Pushing and Pulling Data Is Implemented Via Comparing

The following points describe potential uses of the ConfigLab tools:

• You might want to "push" problematic bills to a "playpen" environment where you can experiment with different options to correct them.
• You might want to "push" existing rates from production into a "pre-production" environment where you can experiment with rate changes.
• After you've tested new rates in a "pre-production" environment you can pull them into production.

While the above tasks are very different, they are all implemented using the same philosophy. The following points describe this philosophy:

• In order to transfer data between two environments, you execute a background process to compare the data in a "target" environment with that in a "source" environment. For example, if you want to promote new / changed rates from a "pre-production" environment to production, the background process compares the rates in "pre-production" (the source) with the rates in "production" (the target).
• It should be noted that the comparison is always performed in the "target" environment. To continue with the previous example, you would execute the comparison process in production and you'd indicate you want to compare production with the "pre production" environment.
• The ConfigLab categorizes the comparison results as follows:
  • Add. If data exists in the source environment that is not in the target environment, the data is categorized as "add".
  • Change. If data exists in the source environment with the same prime key as data in the target environment but with different column values, the data is categorized as "change".
  • Delete. If data exists in the target environment that is not in the source environment, the data is categorized as "delete".
• You use the Difference Query to view the results of the comparison. This query also allows you to approve or reject the adds, changes and deletes.
• After confirming the results of the comparison are as desired, you run the CL-APPCH background process (apply changes) to apply the approved changes to the target environment. This background process is executed in the target environment (just as the comparison process was).