AX3031
You can clone an existing file group in order to create a new file group. Typically, file groups are cloned for one of the following reasons:
- To create a new file group to use for a new cycle of planning
- To create an archive copy of the file group
As part of the cloning process, you can specify which file group components (templates, drivers, etc.) are copied to the new file group. Keep in mind that any copied files may need to be edited for use in the new file group (unless you are cloning the file group for archive purposes). The cloning process can also automatically create tables for the new file group, if the necessary tables do not already exist.
NOTE: Only administrators or users with the Administer File Groups security permission can clone file groups. If new tables are to be created as part of the cloning process, then the user performing the process must also have the Administer Tables security permission.
To clone an existing file group:
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On the Axiom tab, in the Administration group, click Manage > File Groups.
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In the Axiom Explorer dialog, select the file group that you want to clone, then click Clone in the Axiom Explorer toolbar.
TIP: You can also access this command from the right-click menu, in the Axiom Explorer dialog and in the Explorer task pane.
The Clone File Group dialog opens to guide you through the cloning options. Complete each screen as needed, and then click Finish to create the new file group.
The choices that you make in each screen depend on the file group configuration and on the reason you are cloning the file group. See the following sections for more information on each screen, and for details on what happens when the new file group is created.
File Group Year
If the file group has a defined file group year, specify the New File Group Year for the new file group, or leave the year the same.
Example File Group Year screen
By default, the new file group year is set to the same year as the original file group year.
- If you are creating a new file group to use for a new cycle of planning, then you should change the file group year to reflect the next planning period.
- If you are creating an archive copy of the file group, then you should leave the file group year as is.
If the original file group does not have a defined file group year, then this screen does not display and instead the wizard begins with the Plan Code Table screen.
Plan Code Table
Specify the plan code tableThe table that contains the list of plan codes for a file group. Generally, each code in the table will have a plan file for developing plan data. to use for the new file group.
Example Plan Code Table screen
You can choose from the following options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
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Use the existing table |
The new file group will use the same plan code table as the original file group. Use this option if you are creating an archive copy, or if the file group uses a fixed list of predefined codes. |
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Choose a different table |
Select a different, existing table to use for the new file group. This option is not commonly used, but it can come in handy if the file group needs to use a new file group table that has already been created. |
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Clone the existing table |
Clone the existing plan code table and use the new table for the new file group. Only the table structure will be cloned, not the data. This option is most commonly used when cloning an on-demand file group to start a new planning cycle, to create a new identity table with the same structure as the old identity table. For example, if the original file group uses CapReq2019, you want to clone that table and name it CapReq2020. |
Axiom Software attempts to intelligently populate this screen depending on the name of the plan code table and the state of the file group year:
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If the name of the existing plan code table contains a year that matches the file group year, and you change the file group year as part of the cloning process, then Axiom Software assumes that you want to use a new plan code table that contains the new year.
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If that table already exists, then Choose a different table is automatically selected and points to the existing table.
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If that table does not automatically exist, then Clone the existing table is automatically selected and the new table name is predefined using the new year.
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If the name of existing plan code table does not contain a year, or if it does but you did not change the file group year, then Use the existing table is automatically selected.
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You can modify this screen to choose different options if the automatic selection does not meet your needs.
If Choose a different table is selected, you can click the folder icon at the bottom of the screen to browse to the desired table.
If Clone the existing table is selected, you can enter a name for the new table into the Plan Code Table Name box.
If the plan code table is changed as part of the file group cloning process (either by choosing a different table or by cloning the existing table), Axiom Software attempts to update settings that point to the plan code table as follows:
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When the new file group is created, Axiom Software attempts to update various column settings inherited from the original file group, so that these settings now use corresponding columns in the new plan code table. For example, if the original file group uses a column named AltCode as the Tab Column, and the new plan code table also has a column named AltCode, then the Tab Column setting for the new file group is automatically updated to use the column in the new table. However, if the new plan code table does not contain a matching column, then the setting is cleared in the new file group and you must reconfigure it in the file group properties.
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If other tables are also cloned (via table variables), and those tables have columns that look up to the plan code table, Axiom Software attempts to update these lookups to the new plan code table. For example, if table CapData2019 has a lookup to
CapReq2019.CapReq, and the new plan code table is CapReq2020, the lookup will be updated toCapReq2020.CapReqif possible. -
If Copy Security is enabled for the file group cloning process (in the Cloning Options screen), then when the plan file permissions are copied to the new file group, Axiom Software attempts to update the security filters to point to the new plan code table. If the new plan code table does not have the column used for a particular security filter, then the copied filters are invalid and must be manually changed.
