Release Management Concepts
Acceptance Environment
Environment in which customers and end-users verify a release against functional requirements and consequently accept or reject it.
Bootstrap Mechanism
Mechanism used to create, update or delete configuration or content at application startup.
Channel
Medium for delivery of content. Typically a web or mobile site. Managed in the CMS application and synthesized and rendered by the delivery tier.
Channel Freeze
Period of time during which users are not allowed to make any changes to channels in an environment. Typically goes together with a content freeze.
CMS Application
Web application used to create, store and maintain content and channels. Packaged seperately from the site application.
CMS Console
Web application for developers and system administrators providing access to low level content repository structure and date. Sometimes used to make manual configuration changes or to export or import configuration.
Code
Program code for an application. Typically fully contained in a release and transparent to all stakeholders other than developers.
Configuration
Application settings for a particular environment. A release can introduce new configuration or require updating of existing configuration.
Content
Data such as documents or images that is created and maintained by users in the CMS application and rendered on web pages by the delivery tier.
Content Model
Defines data structures of the content managed in the application. A release can introduce changes to the content model and require updating of existing content.
Content Freeze
Period of time during which users are not allowed to make any changes to the content in an environment. Typically goes together with a channel freeze.
Delivery Tier
Delivers content managed in the CMS application as web pages in a channel. Packaged in the site application, seperately from the CMS application.
DTAP
The acronym DTAP is short for Development, Testing, Acceptance and Production and expresses a phased approach to software testing and deployment. In some organizations it is referred to as staging.
Deployment
All the activities required to make a release available for use in an environment.
Development Environment
Environment in which developers develop and possibly test a software application. Bloomreach Experience Manager developers typically manage their own personal development environment on their computer.
Environment
Collection of network servers running a software application that is being developed, tested or used, and any required supporting systems (e.g. database server).
Groovy
Java-based programming language used to write scripts.
Intake
Process to determine if a deployment has been successful, typically by performing a smoke test.
Production Environment
Environment in which end-users use a release on a day-to-day basis.
Release
The finished software product of one or more development life cycles that can be deployed, run and used. Referenced by a release version number.
Rollback
Operation returning an environment back into a previous state, typically the state right before a (failed) deployment.
Site Application
Web application containing the delivery tier.
Script
Automates changes to be made to content and/or configuration. Commonly implemented in Groovy and used to perform updates and upgrades.
Smoke Test
Preliminary test to reveal simple failures severe enough to reject a release.
Staging
A phased approach to software testing and deployment, also known as DTAP (see above).
Stakeholder
A person, group or organization with an interest in the software application's release management process.
Test Environment
Environment in which developer, testers, project managers and product managers test a software application under development. Test environments are typically managed informally by the development team and periodically reset.
Update
Changes in content or configuration required by a content model change or configuration model change introduced by a release.
Upgrade
Changes in content of configuration required by a content model change or configuration model change introduced by a new version of Bloomreach Experience Manager or a new version of a plugin.