Best practices for developing, testing, and deploying in DriveWorks
When implementing DriveWorks, one of the most important decisions you can make is how you manage changes to your project. Whether you’re introducing new automation, updating forms, refining rules, or fixing issues, having dedicated development and testing environments helps ensure your production system remains stable, secure, and reliable.
In this blog, we’ll explore what makes up a robust DriveWorks environment strategy and share best practices for developing, testing, and deploying changes.
Understanding the different environments
A well-managed DriveWorks implementation typically consists of three separate environments:
1. Development environment
The development environment is the workspace used to:
- Create new projects
- Build and modify forms
- Develop rules and calculations
- Test integrations
- Investigate and resolve bugs
2. Testing environment
The testing environment is designed to validate changes before they move to production.
This environment should closely mirror your live system, including:
- Similar project configurations
- Representative test data
- Connected integrations
- Matching DriveWorks versions
3. Production environment
The production environment is where your business-critical processes run.
This is the system used by sales teams, engineers, customers, or distributors to:
- Generate specifications
- Create quotes
- Produce SOLIDWORKS® models
- Generate manufacturing documentation
Why different environments matter
Implementing dedicated development and testing environments has several advantages:
1. Protect your live system
Separating environments reduces the risk of accidental disruptions to your live system. Users can continue generating quotes and designs while development work takes place elsewhere.
2. Test with confidence
Confidently test and validate changes in a safe environment before deploying to production.
3. Improve quality assurance
Testing changes before deployment helps identify configuration issues, broken rules, missing assets, and integration problems before they impact users.
4. Robust security and governance
Controlled deployment processes support internal governance standards and improve auditability around system changes.
Best practices for moving DriveWorks data
Once changes have been developed and tested, they need to be promoted safely to the next environment.
Organize your data
A structured DriveWorks project is easier to maintain and migrate.
Consider:
- Consistent naming conventions
- Clear project documentation
- Logical folder structures
- Version control processes
Take regular backups
Before importing updates or making significant changes:
- Backup all DriveWorks projects
- Backup supporting databases
- Backup any linked files and resources
Communicate changes clearly
Successful deployments rely on communication.
Ensure that stakeholders understand:
- What is changing
- Why the change is being made
- When deployment will occur
- Any expected impact on users
Use data management tools
DriveWorks provides tools that can help move projects and data between environments.
Following recommended migration procedures helps reduce errors and ensures consistency across environments.
Use DriveWorks resources
Use DriveWorks resources to establish successful deployment processes.
DriveWorks test licenses
DriveWorks test licenses can be used for deployment and testing environments and are available at a lower cost. Please contact your DriveWorks reseller to find out more.
Learn more
At DriveWorks World 2026, we hosted a wide range of sessions showcasing DriveWorks design automation, 3D product configurator, and CPQ for manufacturing technology, including a live session on best practices for developing, testing, and deploying in DriveWorks.
All sessions were hosted by DriveWorks technical experts and designed to show you how to get the best out of DriveWorks technology. Recordings of the live sessions are all now available to watch again as courses in the DriveWorks Learning Portal.