File Group Properties and Cloning Options
Specify various properties for the new file group, and specify cloning options to determine what is copied to the new file group.
File Group Properties and Cloning Options
General Properties
The primary property to review in this section is the File Group Name, which must be different than the original file group's name.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
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File Group Name |
Specify the name of the new file group. The original file group's name is shown by default. If the name uses a variable, then you must change the value of the variable so that the resolved name is different than the original file group's name. If the name uses the If the name does not use a variable, then you must manually change the name to something different. |
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File Group Year |
This setting is repeated on this screen just to provide context. If you changed the file group year in the first screen of the wizard, the new value is shown here. |
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Plan Code Table |
This setting is repeated on this screen just to provide context. It displays the table selection from the previous screen. |
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File Group Category |
If the original file group was assigned to a category, this category is retained by default for the new file group. You can modify the setting as desired or leave the default value. NOTE: If the new file group belongs to a category, and that category is configured to display on the Axiom ribbon tab (or any custom ribbon tab), then the new file group will display on the ribbon as soon as it is created (for users with access to the new file group). If you do not want the file group to display on the ribbon after creation, you must remove it from the category. |
Display Properties
Review display properties for the new file group.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
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Display Name |
By default, this is the same display name as defined for the original file group. If the display name is the same as the file group name, then it will automatically update for the changed file group name. You can modify the setting as desired or leave the default value. |
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Tab Prefix |
By default, this is the same prefix as defined for the original file group. You can modify the setting as desired or leave the default value. |
Driver Processing
Determines whether driver documents are processed as part of the file group clone.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
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Process Driver Documents After Cloning |
Specifies whether copied driver files in the new file group will be processed automatically after the file group is created. If enabled, the driver files will be opened, calculated, and saved. The save includes both a save-to-database and a file save. Axiom queries and data lookups are only run if they are set to refresh on open. This option is primarily intended for file groups that use Save Type 3 drivers. This process will create the document reference tables for the new file group. You should be sure that the driver table names are unique and will not overwrite the tables from the original file group. Ideally these names should be determined by use of table variables in the file group. For more information, see Drivers and file group cloning. |
Cloning Options
Specify cloning options for the file group, to determine which file group entities are copied to the new file group.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
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Copy Plan Files |
Select this option to copy plan files from the original file group to the new file group. Typically the only reason to copy plan files is if you are creating an archive copy. If you are cloning a file group to start a new cycle of planning, then you will create new plan files from a template and do not need to copy plan files. NOTE: If the file group uses virtual plan files, then enabling this option will cause the placeholder document records to be copied to the new file group, so that they can be used in the same way within the new file group. The physical plan files do not exist and therefore cannot be copied. |
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Copy Plan File Attachments |
Select this option to copy plan file attachments from the original file group to the new file group. Typically the only reason to copy plan file attachments is if you are creating an archive copy. If you are cloning a file group to start a new cycle of planning, then you will create new plan files from template and do not need to copy attachments. This option is only available if Copy Plan Files is selected, and if plan file attachments are enabled for the file group. |
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Copy Templates |
Select this option to copy templates from the existing file group to the new file group. The associated calc method libraries are copied along with the templates. |
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Copy Driver Documents |
Select this option to copy driver files from the existing file group to the new file group. |
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Copy Utilities |
Select this option to copy utilities from the existing file group to the new file group. |
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Copy Processes |
Select this option to copy process definitions from the existing file group to the new file group.
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Copy Security |
Select this option to copy security settings from the existing file group to the new file group. Keep in mind the following:
File security settings for templates, drivers, utilities, and processes are only copied if you chose to copy those files. Otherwise, only the settings on the File Groups tab are copied. IMPORTANT: If the plan code table was changed as part of the cloning process and Copy Security is selected, then Axiom Software updates the existing filters to point to the new plan code table. If the new plan code table does not have the column used for a particular security filter, then the copied filters will be invalid and must be manually changed. NOTE: If Copy Security is selected and tables are created as part of the cloning process, then security settings will be copied from the original tables to the new tables. |
NOTE: If you are using the legacy workflow feature, note that the file group cloning process does not allow for copying workflows. Once the new file group has been created, you can copy workflows as needed within the Workflow Manager. See Copying a workflow.
