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How to compare Oracle Fusion configuration between environments

Before you move setup from one Oracle Fusion environment to another, you need to know what already differs between them. This guide compares the three practical ways to find out and shows what to look for in the results.

Why environments drift apart

Two environments that started as copies rarely stay that way. The usual causes are:

• A configuration change made directly in one environment and never repeated in the other.
• A migration that stopped halfway, or loaded only part of a functional area.
• An emergency fix in production that nobody carried back to test.
• Different release or patch levels, so a setup option exists in one and not the other.
• Settings that are meant to differ, such as URLs, endpoints and credentials references.

The risk is not the difference you know about. It is the one you find during testing, or after go-live.

Method 1: compare screens and spreadsheets by hand

Open the same setup task in both environments, copy the values into a spreadsheet and look for differences. It works for a handful of values and needs no tools.

It breaks quickly with volume. Setup tasks have many rows and hidden columns, people skip rows when they are tired, and the result is not repeatable or easy to show to a reviewer. See the full comparison with a tool.

Method 2: export the same tasks from both and diff the files

Functional Setup Manager can export the setup data of a task as CSV files. If you export the same tasks from both environments, you can compare the files with a diff tool. To get a meaningful result:

• Export exactly the same list of tasks from both environments.
• Record the release of each environment next to the export.
• Decide which columns are allowed to differ (identifiers, timestamps, URLs) and ignore them.
• Compare by the business key of each row, not by line position.
• Keep the exports on a secure machine: they contain your setup data.

This is repeatable, but the scripting, the column rules and the report are yours to build and maintain. How these exports work.

Method 3: Fusion Compare in VS Code

Fusion Compare is an extension that does Method 2 for you, task by task, and shows the result in a screen inside VS Code. The steps are:

1. Environments. Name the two environments and how to sign in to each. You sign in through Oracle's own page in your browser, never inside VS Code.
2. Tasks. Search for the setup tasks to compare, or browse by offering and functional area. Add task codes that are not listed.
3. Review. See the plan before anything runs: which exports will be created, in which order you will sign in, and which columns you expect to differ. Nothing is sent to Fusion until you approve.
4. Run. Fusion Compare asks each environment to export the chosen tasks.
5. Results. See what is added, missing or changed per task, a drift report for each task, and which tasks could not be compared.

Nothing in either environment is changed. The exports and the results stay in a folder on your computer.

What to look for in the results

• Missing in one environment: a row that exists in DEV and not in TEST is usually a change that was never migrated.
• Different values: the same row with a different setting. Check whether the difference is intended.
• Could not be compared: a task that failed to export or has no export. These are gaps in your evidence, not proof that two environments match.
• Expected differences: values such as endpoints should be listed as expected so that the real differences stand out.

Tips for the first comparison

• Start with one functional area where you already suspect drift, not the whole system.
• Write down both release levels before you start.
• Keep a copy of each result so that you can show what changed and when.
• Repeat the comparison after a migration to confirm the environments now match.

Frequently asked questions

Does comparing environments change anything in Fusion?

Not with an export-based comparison. Fusion Compare asks each environment to export the chosen tasks, reads the exports on your computer and compares them. You approve a plan before the first export starts.

How many tasks can I compare at once?

Fusion Compare is free to start with up to 20 tasks per comparison, and a free trial lifts the limit to 25.

Can I compare more than two environments?

A comparison is between two environments. For three, compare DEV with TEST and TEST with PROD.

Related guides

• DEV to TEST migration checklist
• FSM setup exports explained

Fusion Compare is an independent product by FuiSQL. Oracle and Fusion are trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates; FuiSQL is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Oracle.