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Intro

Domo Sandbox allows you to promote content from one instance to another (production) instance. You can promote dashboards, cards, DataFlows, and connectors. Here are some terms you should know before using Domo Sandbox:

Term	Definition
Repository	The collection of objects that are being versioned. Over time, multiple versions of the selected objects are stored. An example of what might be included is a dashboard (including cards, Beast Modes, images, etc.)
Version	A snapshot of a repository at a given point in time. A repository can have multiple versions.
Commit	The action taken to store a new version. This results in a new snapshot of the Domo objects.
Promote	The action taken to create or update the objects in the destination Domo instance. An example is promoting a dashboard to production. This creates the dashboard the first time it is promoted or updates the dashboard on subsequent promote actions.
Same Instance Promotion	Promoting a repository in the same instance where it was created. Use this when you want to be able to manage the versioning process in the same Domo instance.
Source (Dev) Instance	The location of the source objects. This is typically a development or sandbox Domo instance.
Destination (Prod) Instance	The location where the objects are updated. This is typically the production instance.

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This article introduces Domo Sandbox in the following topics:

• Access Sandbox
• Instance Configuration
  • Invite production instance to Sandbox
  • Create repository
  • Create an App Studio repository
  • Commit version
• Manage Repository Sharing
  • Instance sharing
  • User sharing
  • Sandbox user permission levels
• Sandbox sharing requirements
• Promote Repository
• Sandbox Logs
• Grants
• Unsupported items
• FAQ
• Troubleshooting

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Access Sandbox

If you are interested in using this feature, contact your Domo account team. If you do not have their contact information, reach out to Technical Support at support@domo.com You may be required to complete training before you can use the feature.

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Instance Configuration

Sandbox supports both cross-instance and same-instance promotion. If you want to do cross-instance promotion, contact your Domo account team to have an instance provisioned.

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Invite Production Instance to Sandbox

You must create a commit/promote relationship from your development instance to your production instance by sending a Sandbox invitation from Dev to Prod.

1. Log into your source or Dev instance (see the table in for more information).
2. In the navigation header, select More > Admin.

The Admin Settings displays.

3. Under Governance, select Sandbox.
4. Go to the Instances tab and select + Invite Instance.

The Invite Instance modal displays.

5. Type in the Domo domain of the destination or Prod instance, and an optional alias. The alias is the identifier used in other areas of Sandbox.
6. Select Save.

The invitation is sent to the destination instance.

7. Log in to the Prod instance.
8. In the Instances tab, choose Incoming Invites and select Approve.

You can now share repositories with the Prod instance and promote them.

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Create a Repository

1. Log into your source instance. In the navigation header, select More > Admin.

The Admin Settings displays.

2. Under Governance, select Sandbox.
3. Go to the My Repositories tab and select + New Repository.

4. Configure the repository by:

• Naming the repository. If you’re creating an App Studio repository, return to that task now.
• Selecting the object type being versioned.
• Choosing the items to be included in the repository.

5. Select Save Repository.

The repository is stored in Sandbox in the My Repositories tab.

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Create an App Studio Repository

You can create an App Studio repository object type from Sandbox.

1. Follow the steps to Create a Repository until you name the repository. Then return here.
2. In the Object Type dropdown, select Apps (App Studio) to display a list of available App Studio apps.
   
3. Under Settings, you can check both of the boxes labeled Create as a Linked Repository and Create initial commit. Choosing the initial commit option automatically creates a commit. The linked repository option ensures that you are not creating duplicated content in your repositories. To learn about linked repositories, see Domo Sandbox: Linked Repositories.
   
4. Select one or more available apps using the checkboxes to the left of the app name(s).
   • You can search for existing App Studio apps by searching for the app in the Search Apps (App Studio) search bar above the repository list.
   • Select all of the apps currently visible on the Create a New Repository page by selecting Select All Visible. In the image, there are fifteen apps on the page, so selecting Select All Visible selects all fifteen apps.
   • Clear all your app selections by selecting Clear Selection.
     
5. Select Save Repository to save your selections. Save Repository automatically saves the repository in your instance. Selecting and updating instance and user-level access will commit the repository to the identified locations. After saving, the Share Access modal opens and allows you to share your App Studio apps with other instances and users in Domo.
   

