fsds/superset-backup-and-restore.md

Plan: Superset Backup/Restore to Azure

Summary

Ensure all local Superset content (dashboards, charts, datasets) can be backed up and restored to Azure.

Current State

What EXISTS

Component	Location	Purpose
`export-dashboards.sh`	`projects/bbu-rfid/resources/superset/`	Exports dashboards + all dependencies
`docker-entrypoint.sh`	`projects/bbu-rfid/resources/superset/`	Already has auto-import code (lines 154-184)
`dashboards.zip`	`projects/bbu-rfid/resources/superset/exports/`	Export from Dec 7-8 (OUTDATED)

The Auto-Import Already Works!

The docker-entrypoint.sh already contains working auto-import code:

EXPORT_FILE="/app/exports/dashboards.zip"
if [ -f "$EXPORT_FILE" ] && [ -s "$EXPORT_FILE" ]; then
    # Uses ImportDashboardsCommand with overwrite=True
fi

The Gap

The dashboards.zip is NOT copied into the Docker image:

.dockerignore excludes exports/ folder
Dockerfile has no COPY command for exports
Result: Auto-import code runs but finds no file

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Export Fresh Dashboards

Run the existing export script (Superset must be running locally):

cd projects/bbu-rfid/resources/superset
./export-dashboards.sh

This captures:

All 8+ dashboards with dependencies
All charts (~50+)
All datasets (~30+)
Database connection config

Step 2: Enable Dashboard Inclusion in Docker Image

File: projects/bbu-rfid/resources/superset/.dockerignore

Remove the exports exclusion:

-exports/
+# exports/  # Included for Azure auto-import

File: projects/bbu-rfid/resources/superset/Dockerfile

Add after line 16 (after copying superset_config.py):

# Copy pre-exported dashboards for automatic Azure import
COPY exports/ /app/exports/

Step 3: Rebuild and Deploy

On next Azure deployment:

Docker image will include dashboards.zip
Container starts, docker-entrypoint.sh runs
Auto-import finds /app/exports/dashboards.zip
Imports all dashboards with overwrite=True
Logs show "Successfully imported dashboards"

Files to Modify

File	Change
`projects/bbu-rfid/resources/superset/.dockerignore`	Comment out `exports/` line
`projects/bbu-rfid/resources/superset/Dockerfile`	Add `COPY exports/ /app/exports/`
`projects/bbu-rfid/resources/superset/exports/dashboards.zip`	Regenerate (run export script)

Verification

After Azure deployment, check container logs for:

==> Importing pre-exported dashboards...
Successfully imported dashboards from /app/exports/dashboards.zip
✓ Dashboard import complete

Notes

SQL Lab saved queries: Not needed per user
Manual restore option: Still possible via Superset UI if needed
Export script can be re-run anytime to update dashboards.zip before deployment

Documentation