Testing Rules, Rule Targets and Rule Segregation

The Alterian DDE has been designed to allow the user to safely develop and test changes to Rules with no risk to the production system.
Each call into DDE to invoke a Rule uses a specific URL.

Open

The breakdown of the Rule URL above shows how we store the Rule in a segregated state to ensure changes made to a specific Rule in a client or target cannot have an impact on another client or target.
This allows us to provide Development, Testing and Production systems through a single solution. We call these separate systems Targets.
Specific use of the Targets will depend on our customers development processes.
We would recommend the development of Rules takes place in the Development Target. Once it's ready for Testing, it's copied into the Test target. Depending on the changes taking place the Test Target may be linked to a Test system where the changes can be tested appropriately.
Once the tests have been proven successful the Rule can be copied into Production.
If further changes are required, the Rule in production is copied back into Test and the cycle begins again.