   
6. You can search for instances using the search bar and select the level of access using the dropdown.
   • Can Promote — A llows that instance to promote the current repository.
   • Default Access — A llows the source instance to commit, but cannot promote.
   • No Access — R emoves access to the app repository completely. This means that when the app is shared, it is not committed to that instance.
     
7. Select the People tab and search for a user or group to share the app repository with other people. People and groups can have owner-level access, edit access, or commit access. You can also remove user access completely.
   • Owner — Allows users to edit and delete the repository.
   • Can Edit — Allows users to edit and share the repository.
   • Can Commit — A llows users to commit to the repository.
   • Remove — R emoves access to the app repository completely. This means that when the app is shared, it is not shared with those individuals or groups.
     

     

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8. After you have selected the instances, individuals, or groups you want to share your repository with, the repository is automatically saved and available in the My Repositories tab.

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Commit Version

1. Log into your source instance. In the navigation header, select More > Admin.

The Admin Settings displays.

2. Under Governance, select Sandbox.
3. Go to Repositories > My Repositories.

4. Locate the repository and select Commit (or, select Repository Options and Commit).
5. Enter a description for the version that you are creating. By default, the version can be promoted. Uncheck Allow this commit to be promoted to prevent this version from being immediately available for promotion.

6. Select Save.

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Manage Repository Sharing

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Instance Sharing

1. Log into your source instance. In the navigation header, select More > Admin. The Admin Settings displays.
2. Under Governance, select Sandbox.
3. Go to Repositories > My Repositories.
4. Locate the repository you want to share. Select Repository Options and choose Manage Sharing.
   • To share the repository with a specific instance, select Can Promote.
   • To share the repository with all instances, select Add All.
   • For the same instance promotion, share the repository with the source instance by selecting Can Promote.
     Note: Access to the repository can be revoked at any time by selecting No Access for specific instances or Remove All for all instances.
   
5. Select Close.

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User Sharing

1. Log into your source instance. In the navigation header, select More > Admin. The Admin Settings displays.
2. Under Governance, select Sandbox.
3. Go to Repositories > My Repositories.
4. Locate the repository you want to share. Select Repository Options and choose Manage Sharing.
5. Select People. Add people and groups, choose the appropriate permission level, and select Share.
6. Select Close.

The repository is updated with access settings.

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Sandbox User Permission Levels

Co-Owner	Can edit, delete, and share the repository
Can Edit	Can edit and share but cannot delete the repository
Can Commit (in source instance)	Can commit the repository but cannot edit, share, or delete. The user must also have the Manage Repositories grant to commit in the instance.
Can Promote (in destination instance)	Can promote the repository but cannot edit or share. The user must have the Manage Repository Promotions grant as well to promote in the instance.

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Sandbox Sharing Requirements

To successfully commit or promote a repository with the expected results, you must have the correct access permissions to both the repository and its content. If you attempt to commit or promote a repository when you do not have the correct access permissions, the repository may still commit or promote but with unintended consequences. You must meet the following requirements to successfully share a repository:

1. Anyone who commits the repository must own or have received shared access from the source instance, including the repository and its pages, cards, dashboards, AppDB data, DataFlows, and connectors.
2. Anyone who promotes the repository must own or have received shared access to the destination instance, including the repository and its pages, cards, AppDB data, DataFlows, and connectors.

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Promote Repository

1. Log into your target instance and go to the Admin Settings.
2. Under Governance, select Sandbox.
3. Go to Repositories > Shared Repositories. All repositories that have been shared with your instance display.
4. Locate the appropriate repository and select Promote. The repository details display.
5. Configure the following:

• Choose the version to be promoted. This defaults to the most recent Committed Version.
• Map dependencies. Depending on the object type of the repository, there may be different mapping requirements. The most common required mapping is data sources.
• In the Advanced tab, apply settings as necessary. Renaming/removing strings from object names is available primarily to facilitate same-instance promotion, but can be used when promoting across instances.

6. Select Promote.

The process to either create the objects (on first promotion) or update the objects on subsequent promotions is initiated.

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Sandbox Logs

1. Log into your source instance. In the navigation header, select More > Admin. The Admin Settings displays.
2. Under Governance, select Sandbox.
3. Select the Logs tab.
   Note: Commit Logs are available in the source instance and Promote Logs are available in the destination instance.

