> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://seal-d2ca5bea.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Release process

> How Seal manages platform updates and notifies customers of changes.

Seal follows a structured release process designed for GxP-regulated environments, in accordance with the agile lifecycle principles of GAMP 5 2nd Edition. As a [configured product](/validation/validation#what-is-platform-vs-what-is-built-for-you), Seal takes responsibility for platform-level validation through its release process. Every update is tested, reviewed, and categorized by risk level to ensure customers have appropriate notice and time to validate changes.

## Release previews

Seal follows a **2-week release cycle**. Functionality changes are released behind a **Release Previews**, giving your organisation the opportunity to validate before changes go live.

On the **cutoff date**, the preview becomes available in **Settings → Releases**. On the **go-live date** (2 weeks later for minor and significant changes; at least 4 weeks for major changes), the release is enabled for all users automatically.

This allows Organization Admins to:

* Review and validate upcoming changes before they go live
* Run User Acceptance Tests against the preview to confirm workflows are unaffected
* Update internal documentation and training materials ahead of the wider release
* Auto-enroll in all future release previews to stay ahead of changes

If you don't enable a preview, it becomes standard automatically on the go-live date—no action required.

### Release preview environment

A dedicated release preview environment is available for validating upcoming changes without affecting your production data.

| Your platform URL                                    | Release preview environment                        |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| [platform.seal.run](https://platform.seal.run)       | [preview.seal.run](https://preview.seal.run)       |
| [us.platform.seal.run](https://us.platform.seal.run) | [us.preview.seal.run](https://us.preview.seal.run) |

To validate an upcoming release, apply the release preview in **Settings → Releases** on the preview environment, then run your User Acceptance Tests against it. Once satisfied, apply the same release preview in your production environment.

<Info>
  **Data isolation**

  The release preview environment runs on a separate database from your production environment. Data created in preview is never written to production, and changes made in production do not appear in preview. EU (`preview.seal.run`) and US (`us.preview.seal.run`) are also independent of each other.

  Preview is seeded from a production snapshot and can be refreshed on request, which replaces the preview database with a fresh snapshot — any data created in preview since the last seed is discarded. Contact [support@seal.run](mailto:support@seal.run) to request a refresh.
</Info>

## Risk levels

Every release is categorized into one of the following risk levels:

| Risk Level      | Description                                                       | Notification & Preview Policy                                  |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **None**        | No functionality changes, no user-facing workflow changes         | No action required                                             |
| **Minor**       | Minor functionality change; no change to how users carry out work | 2 weeks advance notice. **Released as Preview first**          |
| **Significant** | Changes to how users carry out work (e.g., UI changes)            | 2 weeks advance notice. **Released as Preview first**          |
| **Major**       | Major functionality change (e.g., removing a feature)             | At least 4 weeks advance notice. **Released as Preview first** |

<Info>
  **Customer consultation for major changes**

  Before any major release that could affect your UAT or training, we consult with you directly and extend timelines as needed. Our goal is 100% adoption of the latest release—if any customer cannot upgrade, we treat that as a problem to solve together.
</Info>

## Automated User Acceptance Testing

Seal offers AI-powered browser automation to continuously validate your configured workflows. This ensures your critical business processes remain functional as both the platform and your configuration evolve.

### How it works

Your User Acceptance Tests are defined as entities within your Seal organisation. Each test describes a workflow in natural language—such as "Create a new Batch Record from the Production template and verify all required fields are present."

The AI browser agent can run your tests:

* **On every platform release** — automatically validate before your team uses a new version
* **After configuration changes** — verify workflows still work after you modify templates, fields, or approval chains
* **On demand** — trigger tests manually whenever you need assurance

For each test run, Seal:

1. **Executes your test suite** using AI browser agents
2. **Records video** of each test for full visibility
3. **Reports results** in a dedicated view within your organisation
4. **Alerts you immediately** if any test fails

### Benefits

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Confidence in updates" icon="shield-check">
    Know that your critical workflows function correctly before your team uses a new release.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reduced validation effort" icon="clock">
    Eliminate manual regression testing—your tests run automatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Full audit trail" icon="file-video">
    Video recordings of every test execution provide complete documentation for compliance.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Automated training videos" icon="graduation-cap">
    Tests that mirror training scenarios generate up-to-date recordings whenever your configuration changes.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Example use cases

* **Batch record creation**: Verify that creating a new batch record from your template includes all required fields and review requirements
* **Document approval workflow**: Confirm that submitting a document for review triggers the correct notifications and approval flow
* **Data entry validation**: Ensure that out-of-specification warnings appear correctly when entering invalid data
* **Report generation**: Validate that generating a report from your configured templates produces expected outputs
* **Training documentation**: Generate current training videos automatically after configuration changes

### Get started

Automated UAT is available for organisations on our Enterprise plan. To set up automated testing for your workflows:

1. **Contact your Seal representative** or email [support@seal.run](mailto:support@seal.run)
2. We'll help you identify critical workflows to automate
3. Our team configures the initial test suite in your organisation
4. You'll have a dedicated view to monitor test results after every release

<Info>
  **Custom test development**

  Our team can help you write tests for complex workflows specific to your organisation. Tests are written in natural language, making them easy to understand and maintain alongside your documentation.
</Info>

## Deployment process

All production releases follow a zero-downtime deployment process:

1. New version deployed using live/candidate strategy
2. Automated health checks verify functionality before receiving traffic
3. Traffic switched only after all validations pass
4. If any check fails, deployment is cancelled automatically

Every release must pass all automated tests and peer reviews before deployment.

## Documentation

* Feature changes are documented in [Release Notes](/validation/release-notes)
* Executed platform tests are visible in the **Validation** tab within your Seal platform
* All deployment activity is logged and auditable