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Procedure documentationMigrating Models to Visual Composer for CE Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

If you have created portal applications using Visual Composer for SAP NetWeaver 7.0, and are adding SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment (CE) 7.1 (as a sidecar to your NetWeaver system), you may want to migrate those applications to the new development platform and to retain the original Visual Composer models for further modification as needed.

However, note that the modeled portal applications for SAP NetWeaver 7.0 are not compatible with the more recent Visual Composer for SAP NetWeaver CE 7.1 and therefore cannot be opened and modified in that modeling tool. A special Migration mechanism has been created in Visual Composer for CE; it restructures applications from Visual Composer for NetWeaver 7.0 and adapts them to the format of models created in Visual Composer for CE.

Prerequisites

To prepare the Visual Composer-based models for migration, you need to export them to GML format using the standard Visual Composer Export to File procedure.

On the SAP NetWeaver 7.0 system, perform the following export procedure for each model that will be used on the SAP NetWeaver CE system:

  1. Open the model in Storyboard.

  2. Choose   Model   Export to File  . The system checks the integrity of the model while it displays an Exporting message. The File Download dialog box is then displayed.

  3. In response to the Do you want to save this file? message, click Save. The standard Windows Save As dialog box is displayed.

  4. Use the Save in drop-down list to navigate to the location at which the .gml file is to be saved, and in the File name field at the bottom, indicate the name under which the model should be saved.

  5. Click OK. The model is saved at the selected location.

  6. Repeat this procedure for all other models that need to be exported.

    Recommendation Recommendation

    • When you open a model for export, you should use the Documentation Wizard (   Tools   Documentation Wizard)   to print a list of the elements in the model. To do so, select the following two checkboxes:

      • Top-level Design-board diagrams only

      • Model elements and properties

      This will assist you later during migration, when you may want to remember the names of the images, data services and other elements used in each model.

    • Save all the exported models in a location that will be easily accessible in the system once you begin to use Visual Composer for CE.

    • Check the Table of Conversions for a list of changes that may occur when your model is migrated.

    End of the recommendation.

Procedure

Note Note

Before you begin . . . If you printed out documentation for your models as suggested in the previous section, check that the aliases for the back-end systems are still correct. If not, create a list of the system aliases that replace them.

End of the note.

  1. In Storyboard, close all open models.

  2. Choose   Tools   Migration Wizard  . The Model Migration Wizard is displayed.

  3. In the Model to convert field in the Source Model Selection screen, browse to the GML file that you want to migrate.

  4. From the Target development component area, choose the repository type, software component, and development component in which to save the migrated model. If the development component does not exist, clickNew to create a new development component (using the Create New Development Component dialog box).

  5. Click Next. The System Alias Selection screen is displayed.

    This screen lists the aliases of back-end systems (in the System column) in which the data services of the original model reside, and which are not connected to the current system (or cannot be found). In each row, provide the alias of the corresponding connected system in the Existing System column.

    If you do not provide a replacement alias for an Undefined back-end system, Visual Composer creates a "placeholder" data service for it. Once the model migration is complete, you can open the model and replace the "empty" data service with the actual data service that you need.

  6. Click Migrate. The Migration Process screen is displayed, providing visual indication and messages of the progress as the model is migrated. Behind the wizard, you can see the migrated models being opened in Storyboard.

  7. When migration is complete, the Migration Report screen is displayed.

    • At the top, the names of the models created from the original GML file are displayed. You can view each model in Storyboard, by clicking on the tab with its name.

    • In the scrollable pane, all messages received during model migration are listed.

    To view the entire report (and print it if needed), click Show Report at the bottom right. Be sure to save the report. This is important for post-migration processing (next section) and troubleshooting as well.

Result

You use the Migration Report to "clean up" your model. The list of messages indicates the migration procedures that were carried out on each new model created. Note theWarning (Warning) messages: They indicate changes that were made (such as in dynamic expressions) during the process to adapt the model to the Visual Composer for CE format. The Error (Error) messages provide information about items in the original model that could not be migrated and which require action on your part.

If serious errors have occurred, you should contact Development Support and send them a copy of the Migration Report.