By default, high-level Commit Logs display. To view Promotion Logs, select Promote Logs. This view shows the commit or promote actions that have occurred. To view detailed logs for a specific commit or promote action, select View More. This view provides the most detailed information about the commit or promotion that was executed.

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Grants

Grant Type	Allows Users To:
Administer Sandbox	Send, accept, or deny repository-sharing invitations to/from other Domo instances Manage global settings, such as requiring approvals for the promotion of all repositories, or enabling same-instance promotion Assign ownership of a shared repository in the destination instance. Important: Once ownership is assigned, it cannot be changed. Configure approval requirement and template for a repository in the destination instance Manage all repositories (including repositories not owned or explicitly shared with the user) Note: This grant supersedes the “Manage Repositories” and “Manage Repository Promotions” grants; it provides all the privileges of those grants, and more.
Manage Repositories	Create and commit a repository Manage sharing of a repository with other users/groups in the Domo instance Share a repository with another Domo instance Manage sharing of repository versions with another Domo instance Note: Only repositories owned by or shared with the user are visible to the user.
Manage Repository Promotion	Configure a repository for promotion (i.e., dataset mappings, etc.) Manage sharing of a repository in the destination instance Promote a repository, including selecting which version of a repository is to be promoted Note: Only repositories owned by or shared with the user are visible to the user. Ownership of repositories can only be assigned by a user with the “Administer Sandbox” grant.

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Grant Examples

To administer Sandbox for a Domo instance, including establishing repository sharing relationships, enabling same-instance promotion, and requiring approval for promotion, a user must:

• Have the Administer Sandbox grant

To create a new repository and/or commit content changes to a repository, a user must:

• Have the “Manage Repositories” grant (and/or the “Administer Sandbox” grant”)
• Have the Manage All Cards, Pages and Apps (App Studio) grant (only required for committing page-type repositories)
• Be the owner of the repository or have had the repository shared with them.
  • “Can Commit” can commit only
  • “Can Edit” can edit the repository content and sharing but cannot delete
  • “Co-Owner” can edit and delete the repository
• Be the owner of the content being committed or have had the content shared with them

To manage incoming shared repositories, including assigning ownership of the repository and establishing a promote approval process, a user must:

• Have the Administer Sandbox grant

To promote a repository, a user must:

• Have the Manage Repository Promotions grant (and/or the Administer Sandbox grant)
• Be the owner of the repository or have had the repository shared with them
  • “Can Promote” can promote only
  • “Can Edit” can edit the repository (i.e., dataset mappings, renaming, etc.) and promote
• Be included in at least one Personalized Date Permissions (PDP) policy for each DataSet (on which PDP is enabled) used in any cards or dashboards in the repository
• Be the owner of the content (or, for cards or dashboards, have had the content shared with the promoting user if the promoting user also has the Manage All Cards, Pages and Apps (App Studio) grant).

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Unsupported Items

The following items cannot be promoted:

• Unsupported features in App Studio:
  • Forms
  • Workflow widget
  • Queue widget
  • Content links
  • App components
  • Element actions
  • Saved filters
  • Large file sizes*
  • Large image sizes*
• Unsupported items in DataSet Views:
  • Calculated columns
  • SQL Views
• Unsupported items in dashboards:
  • Poll Cards
  • Dynamic Summary Numbers in Notebook Cards
  • Annotations
  • Certifications
  • Page ordering
  • Doc Cards with large files*
  • Content links
  • Filter options
• Unsupported features in DataFlows:
  • Recursive DataFlows
  • Password-protected DataFlows
  • Writeback Tile DataFlows
  • Jupyter DataFlows
  • Fixed Input tile
  • Text Generation tile
• Unsupported features in connectors:
  • DataSet via email connectors
  • Linked repositories using connectors
• Unsupported features in Custom Apps and Pro-code Apps:
  • Promoting and mapping AppDB collections
  • Custom Apps outside of App Studio or individual cards
• Unsupported general features:
  • Nested calculations
  • Workflows
  • Code Engine packages and functions
  • Queues
  • Approvals
  • Projects & Tasks
  • Slideshows
  • Jupyter Notebooks
• Unsupported items for same-instance promotion:
  • Smart Text
  • Dynamic Summary Numbers

*Image and file sizes are not exact, as complexity, dimensions, and type can all affect them. To avoid most issues, we suggest keeping files under 100MB.

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FAQ