Migrating global parameters from previous versions

Considerations when migrating global parameters from previous versions

When you upgrade from versions earlier than 8.5, the global parameter definitions, now called variable definitions, that you have in the database, are automatically migrated to the default variable table called MAIN_TABLE. After the upgrade:

All variables are preceded by the default table name. For example, after you migrate, the REP_PATH variable acquires the following name:
```
MAIN_TABLE.REP_PATH
```
When you request a list of variables you get variabletable.variablename pairs to easily identify to which variable table the variable belongs.
Your workload is resolved in the same way as before the migration because any HCL Workload Automation object containing variables refers to the MAIN_TABLE for variable resolution.
For every user section that includes the parameter keyword, the following row is added in the security file:
```
vartable name=@ access=add,delete,display,modify,list,use,unlock
```

For details about the upgrade process, see HCL Workload Automation: Planning and Installation.

When upgrading from version 8.3 or later, do not modify variables until you migrate the master domain manager and all its backup masters because in this transition phase you have two different versions of the database. If you must add or modify variables during this transition phase, make sure you make the change in both version 8.3 or 8.4 and version 8.5 of the master domain managers.

Local parameters that were created and managed with the parms utility command in the local parameter database on the workstations, work in the same way as before.

In V8.3 and V8.4 the parameters are stored in the MDL.VAR_VARIABLES table of the database. After you upgrade to V8.5 or later, the same parameters are stored in the MAIN_TABLE contained in the MDL.VAR_VARIABLES2 database table. If you started to migrate your environment, but did not yet complete the migration, and the master domain manager is V8.3 or V8.4 and the backup master domain manager is V8.5 or later, or viceversa, the V8.3 or V8.4 master domain manager does not recognize the table MDL.VAR_VARIABLES2 so if you change a parameter in the V8.3 or V8.4 master domain manager this change is stored in the old table (MDL.VAR_VARIABLES). If you change the parameter in the V8.5 master domain manager the change is stored in the MDL.VAR_VARIABLES2 table.