Instance sync tool and its Limitations

Introduction – The instance synchronization feature, or “instance sync,” enables you to move configuration artifacts and settings from one SuccessFactors company instance to another (DEV to QA, QA to PROD, etc.).
It supports one-way and two-way synchronization, artifact-level permission control, multiple targets per source, and synchronization across different datacenters. After instance sync has been enabled and configured by your SuccessFactors representative, you can use the instance sync administration tools to create, run, manage, and monitor synchronization jobs.
This tool is helpful but throws errors and come with the limitation for Each module, here I have added some of them concerning each module.-

• Instance sync throws an error when pre-delivered MDF object is synced.
• Instance sync throws an error while syncing the RBP when a role contains MDF object permissions.
• Pre-delivered MDF objects include Time Off that would be objects such as Holiday Calendar, Time Profile, and Time Account Type.
  Cause – Instance sync triggers full purge that is, data in the target is first deleted and then recreated if it already exists. An ‘incremental’ purge is triggered via import/export, and thus the issue doesn’t appear while doing the import.
  Resolution – This is a limit of the instance sync tool to sync pre-delivered MDF objects where it should ideally incrementally sync pre-delivered objects instead of trying to Full Purge replace them
  To resolve this issue: -Export the objects from source and then import these into the target as Incremental Load.
• We can not sync the Route maps. By using the Instance sync and it creates an issue if you have a number of the route map, the only option is to create it manually.
• SuccessFactors currently does not support the sync of RBP Permission Group settings when the same has MDF fields set up in the Dynamic Group Filters. The only solution is to create a group manually.
• Since the 1805 release, you are no longer able to synchronize Document Generation Templates, as some of the Child Objects use the Auto-Number feature in MDF. And since 1805 you can no longer override the Auto-Number value with a value provided in the import file.
  Resolution– Currently the solution is to export the Document Generation Template (and dependent data) from the Source instance and import the ZIP file into the Destination instance.
• Some customers will try to sync workflows to a new environment but experiencing this error: “Foundation object add failed: Relationship to Approver values cannot be applied to DYNAMIC_ROLE. Relationship to Approver values is valid only with ROLE.” But when we review the workflow configuration, there are no values in the Relationship to Approver for any Dynamic Roles.
• It is also not recommended to move business rules via instance Sync because most of the business rules contain drop down values and these drop down values are fetched from Picklist Option id’s since the test system, and production system will have different picklist option id(which is auto-generated by the system). Hence those business rules would not work since instance sync will sync old option id’s and you have to fix them post instant sync manually.
• Currently, it is not possible to instance sync RBP permission role that uses Employee Files View permission.
• Syncing picklists require that a unique External Code is assigned for each existing picklist option, or it cannot be successfully synced.
• Instance sync does not support the sync of Compensation templates, Pay matrix tables, currency conversion tables, group assignment and group creation in compensation, Group based budget.
• LMS – Instance sync does not support LMS.
• RCM – Custom fields don’t get configured properly by using the instance sync.
• RCM – We cannot sync the RCM template from one system to another, which results with the non syncing of template configuration and permissions as well. This is the major limitation of instance sync for Recruitment management.

I have tried to cover the Limitations of Instance sync concerning all the modules.
Hope it has been helpful !!
Reference: apps.support.sap.com/

• Instance sync tool
• SuccessFactors
• sync workflows