AEM 6.5 to AEMaaCS: Handling in-flight workflow instances with scheduled publish/unpublish actions
This article explains the supported approach for managing running workflow instances with future scheduled publish or unpublish actions during migration from Adobe Experience Manager 6.5 to AEM as a Cloud Service.
Description description
Environments
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) 6.5 and AEM as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS) (all versions)
Issue/Symptoms
When migrating from AEM 6.5 to AEM as a Cloud Service, there are workflow instances in a running state that are waiting to execute scheduled publish or unpublish actions after the planned cutover date. The customer needs to ensure these scheduled actions aren’t lost during the transition to AEM as a Cloud Service.
- Workflow instances are active in AEM 6.5 and scheduled to trigger future publish/unpublish actions.
- The migration to AEM as a Cloud Service is planned before these scheduled actions are executed.
- The customer is seeking a supported method to migrate these in-flight workflow instances or to preserve the scheduled actions post-migration.
No specific error messages are generated, but the risk is that scheduled actions won’t be executed after migration if not handled appropriately.
Cause
AEM as a Cloud Service doesn’t support the migration of in-flight workflow instances or their runtime state from AEM 6.5. Scheduled actions must be manually or programmatically recreated in the target environment to ensure continuity.
Resolution resolution
Follow the steps below to resolve the issue:
-
Understand Workflow Instance Migration Limitations
- There’s no supported mechanism to migrate in-flight (running) workflow instances from AEM 6.5 to AEM as a Cloud Service. Workflow runtime state (such as instances under
/var/workflow/instances/<b>) isn’t supported for migration.
- There’s no supported mechanism to migrate in-flight (running) workflow instances from AEM 6.5 to AEM as a Cloud Service. Workflow runtime state (such as instances under
-
Export Scheduled Actions from AEM 6.5
- Before migration, export a snapshot of all future scheduled publish/unpublish actions from AEM 6.5. This typically involves extracting the payload path, action type (publish/unpublish), and scheduled date/time from the workflow instance data under
/var/workflow/instances. -
Don’t Migrate Workflow Instance Data via Content Transfer Tool
**- Avoid migrating workflow instance data using the Content Transfer Tool, as this isn’t supported and may result in inconsistent or unsupported states in AEM as a Cloud Service.
- Reference: Content Transfer Tool – Overview**
-
Recreate Scheduled Actions in AEM as a Cloud Service
- - Use the exported data to manually recreate scheduled publish/unpublish actions in AEM as a Cloud Service. For small numbers of actions, use the Manage Publication feature in the AEM as a Cloud Service UI to schedule publish/unpublish operations. - For larger volumes, consider developing a Cloud Service-compatible helper tool or script to automate the recreation of these schedules.- Reference: Replication (AEM as a Cloud Service)
-
Review Documentation and Best Practices
**- Review the following documentation for additional guidance: