[Sigia-l] What do you call that place between the database and the live site?

[Adrian Howard]

On 13 May 2007, at 02:56, Jay Morgan wrote:

> I've heard it called "sandbox", "staging", "test server", "dev 
> (elopment)
> server".  What do you call it?
>
> Also:
> Do you actually get to work on it or in it?  If yes, how do you  
> interact
> with it?  (Sample answers: Yes, I shape it w/ SQL.  I do QA on it.   
> I own
> it.  I built it.)
[snip]

Well pretty much everywhere I've worked has a set up that's something  
like:

1) Sandbox/development/whatever - where ongoing development happens.  
There may be one of these per-developer (and developer here may be  
graphic guy, html dudes, etc. - anybody who will be changing the site)
2) Staging/UAT/test/whatever - where client sign off / testing happens
3) Live

If it doesn't - then one of my first tasks will be setting something  
like this up :-) Preferably with an automated process to promote  
stuff form dev->sandbox->live

> I want to know what you all call it because I want to discuss the  
> value of
> that intermediate space between data and live as an integral part  
> of how to
> do Design.  I think there's more potential in that approach than in  
> linear
> design approaches - i.e., conceive, define, design, build, launch.   
> This
> will lead to a presentation and an article.  Hopefully, it will  
> lead to all
> my future employers adopting the practice of enabling their teams  
> with a
> sandbox or staging server within arm's reach.

I have to admit that to me not having some sort of staging area is  
like not having source control, or double entry book keeping. It  
verges on incompetence. You need to have a way of keeping a steady  
flow of features running through the development process.

Cheers,

Adrian