Deployment Management Concepts

The following are the major concepts of Deployment Management.

• Deployment: Moving a file, script, code, or full application (object) between two or more instances. For example, a file can be deployed from a development instance to a testing instance and finally into one or more production instances. Deployment typically involves connecting systems together, moving files between the systems, and running support scripts.

• Environments: Can consist of a server, a single database instance, or an associated remote client machine. Not all of these components need be present in an environment. For example, it is possible to have an environment which does not contain a database.

• Environment Groups: Define a set of environments which can be referenced as the source and destinations for object migrations and deployments.

• Environment Refresh: Replaces one environment with another environment. After the physical refresh, data in Deployment Management is updated to be consistent with the refreshed environment.

• Object Types: Define the technical steps required to migrate or deploy application files or changes for packaged applications, custom applications, legacy systems, web content. For example, a File Migration object type might contain the information and commands required to transfer a file from one machine to another, while an SQL script object type might address the migration and execution of database scripts.

• Notification Templates: Preconfigured notification forms that can be selected and used with the various Deployment Management entities, such as workflows and packages.

• Package: A set of objects (package lines) being migrated or deployed together. The package follows an assigned workflow through the various review, approval, and migration steps. Each object in a package is defined by a separate package line. While each package line is acted upon separately, the group of package lines (the package) represent a logical unit that should be moved and tracked together.

• Package Lines: A package line is one object being migrated or deployed within the package. Each package line follows the assigned workflow through the various review, approval, and migration steps.

• Physical Refresh: A physical refresh replaces one environment with a physical copy of another environment.

• Refresh Group: Reflects the environment being refreshed and the environment providing the new environment.

• Release and Release Distribution: Release Management introduces repeatable, reliable processes surrounding software and application releases. Deployment Management provides an interface for grouping and processing the packages and requests associated with a specific release. Groups of related packages can then be activated from a single window.

• User Data: Deployment Management entities, such as packages and workflows, include a set of standard fields that provide information concerning those entities. While these standard fields are normally sufficient for day-to-day processing, you can add "user data" fields to capture additional information specific to your business process.

• Workflow: A digitized process where a logical series of steps define business process. Workflow steps can range in usage from review and approvals to performing migrations and deployments.