SDF Deployment Workflow Guide

This guide covers all deployment scenarios from testing a single file to full production releases.

Choose Your Deployment Method

What do you need?
      │
      ├─── Test single script ──────────► Upload File (Section 1)
      │
      ├─── Deploy specific scripts ─────► Partial Deploy (Section 2)
      │
      ├─── Move between sandboxes ──────► Sandbox to Sandbox (Section 3)
      │
      └─── Release to production ───────► Production Deploy (Section 4)

1. Upload File - Quick Single File Testing

Use Upload File when you want to quickly test changes to a single script without deploying the entire project.

When to Use Upload File

Use Upload File	Don't Use Upload File
Testing a script fix	Deploying new objects
Debugging an issue	First-time deployment
Quick iteration during development	Production releases
Updating a library file	Changes to XML objects

How to Upload a Single File

Method A: VSCode (Recommended)

1. Right-click file → 2. Upload to Account → 3. Choose account → 4. Test in NetSuite

Steps:

Open the script file in VSCode
Right-click on the file in the Explorer panel
Select "SuiteCloud: Upload File to Account"
Select the target account
File is uploaded instantly

Method B: Command Line

# Upload a specific file
suitecloud file:upload --paths "/SuiteScripts/UserEvents/invoice_ue.js" --account "Dev_Sandbox"

# Upload multiple files
suitecloud file:upload --paths "/SuiteScripts/invoice_ue.js,/SuiteScripts/utils.js" --account "Dev_Sandbox"

Upload File Workflow

Edit → Upload → Test → Repeat
  ▲                      │
  └──────────────────────┘

Important Notes for Upload File

Only uploads the file - does not update script deployment settings
Script must already exist - use full deploy first, then upload for updates
No XML changes - if you changed the script XML, use object:deploy instead
Check File Cabinet path - file must go to the correct folder

2. Partial Deployment - Deploy Specific Objects

Use partial deployment when you want to deploy only certain scripts or objects, not the entire project.

Decision Flow

What to deploy?
      │
      ├─── Script file only ────────► file:upload
      │
      ├─── Specific scripts ────────► object:deploy --scriptid
      │
      ├─── All of a type ───────────► object:deploy --type
      │
      └─── Feature set ─────────────► deploy.xml

Option A: Deploy by Script ID

Deploy one or more specific objects:

# Single object
suitecloud object:deploy --scriptid customscript_invoice_ue --account "Sandbox"

# Multiple objects (comma-separated)
suitecloud object:deploy --scriptid "customscript_invoice_ue,customscript_order_cs" --account "Sandbox"

# Using wildcard pattern
suitecloud object:deploy --scriptid "customscript_invoice_*" --account "Sandbox"

Option B: Deploy by Object Type

Deploy all objects of a specific type:

# All custom scripts
suitecloud object:deploy --type customscript --account "Sandbox"

# All custom records
suitecloud object:deploy --type customrecordtype --account "Sandbox"

# All custom lists
suitecloud object:deploy --type customlist --account "Sandbox"

Option C: Use deploy.xml

Create a deploy.xml file to define exactly what to deploy:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<deploy>
    <configuration>
        <path>~/Objects/*</path>
    </configuration>
    <files>
        <path>~/FileCabinet/SuiteScripts/invoice_ue.js</path>
        <path>~/FileCabinet/SuiteScripts/order_cs.js</path>
    </files>
    <objects>
        <path>~/Objects/customscript_invoice_ue.xml</path>
        <path>~/Objects/customscript_order_cs.xml</path>
    </objects>
</deploy>

Then deploy:

suitecloud project:deploy --account "Sandbox"

Partial Deployment Quick Reference

What to Deploy	Command
Single file only	`file:upload --paths "path/to/file.js"`
Single object	`object:deploy --scriptid customscript_name`
Multiple objects	`object:deploy --scriptid "script1,script2"`
Pattern match	`object:deploy --scriptid "customscript_invoice_*"`
By type	`object:deploy --type customscript`
Custom selection	Configure `deploy.xml` + `project:deploy`

3. Sandbox to Sandbox Deployment

Move your code between sandbox environments (Dev → QA → UAT).

Environment Flow

DEV Sandbox ──► QA Sandbox ──► UAT Sandbox ──► Production

Setup Accounts

First, configure all your sandbox accounts:

# Setup each account (run once per account)
suitecloud account:setup

# Verify all accounts
suitecloud account:list

Expected output:

Available accounts:
Dev_Sandbox (TSTDRV1111111) [default]
QA_Sandbox (TSTDRV2222222)
UAT_Sandbox (TSTDRV3333333)
Production (1234567)

Deploy Between Sandboxes

1. Validate → 2. Deploy to target → 3. Verify in NetSuite

Commands:

# Validate first
suitecloud project:validate

# Full deploy to QA
suitecloud project:deploy --account "QA_Sandbox"

# Or partial deploy
suitecloud object:deploy --scriptid "customscript_invoice_*" --account "QA_Sandbox"

After Sandbox Refresh

When a sandbox is refreshed from production, redeploy your customizations:

# Redeploy all customizations after refresh
suitecloud project:deploy --account "Dev_Sandbox"

4. Sandbox to Production Deployment

Deploy tested code from sandbox to production.

