Lifecycle management, packaging, and deployment
Domain 8 - Lifecycle management, packaging, and deployment
This domain tests moving artifacts between environments and activating them safely. Expect questions on integration archives, dependencies, versions, connection reconfiguration, and scheduling.
Core rules
- Exportable artifacts include integrations, connections, lookups, and certificates. An integration archive can include dependencies; choose deliberately, because an archive with a connection may overwrite the target connection.
- Credentials are not exported. After import, reconfigure connection URLs, agent groups, and credentials for the target environment. A configuration plan can supply environment-specific values where supported.
- Versioning lets you clone or create a new version, edit it, and activate it. Only one version of an integration is active at a time. Locking prevents concurrent edits.
- Activation validates the integration and starts triggers and schedules. Deactivate before replacing an active integration if the platform requires it, and confirm that a test schedule does not call production.
- Automate promotion with the service APIs and a CI/CD pipeline where possible. Keep connection names and agent group names consistent across environments to reduce manual edits.
Worked example
Export an integration with its lookup but without the ERP connection. Import it into test, create or select the test ERP connection, update the endpoint and credential, map the lookup, and activate. If you had exported the production connection, the import could overwrite the test connection and point it at production. After activation, submit a test message and check the activity stream before enabling the schedule.
Traps
Do not assume credentials travel with the archive. Do not forget lookup or certificate dependencies. Do not activate a schedule in test that writes to production. Do not overwrite an active version without a rollback plan.