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Summary
New ClinSpark versions are released several times a year. Customers are encouraged to update to each new release. This ensures the customer receives the benefit of receiving all new features enhancements and bug fixes, and also minimizes risk from upgrading impact by ensuring that upgrades are each a relatively small jump.
Here is an overview of the upgrade process:
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The ClinSpark release notes and this documentation site will provide focused documentation information identifying new features and changes. This supports can support training of staff and validation activities.
Here is an overview of the upgrade process:
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To help our customers enter into a well coordinated and controlled upgrade cycle, we’ve outlined many of the common activities, expectations and responsibilities between customer and IQVIA teams. We suggest our customers review and consider these in their own upgrade plans, and raise questions to our support team where applicable.
Example Customer Validation Process Flow
Temporary VAL Instances
We anticipate our customers' need to perform training and validation activities on a new release. To support this, customers can request via a service desk (JIRA) ticket a VAL instance pair of the new release.
This VAL instance is expected to be a short lived instance. It will be a clone of the PROD pair, with the upgraded version (build) applied. As such, is it expected to be a full preview of what the users will actually see once they accept the upgrade into PROD.
More information about the creation of VAL environments is here: Creating VAL Environments
This diagram shows how the VAL instance pair fits from a timeline perspective:
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Note that the The VAL instance will have some simple scrambling logic applied to the volunteer data to obscure PHI. More information about that process is noted here: Obfuscating Volunteer PII
Requesting VAL Instances
Customers request to begin the upgrade process through the service desk. In the ticket, please include the following information:
The version number and build to deploy to VAL instances
The start date dates for when validation activities will begin
The target end date for when validation will be completed
Whether and end
Indicate if SSO is required to be configured in the VAL instance
Details for a lab test environment will be available for use in validation, if applicable
Please request the VAL pair only when there is an intent to devote resources to validation activities. Typically VAL instances should be required only for a few weeks/months.
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PROD Upgrade
Once validation has been completed by the customer, the customer can schedule a timeframe where the upgrade can be applied an upgrade to PROD Main/Test instance pair can be scheduled and coordinated. All PROD upgrades are coordinated through the service desk.
Customers request to begin the PROD upgrade process by submitting a service desk ticket. In the ticket please include the following information:
The version number and build to deploy to PROD (this usually matches the VAL version/build)
The expected date & time Time slots indicating dates/times on when the upgrade would be suitable to occur. If providing multiple, indicate a preferred time slot. Ideally, multiple time slots (including timezone) would be provided for consideration, so IQVIA PM can coordinate with available engineering resources. Example: Monday, July 1st, 9am - 10am CST; 2pm-4pm CST
Please ensure adequate warning is provided of the intended upgrade; minimum three weeks notice is preferred.
Upgrades typically involve some downtime. Usually this downtime is no longer than 15 minutes, but the , usually a matter of minutes. The expected downtime and window size will be discussed and agreed upon with the customer during the scheduling via the service desk ticket.
It is a best practice to schedule an upgrade cycle on a day when there is minimal Data Collection activity, to minimize the risk of impact. This would be a suitable ‘quiet’ time in the clinic.
At the agreed upon time the upgrade itself proceeds as follows:
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