What is the proper workflow for moving Apps from Dev -> Staging -> Production?

[MicahWilliamson]

To Clarify: We have three stacks, Development, Staging, Production. 

EACH have their OWN separate: SQL Database, ArcGIS Server, IIS with Portal/Web Adaptor servers. (yes, I understand that's like 9 servers) 

If I take the time to create AGS Services, Webmap and then a WebApp (dev edition) on my development stack. Do I really have to Re-create all of that with my staging server, then again on Production? The WebMap and App is pointing to the Dev Portal, not staging. I get warnings and errors when I try to move from one WAB Dev Edition to another. Esri Tech support is recommending a kind of "find-and-replace approach" for the code, Which, (no surprise) broke the app. 

Can one deployment of WAB point to Two (or three) separate Portals and then I can just change the webmap between them? 

Or is the idea of a Dev stack juts represent Practice for production and you have to redo it all anyway? 

[shan_sarkar]

In an ideal case of application development like yours we generally develop database (data, raster, vector and standalone tables), ArcGIS Server services and the code in development environment. Once the requirements are developed we migrate the database objects, ArcGIS Server services and the solution to Staging for testing and bug fixes. Once the data, services changes and the solution fixing is completed and approved by the testing team along with security audit and performance tuning we then finally migrate the entire project to the production server.

• You want to keep the feature class and standalone tables same in all 3 environments. Doing this will help you to resource the map documents at any environment, also keep in mind that you might be using some SQL functionalities like Identity, Procedures and Triggers which need to have the table names. Hence keeping the same names helps out with the SQL script execution.
• Make sure that you save the map documents with the same name that you want to give the ArcGIS Server services.
• Make sure that you fix the map index in the map document level so that they do not change during the migration. Once you fix the indexes it will be permanent unless the indexes are changed.
• If you are using any related tables in the services keep an eye out for the Relationship ID’s, apparently it seems there is no way to fix the ID’s.
• You want to the keep the exact same name for the ArcGIS Server folders which will contain the services this will ensure that you can simply change the service URL’s with Find and Replace.

If you follow these it will be quite easy during the migration phase.

I hope this helps!

~Shan

[MicahWilliamson]

Shan: 

I appreciate the Help. I have done these things and am with you until your last sentence. 

I cannot believe that the accepted way to move an application to point at one server to another is really "Find & Replace" the URL!

Is there really no other way?! 

-Micah

[shan_sarkar]

I guess this is sort of a standard practice in most of the firms and I guess even Esri suggests to go about this. I am sure you will get more information if you were to log a case with Esri Technical Support.

~Shan