Production Deployment Flow

UAT Approved → 1. Prepare → 2. Backup → 3. Deploy → 4. Verify

Production Commands

# Step 1: Validate
suitecloud project:validate

# Step 2: Backup current production script definitions (XML → backup folder)
suitecloud object:import --account "Production" --scriptid "customscript_*" --destinationfolder "backup"

# Step 3a: Full deploy
suitecloud project:deploy --account "Production"

# Step 3b: Or partial deploy (safer for hotfixes)
suitecloud object:deploy --scriptid "customscript_invoice_ue" --account "Production"

Partial Production Deployment

For deploying only specific changes to production:

1. Backup script → 2. Deploy script → 3. Verify

5. Deployment Order (Dependencies)

When deploying multiple object types, follow this order:

1. Lists/Records/Fields → 2. Library/Scheduled/MR/RESTlet → 3. UE/CS/Suitelet → 4. Workflows

Phased Deployment Example

# Phase 1: Foundation
suitecloud object:deploy --type customlist --account "Production"
suitecloud object:deploy --type customrecordtype --account "Production"

# Phase 2: Scripts
suitecloud object:deploy --type customscript --account "Production"

# Phase 3: Workflows
suitecloud object:deploy --type workflow --account "Production"

6. Best Practices

Pre-Deployment Checklist

☐ Code validated (suitecloud project:validate)
☐ Tested in sandbox
☐ No hardcoded internal IDs
☐ Backup taken of target environment
☐ Deployment window approved (for production)

Post-Deployment Checklist

☐ Scripts visible in NetSuite
☐ Deployment status correct (Testing/Released)
☐ Test critical functionality
☐ Check execution logs for errors
☐ Git tag created (for production releases)

Common Commands Reference

# Validate project
suitecloud project:validate

# List accounts
suitecloud account:list

# Set default account
suitecloud account:setdefault --account "AccountName"

# Full deploy
suitecloud project:deploy --account "AccountName"

# Deploy specific object
suitecloud object:deploy --scriptid scriptid --account "AccountName"

# Upload single file
suitecloud file:upload --paths "path/to/file.js" --account "AccountName"

# Import objects (backup)
suitecloud object:import --account "AccountName" --scriptid "pattern"

# Preview deploy (dry run)
suitecloud project:deploy --dryrun

Quick Decision Guide

Situation	Method	Command
Testing a script change	Upload File	`file:upload` or right-click in VSCode
Hotfix to production	Partial Deploy	`object:deploy --scriptid`
Promote to QA sandbox	Full Deploy	`project:deploy --account "QA"`
New feature release	Full Deploy	`project:deploy --account "Production"`
Deploy one script type	Type Deploy	`object:deploy --type customscript`
Deploy feature subset	deploy.xml	Configure deploy.xml + `project:deploy`

Troubleshooting

Error	Solution
"Account not found"	Run `suitecloud account:setup`
"Authentication failed"	Re-authenticate with `account:setup`
"Object already exists"	Object will be updated (this is normal)
"Missing dependency"	Deploy dependencies first (see Section 5)
"File not found"	Check file path matches File Cabinet location

Next Steps

Deploy to Sandbox - Detailed sandbox deployment
Testing Strategies - Testing before deployment
Deploy to Production - Production deployment details
Rollback - Handling deployment issues

Choose Your Deployment Method​

1. Upload File - Quick Single File Testing​

When to Use Upload File​

How to Upload a Single File​

Method A: VSCode (Recommended)​

Method B: Command Line​

Upload File Workflow​

Important Notes for Upload File​

2. Partial Deployment - Deploy Specific Objects​

Decision Flow​

Option A: Deploy by Script ID​

Option B: Deploy by Object Type​

Option C: Use deploy.xml​

Partial Deployment Quick Reference​

3. Sandbox to Sandbox Deployment​

Environment Flow​

Setup Accounts​

Deploy Between Sandboxes​

After Sandbox Refresh​

4. Sandbox to Production Deployment​

Production Deployment Flow​

Production Commands​

Partial Production Deployment​

5. Deployment Order (Dependencies)​

Phased Deployment Example​

6. Best Practices​

Pre-Deployment Checklist​

Post-Deployment Checklist​

Common Commands Reference​

Quick Decision Guide​

Troubleshooting​

Next Steps​