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Copy data from ProductionCopy data from Production
This article will explain how to copy data from a production system to a test system. This will include a list of prerequisites and a step-by-step guide.
Before you start
Please also get familiar with this article What to be aware of when doing a data copy in order to prepare the best way.
What to copy
Database
You will need to create a copy of the Pure database.
Files
It is not required to copy the files in the binary storage folder, as Pure will work fine without them, but if you want to be able to use any of the files (To show user pictures, download documents, etc.), you will need to copy them.
The folders that should be copied can be found in Pure under Administration > System settings > Core configuration and in the storage configuration.
If you followed one of the Installing Pure on Linux or Installing Pure on Windows guides then it will be the following folders that should be copied:
Linux: /data/pure_data/perm and /data/pure_data/audit
Windows: d:\pack\pure_data\perm and d:\pack\pure_data\audit
LTP Storages
If Pure is pushing data to a LTP storage like DSpace, Eprints or similar it is very important that a copy of the LTP system in Production is used where the new Pure server is running otherwise binary data can be corrupted, when trying to synch data from Pure to the LTP storage.
The new Pure setup should be an exact replica regarding Pure and the LTP storage.
Configuration
Pure keeps all of the configuration in the database, so any configuration that should be different on the destination server should be changed after the copy. This can be changed directly through the Administration workspace , or it can be overwritten with Tomcat command-line parameters.
The primary thing to change is the URLs used to access Pure (Administration > System settings > Mount points), and any synchronization jobs where you have different data for Production and Test.
For more information about these settings see the Tomcat command-line parameters documentation.
Step by step guide
Tomcat
The Test Pure needs to be shutdown while copying, but you can leave the Production Pure running.
If you are moving Pure to a new server, then you will need to shutdown the Pure you are going to move, so that no new data can be added.
Database
Create a dump of the Pure Production database using the standard tools for your database, and then import it in the Pure Test database.
If there is already data in the destination database, you will need to drop it before doing the import. Some database servers also supports overwriting the old data, so that might also be an option.
Files
Copy the files from binary storage folder on the Production server to the binary storage folder on the Test server. After the copy, change the file permissions so the the user running the Tomcat server has read and write access to all the files and folders.
It is recommended to keep the binary storage path that same on the Test and Production servers, as that will minimize the amount of configuration on the Test server after the copy.
Tomcat parameters
Add or change any Tomcat command line parameters that are incorrect.
LTP Storage
Make sure that if PURE is pushing data from a LTP storage and copy of the this storage is needed for LTP storage that the new PURE server should be pushing data to.
Make sure the new PURE server is pointing to the LTP storage that was restored with Production data.
Pure deployment
If you need a different version of Pure than is currently deployed on the Test server, you should deploy it now.
Start Tomcat
Start the Tomcat server. If the version on Test is the same as on Production, then Pure will boot normally, but if the version on Test if newer than on Production, the normal Pure maintenance mode (upgrade) will start.
After Pure is started
When Pure is ready, log in and go to the Administration menu and change the configuration to match the Test system.
Those configurations that has been set on the command line can not be changed from Pure itself.
You should check all the parameters mentioned in the Tomcat command-line parameters .
It is also a good idea to set the schedule of some of the cron jobs to manual execution.
This is recommended for all the Email jobs, and it is generally also a good idea to do with the synchronization jobs. If any of the jobs need to access different systems in Test, like synchronization from a test system, that should also be changed here.
Also remember to take a look at What to be aware of when doing a data copy.
If you have a different login system for Test, you will also need to configure that under Administrator > Security.
Published at March 18, 2025