I'm a newbie to Appian, looking for the documentation on initial steps for creating the promote-to-production landscape. )This is assuming an "enterprise application" architecture (think: multiple users creating POs and then a Purchasing Dept. making buys), and not a mobile app architecture where we have to deploy an applet to multiple devices.)
I have found the documentation on "Deployments" and "Packages," but not the precursor documentation on how to set up the landscape, declare where Dev is and where Test is and where Prod is, how to add a Training environment into the landscape if desired, how to set up Primary Dev and HotFix Dev, etc., such that a Deployment can move applications and objects from a Source to Target.
Tried searching on "landscape" but that took me to portrait-vs-landscape in document orientation. Other ideas on what search terms to use, or can anyone point me directly to the documentation?
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https://docs.appian.com/suite/help/23.3/devops-with-appian.html
Stefan: Thank you. I've been to this page and I still am not finding what I'm looking for. I may be asking a ill-formed question, pulling ideas from too much exposer to and enculturation in other technologies. If so, feel free to correct me and recast the question!
But on this devops-with-appian page I see items like:
--"Deploy to Target Environments,"
--"Getting started with DevOps,"
--"The Appian DevOps pipeline"
etc.
Generally, I'm seeing the parallels with how Appian's "deployment" (export-import) of "packages" works across "environments" in a landscape. But what I don't see there how to set up (instantiate, initialize, create, point to) those environments.
Before DevSecOps goes into operation, aren't there preliminary steps to create the landscape for the pipeline to operate on?
(Or am I just missing it on that page?)
Thanks!!
Hm ... each Appian environment is a completely separate installation or cloud environment. So, if you go with Appian cloud, you will have to order 3 or more.
And I suggest to forget about most of the complexity you might be used to. Appian is simple, not only the development, but also deployment etc.
This gets me much further along, thanks! "[O}rder 3 or more [cloud] environments" is the phrasing I think I needed.
In acquiring those environments from Appian, does an Appian administrator create the linkages between them to run the DevOps pipeline that deploys packages, applications, scripts, etc.? Or are these administrative options and settings we need to manage ourselves?
That's your job. Just a few clicks and you are good to go.
OK, I figured as much. And, I'm expecting it to be easy (straightforward).
But where's the documentation on what to do and how to do that?
I am not sure what exactly you are looking for.
Did you already have a look at the Appian Playbook?
https://community.appian.com/w/the-appian-playbook
I had not checked the Playbook. After looking through, I'm getting closer. I'm putting this info in the Reply in case others read this: Appian Cloud FAQ - Appian 23.3
"Initial Cloud Site Setup
Your Appian Cloud site URLs are generated based on the site name that is recorded in your legal agreement, using the following naming conventions:
appian
.appiancloud.com
dev.appiancloud.com
test.appiancloud.com
I don't have the exact keystroke sequence I'm looking for, or the path to navigate to get to where those keystrokes are needed, but with this documentation I can envision that the "source" environment for a deployment is <mycompanyname>dev.appiancloud.com, and the "target" environment for a deployment test is <mycompanyname>test.appiancloud.com>. And further that it's a pretty simple matter - somewhere in the DevSecOps pipeline administration (in Dev?) - to enter these urls and make DevOps point to, or recognize itself as, source, and then also point to target.
Thanks so much for all your engagement on this Stefan!
You can really choose any names you like. Then connect DEV to TEST, TST to ACC and ACC to PROD in the admin console / DevOps.
Maybe the part you're missing is how to set up the environments? In the Administration Console on each environment, you can set up connections to your other environments and name them: docs.appian.com/.../Appian_Administration_Console.html
Then, once you are ready to deploy, there is a utility called "Compare and Deploy" that will allow you to select the other environments that you want to deploy to. Everything is configured right in that infrastructure page, including things like which environments allow deployments and if deployments must be reviewed before going through.
Let us know if you still have additional questions!