Author Topic: Sparx support to multi-environment setup  (Read 1952 times)

didier.pironet

  • EA User
  • **
  • Posts: 25
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
Sparx support to multi-environment setup
« on: July 04, 2024, 11:34:04 pm »
Hi guys, I'm looking at (best) practices to setup properly multiple pre-prod Sparx environments as well to have them periodically refreshed with production data.

Is Sparx familiar with such common setup in large organizations?
Does Sparx provide built-in tools or guidance to support such a multi-environment setup?

Thx for your input!


Geert Bellekens

  • EA Guru
  • *****
  • Posts: 13241
  • Karma: +554/-33
  • Make EA work for YOU!
    • View Profile
    • Enterprise Architect Consultant and Value Added Reseller
Re: Sparx support to multi-environment setup
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2024, 12:07:12 am »
It's fairly simple. An environment is simply a database.

Database restore can be used to copy production to another environment.

The question is whether why you would want that. There is no easy "promote to production" process when it comes to models.

Most of the organisations I work with, model only in their production environment.
We have DEV and TEST, but those are used to develop and test things like script, templates, MDG's and stuff like that. Usually I'm the only one that uses the other environments (as the toolbuilder).
Regular users only use production.

Geert

Modesto Vega

  • EA Practitioner
  • ***
  • Posts: 1077
  • Karma: +28/-8
    • View Profile
Re: Sparx support to multi-environment setup
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2024, 01:38:00 am »
Geert is correct, an environment in this context is a database.

We do have 2 databases/environments:
1) a production environment where everybody works and tries to collaborate, and
2) a sandbox we used to test new automations.

The sandbox is automatically refreshed monthly with a copy of the production environment/database. Any changes in the sandbox are lost after each refresh, this is by design.

We do not use multiple database to publish any work for review by other teams - i.e., our baseline is the production environment and is changing on a more or less daily basis.

All of this is by design.

We have considered having a more formal process where be have 3 environments databases: a published content environment/database, a work in progress environment/database, and a sandbox which is a copy of one of the 2. We discarded this approach because of the amount of admin required.

didier.pironet

  • EA User
  • **
  • Posts: 25
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Sparx support to multi-environment setup
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2024, 06:02:24 pm »

Database restore can be used to copy production to another environment.
That's the plan and will necessitate the involvement of the DBAs
To speed up the process (i.e. remove the DBAs from the equation) some wish to use the CVS export/import function.
However would that be an exact copy as it would be with a complete database copy?

Thx,

qwerty

  • EA Guru
  • *****
  • Posts: 13584
  • Karma: +396/-301
  • I'm no guru at all
    • View Profile
Re: Sparx support to multi-environment setup
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2024, 06:19:10 pm »
CSV export can only very limited represent the contents of a UML model. You will loose information when trying a CSV ex-/import.

q.

Geert Bellekens

  • EA Guru
  • *****
  • Posts: 13241
  • Karma: +554/-33
  • Make EA work for YOU!
    • View Profile
    • Enterprise Architect Consultant and Value Added Reseller
Re: Sparx support to multi-environment setup
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2024, 08:53:51 pm »
Project transfer is also an option, but that takes way longer then database restore. (hours vs seconds)

Geert

didier.pironet

  • EA User
  • **
  • Posts: 25
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Sparx support to multi-environment setup
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2024, 10:24:26 pm »
Project transfer is also an option, but that takes way longer then database restore. (hours vs seconds)

Geert

We used that function a while ago and this is indeed slow and error prone.
It doesn't like 'special' characters such smileys  :D

BobM

  • EA User
  • **
  • Posts: 143
  • Karma: +9/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Sparx support to multi-environment setup
« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2024, 04:31:25 pm »
We use Production and Archive environments (abandoned, obsolete projects) using XMI export and Import; We tried to use RAS but it didn't work out  for 100% of what we desired to do.
It does what its supposed to do (being able to look up how things worked or how we planned to make things work while keeping Prod environment filled with current relevant data), archive is a wasteland though