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The Functional Lifecycle State

Every functional within brewlytics falls under a defined category in the Lifecycle State - TESTING, PRODUCTION, RETIRED, and for functional developers NONE.

Functional Lifecycle State -

  • TESTING: This functional is still being developed and is not considered final.
  • PRODUCTION: Once in this state, the functional is ready for use and should not require significant changes. Inputs and outputs can not be changed, removed, or added to.
  • RETIRED: The functional has been replaced or is no longer available. In other instances, a functional such as one querying against an API can have an exception that there is an alternative or is no longer available.
  • NONE: Primarily for functional developers forcing a validation error if the developer forgets to define the lifecycle state.

Lifecycle State TESTING

The user will notice the icon in the bottom right hand corner of each functional. These icons correspond with the Lifecycle State of each functional - the one above corresponds to TESTING.

What happens when a functional is updated and has no input/output changes?

When a functional needs to be changed or updated – whether it is to correct an unexpected error or to update the functional’s capabilities. With no changes to the inputs/outputs the functional will continue to perform as expected with little to no time spent from the user.

What happens when a functional is updated and has input/output changes that are optional?

When a functional’s optional input/output are changed – adding or eliminating inputs, changing input/output types, etc. - the functional will be updated with the new changes; however, the user may/will want to confirm the update of the functional, if it is already in a preexisting workflow. If an updated optional input/output is utilized by the user in a preexisting workflow – an error may be thrown. For example, changing an optional input to a required input will throw an error stating: “Missing required input on a component.”

What happens when a functional is updated and has input/output changes that are required?

When a functional’s required input/output are changed, and if the functional is in a preexisting workflow, an error will occur. The functional will need to be updated within the workflow. The update to the functional will have no affect if being utilized within a new workflow after the update has occurred.

What happens when a functional is retired or deleted?

Functionals having been RETIRED (sunset) or deleted (trashcan) will have their respective icons in the bottom right corner. Usually, functionals are RETIRED or delete due to the inability of accessing an API, no further use for a functional, or functional is broken. If that functional remains in an existing workflow, that workflow may still perform as originally intended, depending on the type of functional. Once removed from the workflow and the user attempts to search for a functional that has been RETIRED or deleted, with no replacement for it, the functional will no longer appear in the search.

Lifecycle State PRODUCTION

Unlike TESTING and RETIRED functionals, those that are set to PRODUCTION will be icon-less.

What happens when a functional is updated and has no input/output changes?

There are no changes between TESTING and PRODUCTION Lifecycle State when a functional is updated and has no input/output changes.

What happens when a functional is updated and has input/output changes that are optional/required?

For functionals that are in PRODUCTION and have input/output changes that are optional/required there will be no affect to how the functional will perform – only if there is an input/output that has been added, eliminated, or the CV_Type has changed in the functional. If this is to occur, the original functional will be set to RETIRED and a new functional will take its place. Current workflows will then need to be updated with this new functional.

What happens when a functional is retired or deleted?

The result will mirror functionals in the TESTING Lifecycle State – if PRODUCTION functionals remain in already established workflows, a RETIRED icon should be present and the functional will continue to operate (functional type dependent). If that functional is removed from an established workflow – or first time attempt in finding a functional that is RETIRED – will not appear in search.

Updating Functionals in any Lifecycle State

When an update has been made to a functional - it's been deleted or updated - the user will have the ability to automatically update those functionals. This option will appear in between the functional's description and input/output parameters.