Why and how Continuous Delivery was implemented at Deli XL, including benefits, design, technologies, examples and various metrics.

1. Ernst de Haan, E-commerce Architect, Deli XL June 6, 2012
Continuous Delivery @ Deli XL

2. Executive Summary
> PROD = 18 machines (16 virtual)
> Developer to PROD: ± 50 min
> Monday after Sprint → PROD
> Multi-site, multi-branch
> Deployment = 1 click (takes ± 20 min)
> Rollback = 1 click
> Deployment issues = 0

3. ✓ 1K suppliers ✓ 110K products ✓ 2M consumers?
✓ 30K customers ✓ € 750M/year ✓ 100 catalogs

4. Process
> Scrum, 3 week Sprints
> Acceptance test inside Sprint
> Separate streets: D→A→P and T
> Monday after Sprint → Prod (06:00 h)
> Prod deployment by Ops team in India
> Developers/testers deploy to D/T/A

5. Architecture
> ATG 10 (multi-site)
> Commerce
> Service
> XINS
> integration layers
> high testability
> GigaSpaces
> service grid + data grid
> high scalability

6. web browsers, mobile apps, external systems
Internet
E-commerce
Apache Architecture
Domain
Image API
(XINS)
JSPs
JavaScript API
(XINS)
ATG Out API ATG In API
(XINS) (XINS)
CMS Data Grid Passthru API
(First Spirit) (GigaSpaces) (GigaSpaces)
External systems: SAP, IDM, AS/400, etc.

7. Continuous Delivery @ Deli XL
1 Why we did it
2 What we did
3 Demo
4 Discussion

8. Typical IT Headaches
been there…
> Creating builds = manual labour
> Deploying to test environments = slow
> Deployment reliability = error prone
> Get Sprint ready for PROD = challenging
> Root cause analysis = difficult
> Elastic scaling = not possible

9. Typical Business Headaches
> TTM
> long, even with agile (Developer → P in weeks?)
> much variance (typically due to issues after Sprint)
> Cost
> manual builds & deployments are recurring costs
> the later an issue is found, the more expensive

10. Why Continuous Delivery
> Improve TTM (shorten, reduce variance)
> Automate tedious work
> Increase project efficiency (within Sprints)
> Increase Ops efficiency
> Make offshoring easier
> Simplify new initiatives/brands
> Reduce (impact of) Production defects
> Elastic scaling

11. Why Continuous Delivery - Summary
> Reduce overhead cost
> Increase reliability
> Increase agility
and because it reduces headaches for IT :-)

12. Continuous Delivery @ Deli XL
1 Why we did it
2 What we did
3 Demo
4 Discussion

13. At Project Start
> Manual quality control
> Manual builds & deployments
> Single site/brand
> Single project (1 branch in version control)
> Slow environment provisioning

14. Steps Taken During Project
> Unified vision & NFRs
> Standardized all processes
> Continuous Integration including QC
> Automated builds & deployments
> Workflow control system (Jenkins)
> Standardized environment provisioning
> Environment cloning procedures

15. Design
> Environment-agnostic builds/packages
> Commit Stages - one per branch
> e.g. per project: previous release/hotfixes, next release
> includes QC
> includes automated deployments to CI environment
> includes automated functional regression tests
> Deployment Pipelines
> independent from Commit Stages
> configuration easy to change

16. Technology
> Maven
> Jenkins
> Puppet
less relevant, it’s about how you set it up…

17. Dealing with Parallel Projects
> Example:
> Sprint 22 – 3 weeks – regular Sprint
> Sprint 21+ – 1 week – started at same time
> Approach:
> separate branch (10 min)
> separate commit stage (10 min)
> allocated a deployment pipeline (= environments)
> communication
> daily merge, one way
> final merge after P delivery

18. Dealing with Data
> Simple approach for typical situations
> repeatable data model changes
> In exceptional cases intervention is needed

19. Hotfixes
> Again: single click
> Regular deployments from release branch

20. Rollbacks
> Typical:
> one click of a button
> Exceptional cases:
> intervention needed because of data (structure)

21. Resourcing Vision (1/2)
> Business & management consulting:
> local Solution Architect
> Analysis
> Deli XL
> Development:
> local ATG/Java expertise, leads (Mindcurv Europe)
> offshore ATG/Java capacity (Mindcurv India)

22. Resourcing Vision (2/2)
> Testing:
> local testers documenting test cases
> offshore Testing-as-a-Service (Mindcurv)
> Support & maintenance:
> mostly offshore
> local Service Delivery Manager

23. Continuous Delivery @ Deli XL
1 Why we did it
2 What we did
3 Demo
4 Discussion

24. Continuous Delivery @ Deli XL
1 Why we did it
2 What we did
3 Demo
4 Discussion