Managing Software Releases

The software industry uses various practices for releasing new software to ensure the stability and security of existing systems, and the smooth deployment of new ones.

Installing DI software usually involves the deployment of at least three environments:

  • One for development work (DEV)

  • One for testing efforts (UAT)

  • One for production (PROD)—the so-called live system.

Starting with Workbench 7.1(14), the version control features support DTAP, which is a phased approach to software development, testing, acceptance, and production. Adopting DTAP as an integral part of your release management can:

  • Uncover and correct mistakes during testing
  • Prevent errors from slipping into production
  • Create an audit trail of all software edits
  • Control changes that are put into production
  • Validate releases with key end users
  • Prevent data corruption from software errors
  • Control the rollout of new software by staging the process in separate environments