---
title: "Test Environments"
slug: "test-environments"
tags: ["Terms and Conditions", "Test Environment"]
updated: 2026-02-23T20:46:59Z
published: 2026-02-23T20:46:59Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.technolutions.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Test Environments

You can provision a **test environment**to try out new features, gain hands-on experience with your database, and troubleshoot in a controlled setting before making the leap to your production environment.

## What’s in a test environment

The test environment is an **exact copy of your production environment** at the time it was provisioned.

You can **request a refresh**of your test environment to grab the latest version of your production environment.

When you’re in a test environment, this banner appears at the top of every page:

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/Test Banner.png)

## Accessing your test environment

1. In a production environment, select **Database.**
2. In the Auditing section, select **Test & Other Environments.**
3. If you have a test environment available, you can select **Launch Environment** to open it.
4. If you don’t have a test environment available, you can provision one.

## Provisioning or refreshing a test environment

To provision (make new) or refresh (bring up to speed with production) a test environment:

> [!NOTE]
> 1. Select **Provision**, or refresh the test environment by selecting the arrow, then **Request Refresh**.
> 2. Add a **Memo** if desired. The memo appears to users when they request a refresh of the environment. Use it to provide the user with details of the environment’s intended use. [![Provision_Test_Environment.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/provision_test_environment.png)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/cd8ea7a6-07f3-4846-a554-627ac016d3e3/Images/Documentation/provision_test_environment.png)
> 3. Select **Provision**or**Request Refresh.**A confirmation pop-up appears.
> 4. If prompted, enter the required text into the confirmation pop-up and select **OK**.

> [!WARNING]
> 📝 **Note:**Provisioning or refreshing a test environment may take up to three hours.

To access your test environment:

- Select the **Endpoint** URL, or
- Select **Launch Environment**

## Differences between test and production environments

Slate prioritizes computational resources of production environments over test environments across all databases. Thus, the following features exhibit limited or no functionality in test environments:

#### Importing and exporting data

- **Incoming imports** will import only to production and not test environments.
  - Material uploads for automated imports (Common App, Coalition, EAB/Royall, UCA, Gateway to Prep) are not processed in Test.
- **Scheduled exports** do not run in Test.
- **Source Formats** do not automatically import in Test, and files placed under the **Test SFTP** are not automatically processed. Run the Force Process Pickup tool in Database to pick up and associate files with the source format, then run the Force Process Import tool. Force Process Pickup will not pull data from a web service in a Slate Test Environment.
- **Validation of Allowed Networks** for user IDs is run against the production instance. Even in a test environment, the production environment ID must include all IPs that you may be using to connect.

#### Rules and automation

- **Rules** generally do not run as quickly in test environments, and overnight processing rules are completely deprecated in Test.
- **Origin source and group overnight calculations** do not run in test environments.
- **Cleanup scripts**, like address scrubbing, do not run overnight in Test. Addresses can be scrubbed in a database (both Production and Test) on-demand using the Scrub Address Records tool in the Database. Duplicate Reference IDs and test scores are also not automatically cleaned, as well as auto-generated test score checklist items if the Add to Checklist setting on the test score is flipped from *Yes* to *No*.
- The **Slate Template Library** and **Configurable Joins Library** are not automatically refreshed in Test.
- **Retention Policies** do not automatically run in Test.

#### Communications

- **Mailings and texts**will, in places like the timeline, *appear* to have been sent in test environments, but they will not actually send. Additionally, you cannot set up Deliver accounts via the Deliver Configuration page in Test. For example: Inbox text phone numbers are not available to Test.

> [!TIP]
> ⭐ Best Practice
> 
> Use the production environment when testing scheduled mailings or testing the look and feel of a given mailing in different email clients. Test environments may present inconsistent behavior in the sending of ongoing mailings.
- Time-based **event and form communications** (such as an *hours before event* communication) may not send at the expected time in Test.
- **Slate.org** application sharing does not occur in Test.
- **Support Desk Tickets** cannot be submitted through non-Production environments.

#### Links

Links in items like mailings, portals, or record dashboards won't automatically redirect to the link in the test environment. For example, in a test environment, the URL in an internal form on a dashboard to another form leads to the version of that form in production, not to the version in test.

Check URLs when using public-facing Slate pages to ensure you are in the expected environment.

## User accounts and permissions in test environments

Generally, users enter a test environment through their production environment. The user needs to have an account in production to access a test environment.

After an initial authentication, all user accounts and permissions are controlled through the test environment. This lets you test new and updated permissions on a user-by-user basis before implementing them in production.

This also means, if your user was created in production after the last test environment refresh, you'll either need to [**manually create the account in test**](/v1/docs/user-accounts)****or refresh the test environment before the user has access.

In all cases, a user with the **Security Administrator**role is required to configure the accounts.

Note on Test Environments and external users: Before an external user can access Test, they must first log into Production and set a password for their account. They’ll be able to use those credentials to access an account with the same username in Test moving forward. They do not need to have the same permissions in Production as in Test.

## Learning Lab test environments

See [Learning Lab Courses](/docs/learning-lab-courses#personal-test-environment) for more information about Learning Lab test environments.

## Requesting additional test environments

Additional test environments are available for an added cost. To learn more about additional test environments, you may visit the link at the top of the Test & Other Environments page in the Database. Note: the ability to purchase additional test environments is limited to users with the **Security Administrator** role.

## Terms and Conditions

The following terms and conditions apply to test environments:

- A recent backup copy of the production database is used to create the test environment with a new, standalone database on the test server. All configuration and text data are copied from the production database. However, the test environment only inherits links to documents (PDFs) and digital media in the production database, rather than receiving full copies. Therefore, ***do not*** make changes to digital portfolios or video essays/interviews for real students while in the test environment, as this may have unintended consequences.
- The test environment exists temporarily, and it will only remain active if it has been used within the past 30 days. Once it has expired, the test environment is no longer accessible and will need to be provisioned again.
- At the time the test environment is provisioned, it is an exact replica of the production environment with respect to any configuration settings.
- Test environments are intended for client use only. While Technolutions support staff may occasionally make changes to this environment, we cannot accommodate a scenario where our efforts must be duplicated by making changes to two separate databases. Support for test environments is limited since these environments are intended for client experimentation only.
- Databases for test environments are not backed up. Data deleted from the test environment cannot be restored.
- There are no uptime or service guarantees associated with the test environments. While Technolutions support staff strives to keep these environments online, we do not provide the level of redundancy included with the production environments.
- Once a test environment has been terminated, it cannot be restored. You will be able to provision a new test environment at that point.
- Emails and text messages are generated within the test environment, but they are not sent. Messages may be viewed through the timeline on a given record.