Forgive me if I've asked this question before or if it's well-trod ground by this point, but what is the recommendation for a common scenario (for us, at least) wherein a contractor works with us to develop custom screens in our TEST database but ends up losing their work when a LIVE to TEST copy happens. Surely there's a way to keep that information saved that doesn't involve simply re-entering it by hand - especially since the contractor may charge additional money for the time it takes for them to put that code back. During rollover, we typically do LIVE to TEST copies every other day until it's all worked out. I know this may not be very efficient, but I'm working on that one, believe me.
Anyway, I hope someone can point me in the right direction, even if it's just giving me a proper keyword search for the issue.
Thanks in advance, Tessiturians.
We don't run frequent Live->Test copies, but we almost always have something (often lots of somethings) in development, so it's always an item to check in on before running the Live->Test.
For most users who are planning out some new configuration (i.e. whatever is being developed is just Tessitura settings) that is mostly insurmountable (without, say, a third environment, as Nancy suggests). But for a developer, all my custom work is always saved in files so that it can be quickly re-deployed. A contractor ought to be doing that, and be able to work around your Live->Test schedule, assuming they've been given it.
I've learned over time that even things like new attributes that I'm working on are worth having their creation scripted out into a file for this purpose.
Depending on who performs the Live->Test (RAMP for us) and how, you may need to take steps to preserve any Infomaker library files under development.