Export and import of commands
Export and import of commands extends the concepts involved in export and import of resource definitions and migration of commands.
In addition to exporting and importing resource definitions between sites, the processing of changes via a change package also exports and imports any Add, Remove, or Delete commands associated with the change package.
"Exporting a command" means storing a copy of the command in a CICSĀ® Configuration Manager format export file on the exporting system. You do this by migrating the command to the export file. Then, using whatever method you prefer, you transfer the export file to the importing system.
"Importing a command" means adding the command that is stored in the export file to a change package on the importing system and applying the command to a CICS configuration on the importing system. You do this using the Import command.
Here is the procedure for exporting and then importing commands:
- On the exporting CICS Configuration
Manager system:
- Define a CICS configuration that refers to a CICS Configuration Manager export file. (This is the only type of export file that supports CICS Configuration Manager commands.)
- Define a change package, and then add the commands to the change
package. Associate the commands with either:
- The CICS configuration that you have just defined (that refers to the export file).
- A CICS configuration that is the source in a migration path where the export file CICS configuration is the target. Choose this option if you want the migration to transform the command before storing it in the export file.
- Migrate the change package to the export file. That is, migrate the change package using a migration scheme that nominates the export file CICS configuration as a target CICS configuration.
This stores copies of the commands in the export file.
- Transfer the export file to the importing system, using whatever file transfer method you prefer (for example, FTP).
- On the importing CICS Configuration
Manager system:
- Define a CICS configuration that refers to the export file.
- Run the Import command with the export file CICS configuration
as the source, the CSD-based or context-based CICS configuration
to which you want to apply the commands as the target, and with the
option selected to register change
packages.Note: If you do not select the option to register change packages, the import ignores commands in the export file, and only imports resource definitions.
The import applies the commands to the target CICS configuration (along with any selected resource definitions), and also adds the commands (and selected resource definitions) to a change package of the same name in the CICS Configuration Manager repository of the importing system.
Example
The following figure shows the migration of a Delete command to an export file:

The change package specifies that the Delete command is associated with CICS configuration DEVT. This matches the source CICS configuration of the migration path in the migration scheme, so CICS Configuration Manager transforms the command before storing it in the export file. In this example, the migration path refers to a transformation rule set that transforms group names from *DEVT to *TEST. So the command that CICS Configuration Manager stores in the export file refers to the transformed group name PAYTEST, not the group name PAYDEVT of the original command.
The following figure shows the import of the Delete command to a separately managed system, after you have transferred the export file from the exporting system:

Importing the command has two effects:
- It performs the command on the CICS configuration that you specified as the target of the import. In this example, the command deletes the FILE resource named VERYOLD from the group PAYTEST in CICS configuration TEST.
- It adds the command to a change package on the importing system, and associates the command with the target CICS configuration of the import (in this example, TEST).