Export & Import

​

Overview

ProDex lets you export an entire factory to a portable .prdx file and import it into any ProDex workspace. This is the primary mechanism for backing up your work, sharing factory configurations with teammates, and transferring models between organizations. A .prdx file is a complete snapshot of a factory at the moment of export — every simulation model, entity, BOM, pipeline, schedule, and configuration setting. The file is self-contained: the recipient doesn’t need access to your organization or your ProDex instance to use it.

​

Exporting a Factory

1. Open the factory you want to export
2. Click the factory name at the top of the workspace to open the factory selector dropdown
3. Click Export Factory
4. The file downloads as {factory-name}.prdx

The export captures the factory’s current state at the time you click Export. There is no “export in progress” delay for most factories — the file downloads immediately.

​

Importing a Factory

1. Click the factory name at the top of the workspace to open the factory selector dropdown
2. Click Import Factory
3. Select your .prdx file
4. ProDex creates a new factory in your workspace with the imported data

Importing always creates a new, independent factory — it never merges into or overwrites an existing one. If the imported factory has the same name as one you already have, both will exist side by side. Names, descriptions, and all internal data are preserved from the export. Changes you make to the imported factory do not affect the original, and vice versa. If the .prdx file contains data for features your account doesn’t have enabled (e.g., planning configurations), those sections are silently skipped. Everything else imports successfully.

​

What’s Included in an Export

A .prdx file captures the full configuration of a factory. The table below lists what is and isn’t included.

​

.prdx vs .prdxm Formats

ProDex uses two file formats for portability. They serve different purposes and are not interchangeable.

​

File Format Details

.prdx files use a compressed binary format. They are not plain JSON and are not human-readable. Importantly, they are not encrypted — the file contents are compressed and obfuscated but not cryptographically protected. Treat .prdx files the same way you’d treat any unencrypted data file: share them through secure channels if the factory contents are sensitive. The files contain no secrets, credentials, or API keys. Versioning and migration — the format is versioned internally. When you import a .prdx file created by an older version of ProDex, the platform automatically migrates the data to the current schema. Files exported months ago will import correctly into today’s platform.

​

Use Cases

​

Sharing Models With Teammates

Export your factory and send the .prdx file to a colleague via email, Slack, or any file-sharing tool. They import it into their own workspace and get a full copy of your models, entities, pipelines, and configuration. This is the standard collaboration workflow when multiple people need to work with the same factory. If you’re also sharing operational knowledge that Dexter has learned (process rules, naming conventions, data quirks), export the .prdxm memory file separately from the Memories panel and send both files.

​

Backups Before Major Changes

Before making significant structural changes to a factory — rebuilding a model, restructuring BOMs, reconfiguring planning inputs — export the factory first. If something goes wrong, import the backup to restore to the previous state. The imported backup creates a new factory, so your current factory remains untouched until you’re ready to switch.

​

Moving Between Environments

Export from a test or development factory and import into your production workspace (or vice versa). This is useful for promoting a validated model configuration or sharing a reference setup that others can build on.

​

Collaboration Across Organizations

.prdx files enable collaboration with external consultants, partners, or clients without granting them access to your ProDex instance. Export the factory, send the file, and they can import it into their own organization’s workspace. Each party works independently on their own copy.

​

Onboarding New Team Members

When a new team member joins, export a reference factory and have them import it as their starting point. Combined with a .prdxm memory export, this gives them both the factory configuration and the operational knowledge Dexter has accumulated — a faster onboarding path than building from scratch.

​

Limitations

• One-way transfer — export and import create independent copies. There is no sync mechanism; changes made to an imported factory do not flow back to the original.
• No selective export — you export the entire factory, not individual models or components. To share a single model, the recipient imports the full factory and works with the model they need.
• No merge — importing a .prdx file always creates a new factory. You cannot merge an import into an existing factory.
• Dexter context is separate — conversation history, memories, user files, custom workflows, scheduled jobs, and integrations are not included in .prdx exports. Memories can be transferred separately via .prdxm files.

​

Related

• Factory Management — create, switch, rename, and delete factories
• Dexter Memories — export and import Dexter’s knowledge base (.prdxm files)
• Snapshots — freeze individual model versions for comparison and rollback