Production
We have finished building the app and are ready to make it available to users. Let’s review the processes and considerations to make that happen.
We'll cover four essential areas:
UAT Testing in Dev: Here, we'll dive into how we test the app in the development environment to ensure everything works as it should.
Import to Prod: Next, we'll discuss the process of moving our app from the development stage to the production environment.
Prod Verification Testing: Once our app is in production, we'll go over how we verify that everything is running smoothly in this new environment.
Data Import: Finally, we'll talk about setting up and using imports to bring data into our app, ensuring that everything is in place for our users.
User Acceptance Testing
Running User Acceptance Testing (UAT) in the development environment is a crucial step to ensure the application meets user expectations and functions as expected before it goes live. Here is an outline of how to run this process.
Preparation:
Assemble a UAT team: Involve end-users, stakeholders, and QA testers.
Create test cases: Develop detailed test scenarios, including positive and negative cases, including, successfully accessing pages, running reports, and creating and updating records based on Security Role permissions.
Environment Setup:
Set up UAT team with roles in the environment. Make sure that there are testers representing all security roles.
Prepare test data: Populate the environment with relevant data for testing.
Test Execution:
Execute test cases: Users follow the predefined test scenarios and record results.
Document issues: If any issues are found, document them with clear descriptions, steps to reproduce, and severity.
Feedback and Collaboration:
Regular Meetings: Schedule meetings to discuss progress and address concerns. Involve your Testing Team as advocates for the Vizion Platform, promoting system use among peers.
Issue Resolution: Establish a streamlined process for reporting and resolving issues, ensuring timely fixes.
User Feedback: Encourage testers to provide feedback on usability and functionality to improve the application.
Documentation: Keep records of discussions and actions for transparency and reference.
Regression Testing:
After issues are fixed, conduct regression testing: Ensure that the fixes do not introduce new problems.
Sign-off:
Obtain user sign-off: Once UAT is successful and stakeholders are satisfied, seek formal sign-off indicating acceptance.
Remember, UAT is a critical phase to ensure that the application meets user needs and functions as expected, helping to minimize issues and disruptions once it's live in the production environment.
Component Export/Import to Prod
Now that the Equipment Checkout App has been built and tested in the Development environment, you need to move it all over to the live setup. That's where the Components Import/Export feature in the Vizion Platform comes into play. You won't have to go through and re-build everything again from the ground up in a new environment. Bundle up your work into a Component, export it, and then import it.
Case Study: Component Import/Export
For the Equipment Checkout App, we are going to move everything from the development environment to production using the Components Import/Export feature.
There are a few steps to this process:
Assign Components to the Package
Additionally, there are some known challenges with this process, outlined below.
Create Component Package | ||
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1 | In the menu, navigate to Dev Center > Application Migration > Mass Assign Components. |  Mass Assign Components Menu |
2 | Click on Add Components Package. In the new window, enter a Name and click OK. |  Add Components Package |
3 | The window will update to show the newly created Components Package at the top. There is also a list of all the possible Components. Example: “EquipTrackerApp” | |
Once the Component Package is created, components can be mass assigned directly on the same screen used for package creation.
Note: After a Component Package has been created, it can be accessed and revisited to continually assign items as they are ready. This ensures that over the implementation process, items are captured and will not be forgotten when its time to move to Prod.
Mass Component Assignment | ||
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1 | Ensure that the Mass Assign Components page is accessed with the appropriate Components Package selected. |
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2 | Expand each available Component and check the box next to the desired items to add to the Components Package. Each Component grid can be searched and sorted for easy identification. | |
3 | When selections are complete, click Save Grid Changes. |
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4 | The Component Package is complete. |
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In addition to this mass assign method, Components can be assigned to the Component Package individually.
Individual Component Assignment | ||
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1 | After a Component Package has been created, navigate to the Edit page of Tab, Report, Rule, etc. | In the video, see two different ways to open the Edit screen of Tab and selection of the Component Package. |
2 | From there, open the Components Package Tab. | |
3 | Click the checkbox next to the desired Component Package(s). Click Apply or OK. | |
4 | Repeat for individual items throughout the app as you edit or build. | |
Now that the Components Package is created and has Components assigned, we can export it. We will also cover how to export a la carte without a package.
Exporting Components | ||
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1 | From the Menu, navigate to Dev Center > Application Migration > Components Export/Import. | |
2 | The page will open on the Components Export/Import. In the Command Bar, click Components Export. | |
3 | In the new window that opens, enter the Package Name. | |
Now the process divides depending on if there is Components Package or if Components will be selected directly on the export.
Exporting with a Components Package | ||
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1 | Click the Components Tab. The grid will show no Components selected. |
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2 | Click the down carrot to open the drop down and select the Components Package. | |
3 | The grid will refresh to show the selected Components within the Components Package. Components can be added or removed as necessary. | |
4 | Click Run Export to start the export process. An XML file is generated and downloaded. | |
Exporting a la Carte | ||
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1 | Click the Components Tab. The grid will show no Components selected. | |
2 | Expand each section and select Components that should be part of the export. | |
3 | It is also possible to Select All from the top of the grid. | |
4 | Click Run Export to start the export process. An XML file is generated and downloaded. | |
After all that exporting, it is time to import into the Production environment.
Importing Components | ||
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1 | Login to the target Vizion Platform. Navigate to Components Export/Import. | |
2 | Select Component Import. | |
3 | Click Select File in the Add Components Import window. | |
4 | Select the previously downloaded XML file and click Open.
