Update process overview

Types of update

The customers have two options when updating to a new release of FSM Birst Analytics:

  • The Rip and Replace method consists of re-provisioning the FSM Birst Analytics content with the latest version. The existing spaces are deleted and replaced with new ones. This method is straightforward and requires minimal customer intervention. This is only recommended to customers with limited or no customizations to dashboards, reports and model, since those are lost in the process. This method also requires down time until post-provisioning is completed.
  • The Upgrade via STC swap method consists of setting up a temporary environment where the latest version can be tested before being used in production. This method is recommended for customers who have implemented significant customizations, since they can be migrated and tested in the temporary environment. After the dashboard and reports are validated with current data, the temporary environment is swapped with the active one and becomes the live environment. This process requires minimal down time.

Types of content environment

FSM Birst Analytics has three environments that can facilitate the update process:

  • The Active Tenant Content (ATC) environment contains the spaces and orchestrations currently used by the customer that is populated with current data. The delivered dashboards and reports could have been modified by the customer and the underlying model could have been customized. This environment is not modified when a new release is made available.

    After a new version of the FSM Birst Analytics is provisioned, Standard Meta Data (SMD) and Standard Tenant Content (STC) environments become available.

  • The Standard Meta Data (SMD) environment is delivered automatically with new releases and contains the latest version of the dashboards, reports, and repository. The spaces and workflows are delivered as read-only. They are not accessible but can be used in compare tool and application workflows. They are also delivered without a connection to Data Lake, and are only used as a template for the new content.
  • The Standard Tenant Content (STC) environment is delivered on demand and contains the latest version of the dashboards, reports and repository. It is connected to the Data Lake and features orchestration workflows to extract and process data. Its purpose is to test the latest release with live data. If customizations are present, then a customer administrator migrates them to this environment for testing. After data is validated in the STC environment, the content of the ATC and STC spaces is swapped. The customer can then start using the latest release with minimal down time. STC spaces should not be used for any purpose other than the upgrade.
Note: Since the STC environment is not provisioned automatically, coordinate with the White-Glove team (white-glove@infor.com) to have it provisioned to your tenant.

Update Process

SMD: Standard Meta Data - 11 spaces + workflows (no Data Lake connection)

STC: Standard Tenant Content (new version) - 11 spaces + workflows (with Data Lake connection)

ATC: Active Tenant Content (current version with customizations) - spaces + workflows (with Data Lake connection)

Steps:

  1. Migrate current customizations in new STC spaces.
  2. Run Replication and Orchestration in STC spaces.
  3. SWAP spaces after validating customizations in STC spaces.