About deployment packages

When you can create a deployment package

When a validation baseline is free from errors and warnings, or if you have indicated that warnings can be ignored, you can create a deployment package from it. A deployment package is an executable file that contains:

• Metadata that describes the study.
• Deployment options specific to the target application.
• A list of all files in the deployment package.

You install the deployment package on the computer where the InForm server is running.

Types of deployment packages

Full and incremental deployment packages both contain the definitions for every study object in the study. Consider the following:

• Full package—Deployment package that contains everything needed to deploy a complete study.
• Incremental package—Deployment package that contains everything needed to deploy a complete study, plus additions and changes to the study, reflected in Alternate forms in the InForm application. Alternate forms are not created when you install an incremental deployment package that contains additions to repeating forms or fixed repeating sections (Repeating Data itemsets in the InForm application).

Note: If you deactivate a rule in the InForm application, do one of the following in the Central Designer application before creating a new deployment package:

• Remove the rule from the study.
• Disable the rule.
• Change the triggering event to On Demand (Batch Mode).

Rule-related changes that you make in the InForm application are overridden when you install a new deployment package.

Note: If you create or modify a coding map, use a full deployment package to deploy the changes. Changes to coding maps are not supported in incremental deployment packages.

Before you can create a deployment package, deployment options must be specified for the study, in the Deployment tab of the Administration tab of the Study Editor. Deployment options indicate the target applications, format, and languages or locales for which the study is being designed.

Naming conventions for baselines and deployment packages

Developing naming conventions for validation baselines and deployment packages is recommended. For example, you might want to name validation baselines that are created while testing the study design differently from validation baselines that are actually deployed.