You can use the Import and Export features to make a duplicate of a database item and insert the duplicate into another database. This is useful on multi-site systems, where those systems are not connected together, as it allows similar configurations to be duplicated between sites. (If your systems are connected together, you can simply copy and paste items between systems (see Copying a Database Item).
Example:
You might have a multi-site installation where the individual Geo SCADA Expert systems are not connected. However, you want to have the same configuration on each system. You could create a template configuration on one Geo SCADA Expert system, export that configuration and then import it into the other systems. This would help to reduce the time it takes to set up and maintain large systems. It also helps to ensure that multiple systems have the same configuration.
You can import and export any database item.
When you import and export a Group, Group Template, or Group Instance:
- You also import and export the items within the selected Group, Group Template, or Group Instance. For example, if you export a Group Template, you also export the database items within the Group Template.
- If you intend importing Group Templates and Group Instances separately, you need to import the relevant Group Template before you import a Group Instance.
If you import a Group Instance before you have imported the Group Template, the Group Instance will lose its association with the Group Template.
You can export any part of the database configuration to an older version of Geo SCADA Expert if required (useful if some servers are running older versions of Geo SCADA Expert to other servers on multi-site systems). The ability to export to an older version of Geo SCADA Expert only applies to database configuration, which is exported as an .sde export file. When exporting to an older version of Geo SCADA Expert, ensure that the correct older version is specified for the export file—you can only import an .sde file into a version of Geo SCADA Expert that is identical to, or newer than the version of Geo SCADA Expert specified for the .sde.
If the Alarm Suppression feature is used on your system and configuration is imported into the database (in a Geo SCADA Expert .sde file), the value of each imported point is considered NULL on import, so will not be suppressed initially. The effects of any alarm suppression will only come into force when Geo SCADA Expert processes the initial updates for the imported points. For more information about alarm suppression, see Configure any Alarm Suppression Requirements.
Further Information
The impact of the Exclude From Exclusive Control setting on a Group, Group Template, or Group Instance when adding, copying, or importing database items into that Group, Group Template, or Group Instance: see Copying Database Items when using the Exclusive Control Feature.