Releases and Migration Notes

This document gives suggestions on how to structure updates for production sites

Basics

In most cases the BHIMA software that is installed on production servers is the latest released version. All production servers will receive and run the same BHIMA software. In some cases, installation of the software update may be delayed based on ability to access the remote systems involved.

Releases

In the process of developing the BHIMA software, once a set of changes is complete, we create what is called a release. This is defined set of the software parts of the BHIMA software that has been tested and verified that it works consistently. A release generally includes new features, bug fixes, improved work-flows, and documentation. Once a release has been made, it is usually installed on each production site as soon as practical.

However, the database data (SQL) for each production site will vary. The primary setup of database tables and basic configuration data is the same for all installations, but each production site will have differences such as data about known users, patients, stock inventories, etc. So the process of updating the database for each production site will be somewhat different. Since we do not want to loose the data that the site already has about its local configuration, we use migrations.

Migrations