Production Instance vs. Validation Instance - Why both?

All clients have both a Production (PROD) Instance of SOLABS QM10 as well as a Validation (VAL) Instance.   In addition to that, during the initial sales process, clients may have been provided with a Trial Instance or a Sandbox Instance to try out the software.

As part of the implementation process, a Product Specialist will work with a new client to determine the best configuration options for their needs.   This is based on their exploration of the Trial or Sandbox environments and is documented on Configuration Templates provided by SOLABS.

Based on the completed Configuration Templates, SOLABS will configure the client's Validation Instance with those settings.   The client can then work with the Validation Instance to see if their decisions will indeed support their business process and goals.  Some clients choose to do User Acceptance Testing (UAT) scripts of their own.  This is done in the Validation Environment. Once a client has identified their final configuration needs, and run any testing they may want, SOLABS will configure their Production Environment accordingly

Why is the Validation Environment maintained after a client goes live in a Production Environment?

The Validation Environment will be used for a number of things, even after a client goes live with SOLABS QM10:

• Clients often use the Validation Environment for training of their End Users.  That environment can be refreshed to match the Production Environment as often as needed to ensure it is representative of Production and can therefore be useful for training.
• If any issues are encountered with the software that require an intervention by SOLABS, that intervention may be done first in the Validation Environment before updating a Production Environment.
• When SOLABS has new releases of the software clients are notified of the availability of those releases.  The new releases are deployed into their Validation Environment first so that they can explore the changes and run any testing they might want.   The new release will be deployed in the Production Environment after the client is comfortable with the changes.
• Often clients implement SOLABS QM10 in a phased approach, adding QM APPs over time.  Those QM APPs will be deployed in their Validation Environment first, so that they can try them out and be sure they meet their requirements.