Question

Laserfiche forms - configuration and release management

Workflow Version 10 Migration How To

Updated July 18, 2017

asked on July 2, 2017

We run a three instance configuration for IT - Development, Staging, and Production environments for all our core systems. This provides us the capability to develop or maintain business applications, test them in a controlled staging system that replicates productions, and operate them to support the business in a production environment.

Many applications allow the use of substitution variables so that upon moving a code set or module between environments, local variables are set for that environment such as URLs, database names, user groups , etc.

It appears that Laserfiche Forms does not have any Configuration Management or Release Management capabilities. If we move a workflow from Development to Staging all environmental parameters have to be manually adjusted - and again from Staging to Production. This means, for us, it can take a full day to move a workflow from one environment to another. It also introduces an element of risk as it is manual, and compromises testing efforts as everything has to be retested to ensure the manual migration has worked successfully.

How do other Laserfiche Forms users perform Forms Workflow Configuration Management?

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replied on July 3, 2017 • Show version history

This is a real issue among many of our clients and unfortunately there is no real answer. We also have clients where it takes a full day of manual migration to move a process to production. Add on top of that to that if you delete a Forms process (to import the new/updated/live one) you loose all the history of that process. We have some clients that basically cannot delete their old processes but have to rename them (1.0, 1.1, etc) just so they can keep the history. We have had a client write a script to somewhat help with migration. When you export a workflow or business process they are xml files. The script goes through those xml files and basically swaps out all the appropriate variables. You still have to go through and validate the workflow after you import (as Retrieve Business Process variables always clears). I way to migrate things between environments in an appropriate manner is one of our most requested features/needs.

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replied on July 3, 2017

Thanks Chris, you have confirmed my suspicions. I did promote the idea of a script to edit the XML file with our VAR but they did not seem too interested.

The lack of product support for a key element of the operation and maintenance of this system certainly opposes its value as an choice for a core business system.

I am surprised a vendor would have clearly overlooked this aspect of the product during the design and validation stages of product development.

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replied on July 4, 2017

OP (licenced user) eagerly awaits Laseriche to contribute to the discussion.....

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replied on July 18, 2017

Is anyone from Laserfiche willing to participate in this discussion?

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Laserfiche forms - configuration and release management

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