Deploy changes with the SLM app

The Solution Lifecycle Manager (SLM) app gives you an easy way to make changes to solutions safely by creating environments that you can deploy changes between. There are multiple types of changes that can be deployed between environments. You can:

• Push the current schema to apply any new changes made to your solution.
• Push a specific version to apply any changes that were previously implemented in a solution.
• Roll back changes to a previous version of your solution.
• Reimage to create new instances of one environment, or all environments in your implementation using the version of QBL you specify. You may want to reimage your implementation to use the latest version of Quickbase language (QBL), which will include additional Quickbase functionality over time. You may also want to reimage a particular environment to reset it to match your production environment.

This article covers how to deploy these types of changes.

Make changes to your development environment

The development environment is where to manage your apps and make changes. The name of this environment may differ depending on if you created your own configuration. For default configurations, this environment is called Dev.

1. On the App home page in the SLM app, select the eye icon to enter the Dev environment record. This opens the list of resources included in that environment, including any apps or pipelines that are a part of your solution.
2. Locate the app  to edit, and select Launch Dev.
   This opens the development version of your app in Quickbase.
3. Make changes to your app.
   For example, add or delete fields, or create reports and charts.

Deploy your changes

1. Go to the Solution Environments tab in the SLM app, and then select the Deployments tab.
2. Select the + New Deployment button.
3. Select Push current schema to deploy the changes you made in your development environment.
   You can also push a specific version of changes, roll back changes previously made, or reimage.
4. Select Save & close.

A pipeline is automatically triggered to push your changes to the next environment in your configuration, for example, Test. The Status field in the Deployments table is Complete after all changes are successfully pushed to the next environment.

View your changes

Your changes are now visible in the next environment in your configuration. To view them:

1. Navigate to the Implementations tab in the SLM app.
2. Locate the next environment in your workflow, for example, Test.
3. Select the eye icon to open the list of apps and pipelines included in your solution.
4. Launch the app you made changes to, and validate your changes were made successfully.

Continue this process to deploy changes for each step in your environment configuration.

Roll back changes

1. On the App home page in the SLM app, select the eye icon to enter the production environment record.
2. Select the Deployments Tab in this solution environment.
3. Select the + New Deployment button.
4. Select Rollback. Then, choose the version to rollback to from the Source Version ID input.
5. Select Save & close.
   Deployments to the Prod environment trigger an approval.

Note: To roll back changes where a field was deleted, the field is restored. However, the data does not persist. This is because the solution APIs only work on the schema of the application, not on the data itself.

Reimage an implementation

1. Navigate to the Implementations tab in the SLM app.
2. Select the eye icon to enter the implementation record.
3. Select a new Solution QBL Version. Find information on the latest QBL version here.
   All other environments in your implementation will require reimaging. Ensure you have pushed any changes from your lower environments (for example, Dev and Test) to your production environment before reimaging.
4. Select the checkbox to Proceed with Reimage.
5. Save the record.

A pipeline is automatically triggered, and a deployment record is added to your App home.

You can also follow this same process for a singular environment, by opening the environment record from the Solution Environments page.

View deployment warnings

The Log Status field in the Deployments table turns yellow to indicate warnings from your deployment. Warnings indicate any configurations that might not be accurate in your dev environment but often don’t prevent the SLM app from working as expected.

To view the warnings:

1. Select the eye icon to enter the deployment record.
2. Select the Warnings tab to view any warnings.
   Each warning provides the line number of the QBL file that is impacted. You can choose to explore the warning by viewing the QBL from the Versions tab in the SLM app.