Hi @a_b_se ,
In general, After a development we would be performing a round of testing in lower environment and we will deploy it in PROD once the testing is successful. So when you export-import as a package, all the modification will be reflected in PROD without missing any items. Whereas by making manual changes in PROD, there might be a possibility of making some human error. So preferring as a package export-import is a best practice.
Consider there is a small data type change in a Schema. Here you can make change directly in Higher environment, but updating the database is mandatory. Whereas as a package deployment, database update will happen automatically (disconnect and reconnecting the console should be done).
In case of workflows, editing a activity (consider you're manually removing a attribute from temp table which you had created in enrichment) leads to error in next activities. Whereas export-importing as a package from lower to higher environment will cause no issues. So it depends on scenario! But as a best practice, you can always prefer package deployment.
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