[cms-list] Staging / Deployment structures

[Drew McLellan]

My CMS has a very simple (too simple) staging/deployment setup at the moment. In our next rev, I'd like to improve on it.

I basically have two matching databases containing the data for the site. All content changes go into the staging db, and the staging site uses this db so you can preview changes in context.

When all the changes are approved, the content is deployed - the system copies the changes from the staging db to the live.

This means that you can't selectively deploy changes - it's all or nothing. Fine for small sites - but no good otherwise.

My question is, how do other people deal with selective deployment at a conceptual level? Here's so ideas I need to flesh out:

* deploy on content type level (I don't think this works for me)

* create 'change groups' and get content authors to specify which group a modification belongs to when making the modification, or within their session. deployment by group. (how do you deal with content interdependencies?)

* date based deployment - deploy all changes before date x. (again, interdependency problems?)

* flag items of content ready for deployment, and only deploy those?

* have the deployment routine list all changes and allow selective deployment in that way?


How do you eat yours?

thanks!

--
drew mclellan

web standards project
http://www.webstandards.org/

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