February 28, 2025
Streamlining Approval Rule Migration in Oracle Fusion HCM with SOA Composer
Oracle Fusion HCM enables you to configure approval rules for various business processes within a single instance. However, there are times when these rules need to be migrated from one instance to another. This is where SOA Composer comes in handy—it simplifies the process of exporting and importing approval rules, ensuring consistency across different environments.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through the steps to transfer Global Absence Approval Rules from Instance A to Instance B using SOA Composer.
Prerequisites:
Before exporting and importing approval rules using SOA Composer, keep the following key points in mind:
- Ensure Version Compatibility – Both the source and target instances must be on the same patch level and release version. A version mismatch can cause the import process to fail.
- Required Permissions – You need the BPM Admin Role (BPMProcessAdmin) to perform export and import actions in SOA Composer. Users with the Human Capital Management Application Administrator job role automatically inherit this role.
- Export Only Relevant Changes – When exporting SOA changes, make sure to include only runtime modifications, such as updated tasks and approval rules.
- Refine the Export File – If the exported file contains multiple composites, edit it to include only the specific composites you intend to import. This helps prevent uncommitted or unnecessary approval rule changes from being migrated to the target instance.
Step-by-Step Guide: Exporting Approval Rules from Instance A

Fig 1: Approval Rules in Instance A
The above image showcases the approval rules that have been configured in Instance A. These rules are customized to meet specific business requirements and are ready for migration. By the end of this blog, these approval rules will be successfully migrated to Instance B, ensuring consistency across environments.
- Step 1: Log in to Oracle Fusion HCM.
- Step 2: Open the SOA Composer Using Instance URL https://host:port
- Step 3: Click on Export/Import

Fig 1.1: SOA Composer
- Step 4: Select Export SOA Changes when prompted

- Step 5: A new dialog box will appear, click on Export. The process will load from 0% to 100%.

Fig 1.3: Export Data
- Step 6: Once complete, an Export Archive will be ready for download. Click Download, and a .jar file will be saved to your system.

Fig: 1.4 Download SOA Changes
- Step 7: Navigate to the folder where the .jar file was downloaded (Eg: CS_SOA_75249057024337339125451156899426804078.jar ) . Rename the .jar to .zip file. Extract the file(UnZip). Inside the archive, locate the META-INF folder.

Fig 1.5: Meta-INF file
- Step 8: Open the CS_SOA_ExportList.txt file.

Fig 1.6: CS_SOA txt File
- Step 9: This file contains multiple approval rule .jar entries. Identify the approval rule you want to migrate. Example: If migrating only the Global Absence Recording Approval, keep the entry:

Fig 1.7: List of jar files

Fig 1.8: Absence Approval
- Step 10: Save and close the CS_SOA_ExportList.txt file. The modified .jar file now contains only the necessary approval rule for migration.

Fig: 1.9 Update Data
Importing Approval Rules into Instance B
- Step 1: Log in to Oracle Fusion HCM.
- Step 2: Open the SOA Composer Using Instance URL https://host:port
- Step 3: Click on Export/Import
- Step 4: Select Import SOA Changes

Fig 2.1: Import SOA Changes
- Step 5: In the new dialog box, click on Choose File. Select the modified .jar file exported from Instance A.

Fig 2.2: Choose Approval
- Step 6: Click Import. The process will load from 0% to 100%. Once complete, you will see a Success message confirming the import.

Fig 2.3: Import Approval
Verifying the Imported Approval Rules
- Step 1: Navigate to Tools > Transaction Console > Approval Rules.
- Step 2: Open Global Absence Approval Rules.

Fig 3.1: Find Approval
- Step 3: Verify that the rules from Instance A are now available and correctly configured.

Fig 3.2: Approval Rules in Instance B
Benefits of Migrating Approval Rules
- Consistency Across Environments: Ensures that approval workflows are standardized between development, test, and production instances.
- Reduced Manual Configuration Efforts: Saves time and eliminates the need to manually recreate approval rules in the target instance.
- Minimized Errors: Reduces the risk of errors that can occur when manually configuring rules in multiple environments.
- Faster Deployment: Speeds up the process of replicating workflows across instances, supporting quicker project rollouts.
- Scalability: Makes it easier to manage and replicate complex approval workflows for large organizations.
Conclusion
Migrating approval rules with SOA Composer in Oracle Fusion HCM enables a seamless and accurate replication of workflows across environments. By following the recommended steps, you can ensure consistency, minimize manual effort, and accelerate deployments. This approach not only saves time but also enhances the scalability and compliance of your business processes, ensuring smooth and efficient operations across all instances.
AUTHOR: KURALOVIYA K, Oracle Cloud Consultant.