Precautions when applying packages

Follow these guidelines when you apply a package to a schema.

After you add a package to a schema, you cannot remove the package from that version of the schema. Therefore, before you apply package, you should review the package contents carefully and confirm that it meets your needs.

When you apply a package, do not upgrade any production user databases to the modified schema until you have used a test database to verify that the schema behaves as expected.

If a modified schema does not behave as expected, you can delete the schema version to which the package has been applied, but only if you have not yet upgraded a production user database to this version.

Some components of a package cannot be modified after the package has been applied, and other components should not be modified except under exceptional circumstances and with great care. The reason for these restrictions and cautions is that the HCL Compass software or an integration with it might expect to find a certain configuration or a specific name for a component. For example, several integration packages fail if a field named headline is renamed or if an action called modify is renamed or removed.

To avoid this type of problem, some components installed by packages are read-only: they cannot be modified either by changing their name or extending their capabilities. For other components, you are not prevented from making modifications, but you should avoid doing so. For more information about dependencies of this type, see HCL Compass packages.

For information about naming restrictions when using packages, see Naming restrictions.