in dev.company.com

II. Running the Script to Create an Export Dump File
To create a dump file:

Run a script with the parameters shown in the following example. The example assumes that the name of the script is MyScript.csh. The parameters in bold are applicable only for export, and they are mandatory.

Usage: MyScript.csh <-mode export_or_import> <-s portal_schema> <-p portal_password> <-pu portal_username> <-pp portal_userpassword> <-company company_name> <-c connect_string> <-d dump_file_names> <-automatic_merge>

For e.g $ MyScript.csh -mode export -s PORTAL -p F5R46ucd -pu orcladmin -pp welcome1 -company companyname -c ORCL -d FILE1.DMP

Finally, using FTP, transfer your dump file and the Export and Import script to the computer where your target OracleAS Portal schema resides.
For e.g. move the MyScript.sh & FILE1.dmp to $ORACLE_HOME/ExportImport in prod.company.com

III. Running Your Script on the Target System
To import your objects, the contents of the transport set dump file must first be imported to the transport set tables on the target system. This is done by calling the same script (used in the export) with the -mode parameter set to import. The parameters in bold are applicable only for import and are mandatory.

Usage: MyScript.csh <-mode export_or_import> <-s portal_schema> <-portal_password> <-pu portal_username> <-pp portal_userpassword> <-company company_name> <-c connect_string> <-d dump_file_names> <-automatic_merge>
For e.g. MyScript.csh -mode import -s PORTAL -p LR05V0B5 -pu orcladmin -pp prodpassword - company companyname -c MYINFRA -d FILE1.DMP

IV. Importing Data
To import your content: 

11. Locate the Export/Import Transport Set portlet, installed by default on the Administer tab. 12. Select the imported transport set and click Import. The Objects page of the Import Manager is displayed.

13. If you select Replace on Import, then the object is replaced if it is found in the target portal.
14. Click Close to return to the Objects page
15. Click the Main tab.

16. Select either Import Now if you are finished, or Save for Later.