Standard Support

Owned by Mark Juras
Last updated: Jan 21, 2022
4 min read

Overview

We are committed to our customers' success with gmStudio and welcome all customer feedback.  We offer Standard Support to each active Professional Edition License holder which includes product updates and services as described in this article.

What types of services does Standard Support include?

  • Help with resolving Installation issues: unable to install gmStudio
  • Help with resolving Licensing issues: unable to use a valid gmStudio license file
  • Help with resolving gmStudio issues: unable to use the gmStudio UI such as migration project setup, running external processes, and reporting
  • Help with resolving Default Translation issues: unable to produce a complete translation of your valid source code using Default Translation rules
  • Limited Custom Upgrade Advice 

Note that the above issues can be caused by a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the following: 

  • Incorrect or incomplete source content
  • Environmental problems 
  • Incorrect product usage
  • Product defects

Disclaimer: some of the above factors are out of our control and their resolution is beyond the scope of Standard Support.

We encourage all prospective buyers to check for Default Translation issues prior to purchasing gmStudio by downloading the gmStudio Trial and running assessment translations with the gmStudio Wizard.  Translations issues will typically be reported in the Translation Log.  You may also contact us for help with checking your system for potential Default Translation errors as described in this Getting Started with gmStudio article.

What is not included in Standard Support?

Standard support does not provide a service level agreement for the following types of work:

  • Making your translations build in .NET
  • Preparing or verifying custom configuration files
  • Developing and/or presenting training materials for a Custom Upgrade
  • Functional testing of client applications
  • Runtime Library fixes and enhancements 

Under standard support, these tasks remain your responsibility.  However we are very interested in helping you with them and we encourage you to submit requests for help with these tasks.  Most questions are answered within 1-5 business days, but response time can be longer depending on our other commitments.  If you need a higher level of service, we will work with you to define a Statement of Work describing tasks, deliverables, schedule, staffing, and cost for the engagement.

Expected Code Quality

We require complete, well-formed source codes and solution configuration files as input and we attempt to produce complete, well-formed .NET codes as output.  We attempt to produce .NET codes that builds without errors but this is rarely achieved without customizing the translation rules.  

We provide users with the means to customize the translations – to improve code quality in terms of correct functionality and conformance to unique coding standards.  Implementing a custom translation process requires definition, research, analysis and skillful implementation.   Your ability to implement a custom solution is limited by the vision and resources available; so, we do not guarantee any specific level of subjective code "quality" for the translations produced by gmStudio.  

If you intend to develop a highly customized upgrade solution, please contact us for advice on Training and Custom Support prior to starting your project. 

How does the Standard Support process work?

  • Support is typically requested via the inquiry form on our web site or via the feedback form in gmStudio.
  • Suspected product defects should be submitted with a detailed description of how to reproduce the problem and the expected resolution.  If possible send us representative source code and configuration files as well as the generated code and logs from reproducing problem.
  • We can use email, web meetings, skype, and phone to provide responses. 
  • There is no firm SLA for Standard Support.  However, we attempt to make a first response to support requests within 1-3 business days.
  • If you would like a firm SLA for our support, please contact us to discuss a Custom Support engagement.

Requesting Support

Please make sure that you are using the latest version of gmStudio and that you have looked for answers in our User's Guide first.

If your problem is not addressed by the documentation, the following information is required to provide support:

  • A full description of your problem. 
  • gmStudio version and License Information (See [Help/About]). 
  • Operating System version. 
  • .NET Framework version. 
  • How the error or condition has occurred, including the sequence of actions leading up to the error condition, error messages...etc.
  • In certain cases we require sample source and solution files to reproduce the error.  Please compress related material into .zip archives. Content may be emailed or exchanged by secure file upload to the Great Migrations web site.

Product Updates

Every migration team should plan to put all generated code through functional and technical testing that is both rigorous and comprehensive to ensure that the code meets the team's criteria for quality and is fit for its purpose prior to release into production.

We typically publish releases every 4-8 weeks.  The content of each release is determined at our discretion based on severity of the issues, the needs and priorities of our gmStudio users, and the resources available.

  • First priority goes to resolving defects that prevent customers from making use of standard features 
  • Second priority goes to resolving product defects affecting the correctness of the translations
  • Third priority goes to resolving product defects affecting the advanced features
  • Forth priority goes to developing new capabilities and product enhancements of a general nature

See past release notes for a high-level history of the types of changes in each release.

Custom Upgrade Advice

We will  respond to questions regarding Custom Upgrade development (i.e., improving code quality) with a best-efforts level of service from the resources we have available.  In some cases, to deliver high-priority fixes, we publish releases off-cycle.  In other circumstances, we may suggest a work around that allows a customer to solve their problem without requiring a gmStudio update.

There is no firm SLA for Custom Support.  Time to resolve defects and implement enhancements varies based on the nature of the work and when it can be scheduled for a release.  If you would like a firm SLA for support please Contact Us to discuss a Custom Support Engagement.  


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