I tried to implement ODAG in the context of the recommend app lifecycle using separate spaces for each development stage (DEV as a shared space, INT and PROD as managed spaces) and came across a number of issues that some of you have maybe also noticed.
Let's look at the setup for the PROD stage (the setup will be the same for INT; on DEV it is more simple as there all apps are in one shared space and only developers access this stage):
- The production-level ODAG selection app resides in the PROD managed space where end users can access it,
- The ODAG template app needs to reside in a separate shared space as templates cannot reside in managed spaces (it's designed that way by Qlik even though I currently do not understand why it is the case),
- The ODAG template is linked to the selection app via ODAG navigation link
- The ODAG app a user creates resides in his/her personal space
There are the following issues with this setup:
- The ODAG navigation links cannot be updated in the selection app published to the managed space.
- The ODAG template app cannot be re-published as it resides in a shared space. If an update is necessary, one needs to delete the existing copy and move in a new version with a new app ID etc. This goes against the app lifecycle concept where PROD level (and INT also) apps are published and re-published. A new copy of a template means that the ODAG navigation link has to be updated in the ODAG selection app. As this is not possible in the published version and also not in the original app where the development was performed, the existing published ODAG selection app needs to be deleted from the managed space. The link can then be updated in the selection app. Subsequently, it can be published to the managed space. In this process, the connections to previously created instances of the ODAG template in users' personal spaces are lost.
- the ODAG apps created by a user reside in the personal space. If the user wants to make them available to other users, sharing and publishing are options. Publishing requires at least can publish permissions - mostly not in scope for an end user. Sharing is an option stated on the documentation page for ODAG. However, other sections of the documentation state that sharing apps is now limited to apps in shared or managed spaces. My tests confirm this.
In summary, I believe the integration of ODAG into the recommended app lifecycle setup could be significantly improved by just a few changes:
1. Allowing for ODAG template apps to reside in managed spaces so that they can be regularly re-published, persisting app IDs and ODAG navigation links.
2. Implementing an option for a user to share a created ODAG instance app with other users.
Maybe you have experiences to share concerning ODAG on Qlik SaaS or some feedback on my observations and suggestions?
Best regards,
Tom
