Just Enough Governance for Notes Blog :: A Recommended Development Environment: Part Two

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In my last post I discussed a recommended development environment. In this Post I will discuss moving code from Dev to Test to Production.

This applies to either the source code being in an NSF or an NTF. For this discussion we will assume a NSF. This does not account for any workflow or approval system being in place, so we assume it has been approved.

This is a list of what should be done to the application before it is moved to Test/QA:

Create/Update a template(NTF) with the latest design from the development NSF
All development-only design elements should be disabled/removed from the template
All Scheduled agents should be configured to run in the test/QA environment if needed
Recompile all Lotuscript
Sign all design elements with an ID appropriate for QA
Move the design to the Test/QA server
Set the template ACL to give administrators and server’s only accesses to the NTF, Developers have no access
Refresh/Replace design on the Test/QA NSF
Notify users it is ready for testing

Once testing has passed and the design is approved to move to production, the following needs to happen:

All Scheduled agents should be configured to run in production
Sign all design elements with a corporate singing ID that is in all User’s desktop ECL
Move the design to the production server
Refresh/Replace design on the production NSF
Notify users it is ready for use

Now this process needs to be repeatable, error free, and not have to be dependant on any one person to have value.

Sounds like a good idea for a tool!

Comments

1 - We built one in 2003. It's the cornerstone of our application development/maintenance.

Posted by Jan Van Puyvelde At 03:32:15 AM On 04/08/2008 | - Website - |

2 - I think you need a couple more steps when moving into production.

* Backup the production system so if the move into production fails you can go back quickly and with the least pain. (This has saved me more than once.)

* Before notifying users that it's ready to use you should do some final testing to see if it works in production like it did in QA. After all, it is a different environment and you did have to at least reconfigure the scheduled agents. (This has bit me a few times.)

Best regards,

Rob:-]

Posted by Rob At 06:42:00 PM On 04/08/2008 | - Website - |

3 - You must also fix any embedded views to other databases.

Posted by Greg At 12:43:50 PM On 04/12/2008 | - Website - |

4 - @1 That is good news! I hope it is working well for you

@2. Good points, a rollback mechanism is paramount to a successfully build process.
Production testing is a key element of a deployment process so I agree as well. Thanks good feedback

@3 Embedded Views!!! One day I hope to be able to use them as you described, I stay away from embedding views from other db's for that reason, But you are correct that they must be changed when you move to production.

Good feedback everyone keep it coming

John

Posted by John Coolidge At 09:07:47 AM On 04/14/2008 | - Website - |