Environments#
CMDS runs in three separate environments - Test, Demo, and Live - each serving a different purpose. Understanding what each one is for will help you know which one to log in to and what you can expect when you do.
Why three environments?#
Running CMDS as a single "one size fits all" system would be risky. New features could affect real learners mid-course; a developer testing a change could accidentally touch live records; there'd be nowhere safe to practice before rolling something out.
Separating the three jobs - building, previewing, and running - gives each its own space:
- Developers can build and break things without consequence.
- You can preview new features and practice workflows before they affect your people.
- Your real learners work in a stable environment with their real data.
All three environments run the same software. What differs is the audience, the data, and how stable things are.
Test#
For the development team. This is the workspace where our developers build and validate new features. Code changes appear here first, often several times a day. Data resets frequently and nothing here is considered permanent.
You generally won't be invited to Test unless you're actively working with our team on a feature or debugging something. It's noisy, experimental, and not meant for customer work.
Demo#
For you to preview and practice. Demo is where each release lands about a week before it goes Live. If you want to see a new feature before your learners do, or rehearse a training program, or explore a configuration change safely, Demo is the place.
Demo uses a separate dataset from Live. Nothing you do here affects your real users, and nothing they do affects you. It's a safe sandbox where you can poke around, make mistakes, and learn.
Tip: check What's new in CMDS to see when each release will appear in Demo.
Live#
For your real users. Live is the production environment your learners, validators, and administrators use every day. It holds your real data - completions, certificates, registrations - and it's the environment your reports and integrations pull from.
Live is the most stable environment. Updates only arrive after a release has spent a week in Demo, giving our team and yours time to catch anything that needs attention before real users see it.
Quick comparison#
| Environment | Audience | Data | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test | Development team | Throwaway | Low |
| Demo | You, for previewing & practice | Safe sandbox | Medium |
| Live | Your real learners | Real data | High |
Which one do I log in to?#
- Doing your normal work? Use Live.
- Want to try a new feature, practice a workflow, or test a setting? Use Demo.
- Working with our development team on a specific issue? Use Test (we'll point you there).
If you're unsure, start with Live.