Advantages of ERO
ERO provides comprehensive management for release management:
The software delivery release cycle is predictable.
- You can more accurately allocate personnel, such as Testing or Quality Assurance staff, with the establishment of regularly scheduled maintenance and enhancement releases.
- Users of the delivered software can more effectively plan for installing and implementing enhancement releases. The development process is enhanced.
The development process is enhanced.
- Developers can identify in what release a particular change of a component will be implemented. They can then determine how that change will affect any other releases in motion.
- When release schedules shift and features get dropped from a release or added, the release manager can make sure development teams are working with the right components.
Many manual processes can be replaced.
- ERO manages all components across all applications that are joined to a release. Release managers can get information about these components in real time. They no longer have the labor-intensive tasks of tracking down and communicating information between teams, or customizing the base product. In addition, you can create custom reports about release component information using the delivered Serena XML Services.
- Automatic notification of major release events, like check-in, check-off, install and release approvals, are part of ERO. Customized exits and code are no longer necessary.
There is enhanced functionality over participating packages.
Install date improvements: There is no date verification when you relate participating packages to complex packages. Packages with disparate install dates can end up under the same complex package. With ERO, all packages you attach to a release must have install dates within the release install range. You are ensured the package install dates are valid for that release.
SYSLIB improvements: Once you associate participating packages with a complex package, components in development are included in the SYSLIB concatenations for copybooks and load modules. Errors in compilations and links can be the result, as the components being developed may not be ready for use by other components. With ERO, components are not included in SYSLIB concatenations until they are checked into the release areas.
Blocking areas: With participating packages, release managers need to freeze all the packages to prevent their content from changing. This can become complicated as the packages may not be under the control of the release manager. With ERO, release managers can block entire release areas. When an area is blocked, the contents of the release area are prevented from changing, regardless of the status of any of the release packages.
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