The information below can help you understand the differences between General Release and Limited Release Vaults, and how to prepare for upcoming releases.
Definitions
- General Release refers to a set of Vault production servers that receive software updates approximately every four (4) months. General releases include all product enhancements and bug fixes that have been incorporated into limited releases since the previous general release. General releases go through IQ and OQ validation prior to release.
- Maintenance Release is a smaller release that contains fixes for issues that are affecting customers. For general release customers, we normally communicate 24 hours prior to the release that we will be applying a change and that there may be a short service disruption.
- Limited Release refers to a set of Vault production servers that receive software updates approximately every three (3) to five (5) weeks between general releases. Limited releases include product enhancements such as new features, data model changes, infrastructure improvements, and bug fixes. Limited releases are intended for customers who value early access to new features and are able to tolerate some instability in their environments.
- System Maintenance is downtime that Veeva schedules for system infrastructure changes. There is no regular schedule for system maintenance, but we typically communicate one (1) week prior to the downtime that there will be a service disruption. During system maintenance, Vault displays the message “Vault is currently unavailable due to system maintenance.”
- Pre-Release is an environment where customers can get a preview of new general release functionality. See Pre-Release FAQ for more information.
Release Details
The following table contains (typical) release information. Actual release details may vary slightly.
| General Release | General Maintenance Release | Limited Release | System Maintenance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content | Product enhancements and bug fixes, a package of everything in the limited releases | Fixes for bugs affecting customers | Product enhancements and bug fixes | Scheduled infrastructure changes; for example, a planned server restart |
| Frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly | Every 3 to 6 weeks | Not scheduled |
| Production Vault Downtime | 10 minutes within a 2 hour timeframe | Typically none, may be up to 5 minutes | 10 minutes within a 2 hour timeframe | Varies |
| Sandbox Vault Downtime | Up to 6 hours | Typically none, may be up to 5 minutes | Up to 4 hours | Varies |
| Communication | 4 weeks in advance | 24 hours in advance.1 | 2 weeks in advance | 1 week in advance |
| Documentation | Release Notes, Fixed Issues | Maintenance Releases | Release Notes, Fixed Issues | None |
| Validated | Yes | Yes | No | Yes, for general releases |
- May occur with less than 24 hours notice in the case of a critical or otherwise urgent product fix.↩
For information on release window times for your region, please visit the Veeva Trust Site.
Authentication & PDF Servers
We typically release Authentication and PDF server updates one (1) week earlier than scheduled general and limited releases. Changes to the Authentication servers affect both Limited Release and General Release Vaults.
Release Page & Impact Assessment Timing
Typically, the Release Impact Assessment and About the Release page become available eight (8) weeks before the General Release.
FAQ
Who receives release communications?
To receive email notifications about planned releases and system maintenance, users should select the Service Availability Notifications option from User Profile > Notification and Email Preferences from within their Vault. Admins can also enable this communication in two different ways: see System Availability Emails for more information.
To view updates regarding system availability, visit the Veeva Trust Site.
What level of detail will Veeva communicate regarding maintenance releases?
Users who have selected the Service Availability Notifications option receive maintenance release notifications based on the POD their Vault is on. A link to the detailed Vault Release Notes is included in the communication.
What will happen if a user is logged in at the time that a release begins?
The next time the user performs an action that sends a request to the server, the user sees an error. This means unsaved work may be lost. Logged in users will receive a notification dialog shortly before their Vault enters maintenance informing them that Vault will be unavailable. We recommend promptly saving your work after seeing this notification.
Can users log in while the Vault is in maintenance?
No, logins are disabled during releases.
Are customers notified when a release is finished?
Users can tell when a release is finished if they are able to log in successfully after the maintenance window is complete. Additionally, users can check the Veeva Trust Site for status updates related to Vault services.
Will I receive a communication before my Vault becomes unavailable due to an upgrade?
Active Vault users will see a popup notification 10 minutes before the upgrade. Vault also sends an email notification to the email address configured in Admin > Settings > Service Availability Notifications: Email.
Will I receive a communication when my Vault is back online after an upgrade?
Vault will send an email notification to the email address configured in Admin > Settings > Service Availability Notifications: Email.
PODs
POD stands for “point of delivery”. In simple terms, it is the application server that hosts your Vault. PODs are located in data centers on the East Coast and West Coast of the US, in Japan, and in Germany. Admin users can confirm which POD their Vaults are on from Admin > Settings > General Settings.
AWS PODs have an ID with two numbers. The first number indicates the region: 1 for the US, 2 for Europe, 3 for Asia-Pacific.
For a list of all PODs and their locations, see Vault POD Details.