Issue: You are unable to use an email account for publishing, and the system indicates that it is a dummy account.

Cause: Dummy accounts are automatically created when an email account is migrated from a pre-production environment(staging or dev) to a production environment. These accounts are not intended for active use and cannot be used for publishing.

Resolution

To use the email account in the desired environment, ensure that it is active in only one environment at a time.

Follow these steps:

1. Identify the environment where the account is currently active (for example, pre-production or production).

2. Go to the alternate environment where the account also exists.

3. Deactivate the account in the alternate environment.

4. After deactivating the mailbox in the alternate environment, re-add the email account in the primary environment. This step is required because deactivating the account in another environment does not automatically convert the existing dummy account into an active mailbox. Refer to Setting Up Email Accounts for more details.

5. After the mailbox has been re-added:

   • Confirm that the account is no longer displayed as a dummy account.

   • Verify that publishing functionality is available.

   • Test email publishing to ensure the mailbox is operating normally.
     

Best Practices

• Use email accounts in only one environment at a time to avoid conflicts.

• After environment replication, review all accounts and remove or deactivate unnecessary duplicates.

• Clearly label accounts (for example, “Production” and “Pre-Production”) to prevent confusion.

Dummy accounts are system-generated placeholders created during environment replication and cannot be used for publishing. To resolve this issue, deactivate the account in the alternate environment so that it can function correctly in your intended environment.