Features

Step1:  Controls checks

• Receive items distributed to the reception environment.
• Build a distributed items list.
• Compare items on the list with those already in production. This comparison generates the following results:
  - Creates a list of new items,
  - Creates a list of common items,
  - Creates a list of deleted items (in case of a complete redistribution).
• The comparison of information on common items generates the following lists:
  - Lists of modified items: The date of the source that generated the object is later than the date of the object in production.
  - Lists of identical items: The date of the source that generated the object is equal to the date of the object in production (unnecessary production).
  - Lists of items in conflict: The date of the source that generated the object is earlier than the date of the object in production (information system regression).
  - Consistency check of the distributed batch with the objects in production.

Have all the items required for the transfer to production been distributed? For example, if a modified physical file is distributed, are all the logical files and the programs using them also included? (If that is not the case, a level error may occur). After these checks, a request to confirm reception is sent. If the response is negative, the person in charge stops the transfer-to-production process and contacts the third-party software vendor. If it is positive, the integration process is started.

Step2:  Integration

Integrating a new software application consists of the following steps:

• Create a new version in the integration environment. This version will be used to carry out different integration tasks.
• Place items distributed by the third-party software vendor into the version library found in the integration environment.
• Analyze each program, file, and other specific components impacted by this distribution. For each component distributed by the software vendor, the system will verify all impacted items in the information system through the cross-references in the ARCAD repository.
• Retrieve the impacted items from the integration environment. The system will ask to proceed with an automatic checkout of each impacted item into the integration environment for those people in charge of these specific tasks (the "check-out" phase).

ARCAD-Integrater will then start the standard process of version management in order to achieve the following steps: 

• Update specific programs (integration tasks).
• Transfer to the test environment for validation.
• Transfer to the reference environment.
• Distribution: transfer via TCP/IP, SNADS, or media to the machine distributed in the production environment.
• Follow-up of information for the transfers to the development machine.

Our other solutions covers the following steps:

• Configuration and management of dedicated, secured environments,
• Creation of a multi-platform component repository containing all necessary information,
• Modification management through versioned, archived, and restorable batches,
• Automated, secured management of inter-environment transfers and transfers to production,
• Automated checks of software deliveries and impact analyses,
• Delivery logging,
• Automated regression tests for modifications,
• Application mapping,
• Automatic generation of production documentation.