What is a patch fix?
Every quarter, we release SelectHR updates for known issues, performance improvements, security enhancements, legislative updates and new functionality in the form of patch fixes, which were formerly known as consolidations.
We recommend that you keep your system updated to benefit from the above enhancements included in the patch fix. Our latest as well as historical release notes can all be found on our dedicated release notes portal.
How does the patch fix process work?
The patch fix process can be broken down into several key stages - these are included for you below, and we recommend familiarising yourself with all information outlined to ensure a smooth process.
Phase 1 – Booking
We will notify all members on your active SelectHR Support Entitlement of the dates when the patch fix will be deployed to your SelectHR estate. The test and live system will usually be updated one week apart.
Phase 2 – Test system patch fix deployment
We deploy the patch fix to your test system. Ensure you familiarise yourself with the following key points:
The patch fix deployment will be initiated at the time confirmed in your booking email.
You will be unable to access your test system for up to 90 minutes during the patch fix deployment.
During the patch fix deployment, should any user attempt to log in to the system, they will see the message:
“Sorry, your site is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance, we are updating your system with the latest improvements.”
Once the patch fix deployment is completed, your test system will automatically be brought back online.
Should the patch fix fail to deploy for any reason, all SelectHR Entitlement holders will be notified of the failure. Our development team will work on a fix and confirm a new patch fix deployment schedule at a later date.
Phase 3 – UAT (User Acceptance Testing)
You will now have a one-week opportunity to log in to your test system following the patch fix deployment to ensure it is working as expected. Ensure you familiarise yourself with the following key points:
Ensure everything still works as required.
Check for resolution of any item we have advised the patch fix addresses.
Let us know if you encounter any issues when testing the system.
Refer to the Patch fixes & their impact on custom configuration section for additional details.
Phase 4 – Live system patch fix deployment
The live system is usually booked in for updates seven days after the update to the test system unless agreed otherwise. Ensure you familiarise yourself with the following key points:
The patch fix deployment will be initiated at the time confirmed in your booking email.
This will be actioned during business hours to ensure that any issues can be rectified quickly.
You will be unable to access your SelectHR system for up to 90 minutes, though we aim to complete within 45 minutes.
During the patch fix deployment, should any user attempt to log in to the system, they will see the message:
“Sorry, your site is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance, we are updating your system with the latest improvements.”
Once the patch fix application is completed, your live system will automatically be brought back online.
Patch fixes & their impact on custom configuration
Providing that any custom configuration applied to your system has been completed in line with our best practice guidelines, we do not anticipate that any custom configuration will be impacted.
However, it is important to notes that patch fixes will always overwrite standard objects in SelectHR such as:
Forms
Processes
Lookups
Field Lists
Workflows
Batch Jobs
This is to ensure that any bug fixes/enhancements are applied to those standard objects in full.
If any custom configuration, no matter how small in scale, has been applied to a standard variant of these items, there is a possibility that the custom configuration changes will be permanently lost following the patch fix deployment.
As such, we recommend that you ensure custom configuration is applied to copies of those items as per our best practice guidelines to prevent being lost or overwritten.
Please note that Access Support cannot resolve or reimplement any lost configuration for you.