Variables
Review the file group variables and make any necessary changes for use in the new file group. For each variable, you can see the new resolved value and the original value for comparison. Make sure to review all three tabs: General Variables, Table Variables, and Picklist Variables.
Example File Group Variables screen
If you have variables that reference the file group year, these variables are already updated as needed based on the file group year that you changed earlier in the wizard. Any other necessary changes must be made manually.
You can only modify the value of the existing variables when cloning a file group; you cannot add or remove variables. Once the new file group has been created, you can make any further changes to the variables as needed.
NOTES:
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Cloned tables are placed in the same folder as the original tables. If you want any of the new tables for the new file group to reside in different folders, you must manually move the tables to the appropriate folders after the new file group is created.
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Document reference tables are not cloned, because they are sourced from a file. Instead, the driver files can be cloned and then processed to create the new document reference tables in the new file group. It is still recommended to use table variables to set the names of the document reference tables, so that they can automatically update for the new file group.
Special considerations for table variables and picklist variables
When cloning the file group to start a new year of planning, the table variables should resolve to different tables in most cases. For example, if the original file group queried data from GL2018 and saved data to BGT2019, then the new file group may need to query data from GL2019 and save data to BGT2020. If you are cloning the file group to create an archive, then the table variables should resolve to the same tables.
If a table variable or a picklist variable resolves to a table name that does not exist, the cloning process will create that table as part of creating the new file group. For example, if the table variable originally resolved to BGT2019 and now it resolves to BGT2020, table BGT2020 will be created by cloning BGT2019. This table cloning occurs as follows:
- For data tables, only the table structure is copied. Data is not copied.
- For reference tables (including picklist tables), both the table structure and data are copied. Exception: If the key column of the reference table is an identity column, the data is not copied.
- In both cases, if Copy Security is enabled on the Cloning Options screen, security is copied to the new table.
Creating the new file group
When you click Finish to create the new file group, the following occurs:
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If any of your table variables that allow saving data resolve to existing tables, a warning message displays and lists these tables. You should review this list and make sure that these are the intended tables for this file group. If they are not the intended tables, then click Cancel to return to the Clone File Group dialog and adjust your table variables. If they are the intended tables, click OK to continue.
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If any of your table variables or picklist variables resolve to data tables or reference tables that do not yet exist, then a confirmation message will inform you that these tables will be created. Click OK to continue.
If you opted to process drivers after the new file group has been created, this process will occur automatically after all files have been copied and any new data tables have been created.
The Edit File Group dialog opens. If desired, you can now edit any setting for the new file group. By default, the new file group inherited all settings that were not addressed in the Clone File Group dialog from the original file group. For more information, see File group properties.
NOTES:
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If Triggers were defined in the original file group, they are inherited by the new file group but they are disabled by default. You should review the triggers to determine whether they should be edited for the new file group and re-enabled, or deleted as unnecessary.
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If an Add File Form was defined for this file group, the setting is retained if the assigned file is a file group utility and utilities were copied as part of the clone. If the form was configured to Use Current File Group then it will automatically be updated for the new file group; if not then you must edit the form to point to the new file group. However, if the assigned file was a report file in the Reports Library, then the Add File Form setting is now cleared in the new file group and you must re-assign it as appropriate.
Drivers and file group cloning
The file group cloning process handles driver tables differently depending on what kind of tables they are. Driver tables can be managed in two different ways:
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Driver files can use Save Type 3 to create document reference tables. In this case the data and table structure is managed within the file. The table is tied to the file and can only be modified by the file.
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Driver files can use Save Type 1 to modify the data held in reference tables. In this case the table exists independently from the driver file, and can be managed as a normal table. The driver file simply provides a means to modify the data.
In both cases, the driver tables should be defined as writeable table variables (meaning Allow file group to save data to this table is enabled). If you want new driver tables to be created as part of the file group cloning process, then these table variables should resolve to new names for the new file group. However, the way in which these tables are created differs.
When driver tables are document reference tables, the tables are not copied directly by the file group cloning process. Instead, the driver files are copied and processed, which creates the new document reference tables for the new file group. Because data is managed in the file, the data is copied by copying the driver files, not by copying data between tables. You can process the driver files automatically as part of the cloning process, or by saving them manually after the new file group is created.
When driver tables are reference tables, the tables are copied by the file group cloning process. To bring the driver data to the new file group, the data in the reference tables is copied as well as the table structure. You can still choose to process the driver files if desired as part of the cloning process, but in this case it is not necessary to do this to create the new tables.
