> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abbyy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Continued development using separate environments

> Develop and test skills in a sandbox environment before transferring them to production for continued skill development.

Use separate testing and production environments: develop and tune the skill in a sandbox that mirrors production, then transfer the tuned skill into production. You can still collect documents processed by Manual Review Operators in production and transfer the skill — along with its accumulated documents — back to testing to continue development.

## Development workflow

Continued development with separate environments follows this cycle:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Develop the skill in testing">
    Develop the skill in the testing environment as described in the [Standalone skills scenario](/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/skill-design/standalone-skills) and the [Process skill scenario](/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/skill-design/process-skill-scenario).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Export the skill from testing">
    Once the skill is ready for production, [export](#export-a-skill) it from the testing environment.

    <Warning>
      If you export a skill without its document set, you won't be able to continue training it in production, and you won't be able to add documents collected in production back to the current skill in testing. Skills without a document set can only be trained from scratch using a new document set.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Import the skill into production">
    [Import](#import-a-skill) the skill into the production environment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set up a Process skill in production (optional)">
    In production, set up a Process skill that references the imported skill if you want to collect documents processed by the skill. For details, see the [Process skill scenario](/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/skill-design/process-skill-scenario).

    <Tip>
      You can also export and import the Process skill itself — referenced skills can be included in the archive. You should still consult the [Process skill scenario](/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/skill-design/process-skill-scenario) to pick a document-collection strategy and adjust skill settings.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use the skill in production">
    Run the skill in the production environment. Collect documents via Manual Review as configured.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Export from production with the document set">
    After collecting documents (or making other changes to the skill in production), [export](#export-a-skill) the latest published version of the skill, including the document set, from the production environment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Import the skill back into testing">
    [Import](#import-a-skill) the skill into the testing environment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Adjust and test in testing">
    Adjust, publish, and test the skill in the testing environment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Redeploy to production">
    Repeat steps 2–4 to redeploy the updated skill to production.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Repeat steps 5–9 to fine-tune the skill over multiple iterations.
</Note>

## Important considerations

When transferring a skill between environments:

* Export and import upload and download all documents used in the skill. A large document set can take some time to transfer.
* Check which version of a skill the Process skill references. If you imported the skill as a new version of an existing skill, you may need to update the Process skill's version reference manually.

## Export a skill

The export captures the latest published version, so make sure that version is up to date. Publish the skill first if needed.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select the skill">
    In the **Skill Catalog**, left-click the skill (anywhere except its name) to select it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Export">
    Click **Export** on the toolbar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose what to include">
    Choose whether to include the data catalog records and the document set used to train the skill. Exclude them if they contain sensitive data.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Export the archive">
    Click the **Export** button. Vantage archives the skill to a ZIP file — this can take some time for large document sets. When the archive is ready, it downloads automatically to your local Downloads folder.
  </Step>
</Steps>

For more information, see [Export a skill](/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/export-skill).

## Import a skill

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Skill Catalog">
    Open the **Skill Catalog**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Import">
    Click **Import** on the toolbar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the archive">
    In the dialog that opens, select the archive that contains the skill you want to import.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Click **Open**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Handle existing skills">
    If the skill already exists in your **Skill Catalog**, choose whether to create a new version of the existing skill or a new skill under a different name.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Once the import finishes, the skill is available to users in the current environment.

For more information, see [Import a skill](/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/import-skill).

## Related topics

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Skill design management" icon="diagram-project" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/skill-design/skill-design-management">
    Choose a scenario for developing and managing skills already in production.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Standalone skills scenario" icon="cube" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/skill-design/standalone-skills">
    Develop Classification or Document skills used directly via API or connectors.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Process skill scenario" icon="diagram-project" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-designer/skill-design/process-skill-scenario">
    Develop Classification or Document skills referenced by a Process skill.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export a skill" icon="file-export" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/export-skill">
    Package a skill as a ZIP file for sharing or transfer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Import a skill" icon="file-import" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/import-skill">
    Bring an exported skill ZIP into your tenant.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>