IBM UrbanCode Build

What do you like best?

I like the below things about IBM Urban Code build.

1. Most valuable feature is the snapshot functionality, which allows to access previous versions of the artifacts.

2. It has an automated, repeatable deployment processes which spans across development, test and production environments. One can easily deploy code into development and when tested successfully can move the code successively to Test, User Acceptance Test environments. Even it reduces the hassle and complexities of deployments to Production environments.

3. Reduce deployment failure. When any deployments failed, one can check logs and easily correct the deployments problems and re trigger the deployment process. So, reduces failures.

4. Drive down cost. It reduces manual dependency and intervention during the deployment process. So, reduces human efforts and accordingly reduces the cost involved in developing business applications and maintaining the same.

5. Manage complexity. It provides an user friendly user interface to configure deployment process with different input parameters which reduces complexities of the deployment process. Instead IBM urban code handles all the complexities on its own.

6. Scale Reliably. It can scale reliably based on requirement.

What do you dislike?

1. The deployments steps can be bit simpler. Any one who has no experience can not do the deployments. One has to follow instruction documents to do deployments.

2. May be auto deployments integration can be made available along with different softwares likewise we have eclipse plugins available for jenkins etc.

What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?

In my project, we have requirement to build and deploy IBM Business Process Manager (BPM) artifacts to deploy in several environments from DevInt to SIT, UAT and Production environments. IBM BPM has its own development environments and it maintains code in different snapshots and at a given point of time one snapshot to be deployed and made active in any environments. While deploying to higher environments deployment of snapshots to be made automated so that it can be deployed without following any manual steps. So, we used IBM Urban Code Deploy to automate the deployment process and it saves our development time and we were able to maintain different version of code or snapshots quite easily and able to deploy snapshots in different environments.