[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] generic training server with predictable data

[Marla Ehlers]

Regardless of how this is set up, an always available test server 
complete with training documents, dummy patrons, sample exercises with 
results that illustrate features of Evergreen and etc. would have saved 
me oodles and oodles of time when developing our training program prior 
to migration.

Now that we've migrated, I don't know how much we'd use it (generally we 
train new staff on our live version), but if future releases brought 
such significant changes we'd want to retrain staff before going live, 
again, something like this would be a life saver . . .

Marla


>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject:
> Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] generic training server with predictable data
> From:
> Lori Bowen Ayre <lori.ayre at galecia.com>
> Date:
> Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:51:25 -0700
> To:
> Evergreen Discussion Group <open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org>
>
> To:
> Evergreen Discussion Group <open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org>
>
>
> Oooooh.  Like that suggestion.  No reason we couldn't keep the same 
> data set on an available training server AND on as part of the 
> Evergreen source.
>
> Lori
>
> On Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 5:45 PM, Dan Scott <dan at coffeecode.net 
> <mailto:dan at coffeecode.net>> wrote:
>
>     On Mon, 2010-06-21 at 17:09 -0700, Lori Bowen Ayre wrote:
>     > Hi All,
>     >
>     > I posted info about this idea and got a big 'ol nothing in
>     response so
>     > I wanted to try one more time to verify that it really is of no
>     > interest to anyone.
>
>     It is of interest, I just have a slight variation on your suggestion
>     which really hearkens back to a suggestion I pitched many moons
>     ago. (I
>     think the first time might have been
>     http://markmail.org/message/dbwre7cqhmmnnlrv but I know I've discussed
>     it in several other forums since then...)
>
>     >  Here's the idea....as one of the RSCEL projects, were thinking of
>     > setting up a training server which would have a current version of
>     > Evergreen loaded, would be accessible to anyone (much like the demo
>     > servers) but we'd make sure we kept it totally current with one
>     > matching client software download.
>     >
>     >
>     > We'd also keep data in there that you could rely on being there for
>     > training (so we'd have to refresh it on some regular basis).
>     >  Eventually, we'd contribute some exercises that people could use in
>     > their training which would use that training server and data.
>     >
>     >
>     > The idea is that you would then not have to worry about how to train
>     > your people on your own Evergreen server at the same time you were
>     > trying to get ready to go live.
>     >
>     >
>     > Also, by sharing the same data and server set-up, we could all
>     > contribute training exercises.
>     >
>     >
>     > So, if you think this would be useful or you think it would be a
>     waste
>     > of time...please advise.  Friendly amendments are also
>     encouraged.  We
>     > want to do something that helps people so if this wouldn't help
>     > anyone, we RSCELs will focus our attention somewhere else!
>     >
>
>     Rather than having this data sitting just on a training server
>     RSCEL, I
>     think it would be much more useful to have the sample data sets
>     available as part of the Evergreen source. This would enable every
>     Evergreen install to (optionally) have a reference set of data to work
>     with locally. We could build documentation / training based on those
>     sample sets of data, but also build tests on those sample sets of data
>     to ensure that the SQL schema hasn't been broken & the data can
>     actually
>     load, a given server is working as expected, and that a given report
>     returns the expected results, and that a given API call generates the
>     expected effects.
>
>     This could also be a useful basis on which to build tests of the
>     migration scripts.
>
>     I do think that having an up-to-date training server always at the
>     ready
>     would be a valuable thing and support that goal; I just think that
>     it's
>     potentially more important to have a canonical set of sample data
>     available as part of the Evergreen source.
>
>
>

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