Automating package and deploy operations

Is there a way of automating Package and Deploy operations within the Admin Kit? At the moment we go into Admin Kit --> OMS Framework SDK --> Package and Deploy in order to package any development changes we have made. We then connect to where we want to roll the changes out and go through System Update. We'd like to be able to keep the data our dev and test databases up to date (by restoring the latest backup of the database) whilst keeping any development changes that we've made.

Are you asking for lets say I command line program that automates the System Update part of Package and deploy, or both the packaging as well. This could be done but only to say update the package not create a new one.

Both updating a package and then performing a System Update with that package. Anything we could schedule via a scheduled task or via SQL Server Agent would be great!

I know this is not something that can be done quickly, but if you could consider in a future major release splitting the code from the data into 2 separate db's it would be very useful, as data could be restored without affecting code definitions etc and would help with testing if the code / data combination could be switched, allowing the deployment of code to a test db that a test group uses.

Would you would look at developing a tool (something like what Daniel was touching on in his July 30 post) that could automate the package and deploy/system update action? If so, would this be a long term project for you or something that could be released in the not too distant future?

This is something we have in mind and will be doing over a period of time in alignment with our new MatterSphere services layer. As stated this is not a quick and or easy job to do.

What I'm after is a way of being able to schedule the package/deploy then system update functions. This can currently only be done manually. The steps we'd need to have are:
1. package some or all of the development changes we've made in dev/test
2. restore the latest backup of the production database over the top of the dev/test database
3. perform a system update on the restored database that reinstates the devlopment changes
The current system is great in that we can granually manage which development changes to package and rollout however it involves someone physically sitting and clicking the buttons. We want this to run out of hours and allow us to turn up in the morning with fresh data AND our development changes still there.

There was a manifest control file that allowed to manage a bunch of packages, will take note of the comments made and review for future consideration.