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5 | A grid with the Components appears. Expand each and select the desired Components to import. Note: Some Components may have additional selections on behavior, check each and read carefully to select behavior. | |
6 | A Dry Run Import runs the Import without actually making any changes, allowing you to see if any errors are present. This can be a helpful tool so adjustments can be made prior to the real import to prevent actual errors.
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7 | When complete, the Components Import Log appears and will display the status of each component. Review each Component group and statuses. All warnings are clickable links. Make any necessary adjustments before proceeding. It is recommended to continue with Dry Runs until there are no issues. | |
7 | To run the import after the Dry Run, follow the steps above again, and do not check the Dry Run box. Click Import. |
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9 | When complete, the Components Import Log appears and will display the status of each component. Review each Component group and statuses. All warnings are clickable links. |
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10 | The Component Import is complete. It is recommended that all imported components are reviewed and tested in the target environment. |
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Known Challenges
While the Component Export/Import is a great timesaver when moving environments, there are some known challenges with the process.
Rules and Automations will import disabled and must be enabled manually. If Rules rely on Object References, make sure to refresh Object References prior to enabling any Rules.
Dashboards: Since IDs are different in the new environment, dashboards must be manually updated with correct IDs in SQL statement.
Card and Calendar Views are not exportable via the Component Import/Export functionality and must be rebuilt in the target environment.
Menu Items that reference a Card or Calendar View will be imported with warnings. The Card/Calendar View must be created manually in the target system and updated in the applicable Menu Item.
Portals with Views/Filters: When importing a Portal, any specific Views/Filters must be imported first. The XML export must be imported twice to ensure the Portal is correctly updated.
Hide Tab Elements should be manually reviewed. In some cases, Hide Tab Elements error out and does not come over. But, in other instances, it migrates just fine and gives a false error.
Drill Down Field(s) on Existing Tab: If importing to an Tab that already exists in the target environment and behavior selected is “Remove configured fields from Tab before import” the component import will fail if a Drill-Down field exists. It is recommended to remove this before import in the target environment, or choose a different behavior.
Component Import/Export History: Only Import history is displayed in the Component Import/Export grid. Export history is not available currently.
Trackor Tours that are updated in the Source environment but already exist in the Target environment will fail on import. Updates to Trackor Tours via Component Import Export are not supported currently.
Large Components that have an import time beyond 30 minutes will cause a timeout and fail.
FieldVizion Workflows: When importing FieldVizion Workflows, Tabs and Security Roles must be reviewed and updated manually on each workflow step to match the source environment.
Refresh Object References
"Object References" are the way different elements within the system are interconnected or referenced with each other. They allow different parts of the system to interact and function together. For example, a field in one Trackor might reference a value in another, part of the dynamic and interconnected system.
After changes, you may see the PL/SQL ID Reference is “out of sync”. This is corrected by refreshing the Object References.
Case Study: Refresh Object References
After the system configuration has been imported into the production environment, it’s time to refresh Object References.
Steps to Refresh Object References | ||
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1 | From the Menu, navigate to Dev Center > Application Process Management > Admin Object Reference. | |
2 | Click Rebuild Package. | |
3 | Once the package rebuild is complete the last compiled date will update. The refresh is complete. | |
Production Verification Testing
After successfully completing the deployment to the Production environment, the next critical step is to verify that the application functions as expected following the migration from the development environment. Here's a brief overview of this verification process:
Smoke Testing: Immediately after the migration, perform a quick "smoke test" to check basic functionality, such as logging in and accessing key pages.
Functional Testing: Conduct a more comprehensive round of functional testing. This involves running test cases similar to those executed during UAT to verify that all features and functionalities work as expected.
Performance Testing: If applicable, conduct performance testing to assess how the application handles real-world usage in the production environment. Ensure that it can handle expected user loads without performance degradation.
Security Testing: Verify that security roles and access controls, as established during development and UAT, are in place and functioning as they should.
User Feedback: Call on the UAT team and other end-users to provide feedback after the migration, and promptly address any issues or concerns they raise.
Documentation: Keep detailed records of the migration process, testing results, and any issues encountered. This documentation serves as a reference for future updates and maintenance.
Data Import
An import in the Vizion Platform is a tool designed to easily bring data from external sources into the system. Importing is a common way to get started using the Vizion Platform, when transitioning from other data management methods. Legacy data can be easily brought in using imports.
Case Study: Import
For the Equipment Checkout app, we will use the Default Data Import to create an import for the Assignee Trackor.
This process can be repeated for each type of import that is needed, though some scenarios may be required field or relation mapping.
Create Default Data Import | ||
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1 | In the Menu, navigate to Dev Center > Design Applications > Trackor Types.
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2 | From the Trackor Types page, use Search to find the specific Trackor Type for which you are creating the import. For the example, it’s “Assignee”. |
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3 | Highlight the record and find Create Default Data Import in the Command Bar. It may be under the ellipsis if you have not pinned it to your Command Bar. | |
4 | After selecting, Create Default Data Import a window will open. It will include an autogenerated name - the Trackor Type Name Default Data Import (date time). This can be changed now or later; however, the name must be unique for the import to create. Click OK. A loading circle will appear and then the window will automatically close. | |
5 | In the Menu, navigate to Dev Center > Build Applications > Import. The import will have a description of “This import was generated automatically.” We have successfully created the import. | |
6 | Now that the Default Data Import has been created, we need to customize it. Access the Import page (Dev Center> Build Applications> Import), select the import to customize and click Edit. This will open the Import window for you to complete the details. | |
7 | In the video, we change the import action, the import name, and rename the key field on the Fields Tab. | |
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Wrap Up
