Best Practices for Manual Customization

This section describes the best practices to follow if you need to customize the 3DSpace Index manually.

Recommendation: To customize the 3DSpace Index, use the Data Model Customization web app whenever it is possible. The information in this guide is for cases that cannot be addressed by that app. Data Model Customization requires the TXO license, to get the "Customization and Specialization Administrator" role. For more information, see Installation and Setup: 3DEXPERIENCE Platform: 3DEXPERIENCE Configuration and Customization: 3DSpace Data Model: Data Model Customization.

This page discusses:

See Also
Configuring Indexing
Config.xml Parameters
Reference Information: MQL Indexing Commands

About the Customization Storage

3DSpace customizations are stored separately from the default config.xml file in the Database. To see them, run: 

MQL> print searchindexcustom [file FILENAME];
Note: To see the default configuration, run: 
MQL> print searchindexdefault [file FILENAME];

The config.xml storage in the database is the following:

  • searchindexdefault - Contains the default index configuration.
  • searchindexcustom - Contains the customer parameterized index configuration.
  • searchindex - Contains the aggregation of both the above.
Recommendation: Use print system searchindexdefault and not print system searchindex to read the Database configuration.

The print system searchindexdefault command retrieves only the default global settings and does not include sections of custom configuration.

The two recommended commands to read and write default config.xml are: print searchindexdefault [file FILENAME]; set system searchindex file FILENAME;



Warning: A new config.xml file is delivered when you install a product upgrade. As it does not write to the database by default, you have a new config.xml file on disk but not in the Database.

If you run the MQL> set system searchindex file config.xml ; command with the new config.xml file, it updates the searchindexdefault with the new default configuration but the searchindexcustom remains unchanged. If a change is performed for <FIELD name="A"/> in the AggregatedConfig.xml file, whereas searchindexcustom also has a definition of this field, the change is not taken into account, because searchindexcustom overwrites searchindexdefault.

Note: With the Data Model Customization web app, customizations get stored in searchindexcustom and the merge with searchindexdefault is managed correctly.

Back Up Configuration Files

It is good practice to run the print system commands before any upgrade, to back up the configuration.

Run To get
MQL> print system searchindex file /tmp/config.xml; A combination of two storage areas into a single logical one (default config.xml with the customization applied).
MQL> print system searchindexdefault file /tmp/OOTBconfig.xml; The default config.xml file.
MQL> print system searchindexcustom file /tmp/CUSTOconfig.xml; The data model customization.

Clear Configuration Files

You may also need to clear out configuration files.

Run To clear
MQL> set system searchindexdefault file ''; the default configuration
MQL> set system searchindexcustom file ''; the customization configuration

Common Use Cases

The following table describes typical use cases and how to solve them.

Use case Solution
Use case 1:
  • searchindexcustom is empty.
  • Instead of making the customization from the Data Model Customization web app, you choose to modify searchindexdefault directly.

The consequence of this is that your changes are overwritten when you upgrade and apply the new config.xml.

To retrieve customizations, run: 
MQL> set system searchindex file modifiedConfig.xml;
Use case 2:
  • searchindexcustom is NOT empty. It adds a field like: 
    <add sel="/INDEXER/INDEXED-VAULTS[@names='*']/BOTYPEFIELDS[@name=FieldSetA']">
  <FIELD customized="true" name="A" select="name" sixw="ds6wg:A" type="STRING"/>
</add>
  • You ran print system searchindex file userconfig.xml; and changed this field as follows: 
    <FIELD customized="true" name="A" select="type"
sixw="ds6wg:B" type="STRING"/>
  • You ran set system searchindex file userconfig.xml;

Changes are not taken into account because searchindexcustom overwrites searchindexdefault.

You must:

  • Either:
    1. Run print system searchindexcustom,
    2. Remove the lines that add FIELD A,
    3. Run MQL> set system searchindexcustom ;
  • Or:
    1. Remove the changes fromuserconfig.xml and set it back to the Database using MQl> set system searchindex file userconfig.xml ;
    2. Run print system searchindexcustom file custo.xml
    3. Change the definition of FIELD A in custo.xml
    4. Set the new customization to the Database using: set system searchindexcustom file custo.xml;
Use case 3:
  • You upgraded from the old release FP to the new release GA.
  • The old release FP has a customized FIELD A in searchindexcustom. In the new release, this field is delivered by default, but with a different definition.
  • During the migration, you ran: set system searchindex file newReleaseOOTBconfig.xml; and start searchindex mode full; but you do not get the expected indexed data.
Clear the FIELD A definition in the existing searchindexcustom using the steps described in use case 2.

After that, run another baseline indexing to push the right data into CloudView.