21 May 2025

The Test & Deploy method in Pigment is an essential feature for companies seeking to secure their deployments and better manage their work environments. By separating development (Dev) and production (Prod) environments, Pigment enables changes to be made with confidence. Here is a complete overview of this feature.

Why adopt Test & Deploy in Pigment?

In a context where planning directly impacts performance, Test & Deploy (T&D) makes it easier to introduce changes safely into the production environment. Users first test each change in Dev, then validate and deploy it to Prod. As a result, this method reduces errors, protects data and structures the workflow.

Types of changes supported by Test & Deploy

• Structural changes: creation of blocks, dimensions, formulas, etc.

• Data changes: only when they relate to structural elements, such as synchronised dimension lists.

What Test & Deploy does (and does not) manage in Pigment

Managed by T&D:

• Creation, deletion and modification of blocks, folders, views and variables

• Adding formulas or modifying block properties

• Deployment of public views, imports and dashboards created in Dev

• Synchronisation of items in Dimension Lists (if the "Keep Items in Sync" option is enabled)

Not managed by T&D:

• Automations, scenarios and data flows, which must be created separately in each environment

• Integration connections (APIs) and security rules, which must be configured manually

• User roles and permissions: only roles defined in Dimensions are synchronised. Assignments must be managed independently

A closer look at blocks, views and dashboards

Test & Deploy in Pigment enables detailed management of blocks and views. Specifically, Pigment automatically applies formulas to production. However, if the “Allow overrides” option is disabled, data entered in Prod replaces the data in Dev.

In addition, public views modified in Dev appear in the deployment interface. Users can then select and transfer them to Prod.

Dashboards created or updated in Dev therefore include all associated blocks and settings during deployment.

However, filters on disconnected items or action buttons linked to imports must be manually recreated in production.

Environment security with Test & Deploy in Pigment

Test & Deploy isolates environments from a security standpoint. In other words, Pigment transfers access Metrics via T&D, but rules must be configured manually in Prod.

Furthermore, members, roles and groups remain specific to each environment. This separation therefore ensures management adapted to each context (test or live).

Imports, scenarios and automations

T&D supports imports created in Dev. These appear on the Diff screen, enabling them to be deployed.

However:

• Automations (workflows) cannot be deployed via T&D

• Scenarios, particularly alternative versions of a model, must be recreated manually

• Data flows are not compatible with Test & Deploy

Best practices for using T&D effectively

Here are a few tips to make the most of this feature:

• Always work in the Dev environment

• Test every change before deployment

• Carefully review the Diff screen before validating changes

• Manually recreate unsupported items (scenarios, connections, etc.)

• Coordinate roles and members in each environment

Test & Deploy in Pigment provides a robust framework to support the evolution of planning models. By structuring your developments and controlling your deployments, you genuinely strengthen your organisation’s reliability, clarity and efficiency.

In short, this structured approach is perfectly suited to growing companies that want to secure their transformation without compromising the stability of their operations.

source: community.pigment.com