Creating Package.xml from Changeset and Retrieving zip file containing Metadata using Workbench

We can utilize workbench to retrieve the package.xml and complete metadata in zip file for a changeset.

Navigate to "migration" and then click retrieve.

Enter changeset name. If you want to download package.xml for different changeset, then enter names seperated by comma.

Click on "next" button and then retrieve button.

Download zip file and after extracting the files, you will get complete metadata and package.xml.

Benefit of generating package.xml

Before deploying changeset to target org, you can extract package.xml from changeset. Now you can utilize this package.xml to extract metadta from target org before deployment which will work as backup for target org metadata. 

Suppose you have to rollback after actual deployment, then you can utilize backup taken using package.xml to redeploy the old metadata in production.

Hope this will help!!

Change Set Implementation Tips

Change sets allows to deploy metadata between connected orgs. By using this, Admin can create the change sets and add the components to it and can deploy it to next org. It can be used to deploy metadata between sandboxes and from sandbox to production.

Below diagram explain the change set implementation:

 Main challenge with change sets is mentioned below.

• If any error comes while validation using change sets then it stops validating other components. So we have fix the error and then again needs to validate it. But if we migrate metadata using ANT, then we get all deployment errors which help us to fix all errors in one shot.
• Deployment process using change sets becomes complex if it involves large number of different metadata.

Solution

If we split the change set into different change set, then it will make job easier. You can split components in different change set and deploy it in order mentioned below:

• First Change set

• Static Resource
• Custom Data Types
• Custom Fields
• Custom Labels
• Custom Objects
• Folders
• Record Types
• Validation Rules
• Custom Settings
• Field Sets
• Remote Sites
• Documents

• Second Change set

• Custom Report Types
• List Views
• Apex Classes
• Apex Sharing Reasons
• Apex Triggers
• VisualForce Components
• VisualForce Pages
• Email Templates
• S-Controls
• Letterheads
• Aura Components

• Third Change set

• Reports
• Dashboards

• Fourth Change set

• Page Layouts
• Buttons
• Links
• Homepage Components
• Homepage Layouts

• Fifth Change set

• Workflow Email Alerts
• Workflow Field Updates
• Workflow outbound Messages
• Workflow Rules
• Workflow Tasks

• Sixth Change set

• Apps
• Tabs
• Analytic Snapshots
• Language Translations

Hope this will help!!