System and method for reversibility categories and characteristics of computer application functions

1. A method for selectively testing computer application functions in a product update package, comprising:

analyzing, by a processor, a computer application function in the product update package to determine a testing category assigned to the computer application function according to a reversibility status;

based on the analysis, by the processor, indicating that the testing category is either a first testing category denoting the computer application function is reversible, a second testing category denoting the computer application function is not reversible, or a third testing category denoting the computer application function is reversible with restrictions;

in response to the indication that the testing category for the computer application is the first testing category, activating the computer application function in a first test environment;

in response to the indication that the testing category for the computer application is the second testing category, activating the computer application function in a second test environment;

in response to the indication that the testing category for the computer application is the third testing category, analyzing, by the processor, the computer application function to determine a testing characteristic, wherein the testing characteristic is a sub-category providing finer granularity of the testing category that denotes the effects of testing the corresponding computer application on a test environment;

in response to the determination of the testing characteristic, activating the computer application function in a third test environment selected from a plurality of test environments based on the determined testing characteristic; and

testing the computer application function in the respective test environment.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

after completion of the testing in the first test environment, deactivating the computer application function; and

allowing the generated test data to remain in a data storage device connected to the first test environment, wherein the test data generated by the testing of the computer application function does not interfere with the subsequent testing of other computer application functions.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

generating in the second test environment, by the computer application function during testing, test data that will interfere with the operation of subsequent computer application functions activated on the second test environment; and

deleting the computer application function and the generated test data from the second test environment.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

based on the analysis of the testing characteristic, preventing the computer application function from being activated in the first test environment.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first test environment is a production computer system.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second test environment is a separate test computer system that is setup anew after completion of the testing, wherein the generated test data is deleted from data storage associated with the separate test computer system.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third test environment is a main test set computer system including main test set data storage.

8. A computer system for selectively testing computer application functions in a product update package, comprising:

a display device for presenting a listing of computer application functions that require testing;

a data storage device for storing data;

a server for managing test set environments for testing the computer application functions;

a graphical user interface generated by a processor and presented on the display device for facilitating selection of a computer application function for testing from the listing of computer application functions;

wherein the processor is connected to the display device and to a plurality of test environments, and the processor is configured to:

analyze a computer application function to determine a testing category assigned to the computer application function according to a reversibility status;

based on the analysis, indicate that the testing category is either a first testing category denoting the computer application function is reversible, a second testing category denoting the computer application function is not reversible, or a third testing category denoting the computer application function is reversible with restrictions;

in response to the indication that the testing category for the computer application is the first testing category, activate the computer application function in a first test environment;

in response to the indication that the testing category for the computer application is the second testing category, activate the computer application function in a second test environment;

in response to the indication that the testing category for the computer application is the third testing category, analyze the computer application function to determine a testing characteristic, wherein the testing characteristic is a sub-category providing finer granularity of the testing category that denotes the effects of testing the corresponding computer application on a test environment;

in response to the determination that the testing category is the third testing category, activate the computer application function in a third test environment selected from a plurality of test environments based on the determined testing characteristic; and

test the computer application function in the respective test environment based on the analysis indication.

9. The computer system of claim 8 , the processor is further configured to:

after completion of testing in the first test environment, deactivate the computer application function; and

allow generated test data to remain in a data storage device connected to the first test environment, wherein the test data generated by the testing of the computer application function does not interfere with the subsequent testing of other computer application functions.

10. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the third test environment is a main test set computer system.

11. The computer system of claim 8 , the processor is further configured to:

based on the analysis of the testing characteristic, prevent the computer application function from being activated in the first test environment.

12. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the second test environment is a separate test computer system that is setup anew after completion of the testing, wherein generated test data is deleted from data storage associated with the separate test computer system.

13. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the first test environment is a production computer system.

14. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate by executing the computer application function during testing in the second testing environment, test data that will interfere with the operation of subsequent computer application functions operated on the second test environment; and

delete the computer application function and the generated test data from the second test environment.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium embodied with computer program instructions for causing a processor to execute a method for selectively testing computer application functions in a product update package, the method comprising:

analyzing, by a processor, a computer application function to determine a testing category assigned to the computer application function according to a reversibility status;

based on the analysis, by the processor, indicating that the testing category is either a first testing category denoting the computer application function is reversible, a second testing category denoting the computer application function is not reversible, or a third testing category denoting the computer application function is reversible with restrictions;

in response to the indication that the testing category for the computer application is the first testing category, activating the computer application function in a first test environment;

in response to the indication that the testing category for the computer application is the second testing category, activating the computer application function in a second test environment;

in response to the indication that the testing category for the computer application is the third testing category, analyzing, by the processor, the first computer application function to determine a testing characteristic, wherein the testing characteristic is a sub-category providing finer granularity of the testing category that denotes the effects of testing the corresponding computer application on a test environment;

in response to the determination that the testing category is the third testing category, activating the first computer application function in a third test environment selected from a plurality of test environments based on the determined testing characteristic; and

testing the computer application function in the respective test environment based on the analysis indication.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising:

after completion of the testing, deactivating the computer application function in the first test environment; and

allowing generated test data to remain in a data storage device connected to the first test environment, wherein the test data generated by the testing of the computer application function does not interfere with the subsequent testing of other computer application functions.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising:

generating in the second test environment, by the computer application function during testing, test data that will interfere with the operation of subsequent computer application functions activated on the second test environment; and

deleting the computer application function and the generated test data from the second test environment.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising:

based on the analysis of the testing characteristic, preventing the computer application function from being activated in the first test environment.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the first test environment is a production computer system.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the second test environment is a separate test computer system that is setup anew after completion of the testing, wherein the generated test data is deleted from data storage associated with the separate test computer system.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the third test environment is a main test set computer system including main test set data storage.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein one of:

the computer application function is reversible because it includes one of (a) pure user interface changes, and (b) a complete new independent application; and

the computer application function is reversible with restrictions because it includes one of (a) an uncritical application or custom data remaining, (b) a critical application or custom data remaining, and (c) an uncritical cross client application or custom data changes.

23. The computer system of claim 8 wherein one of:

the computer application function is reversible because it includes one of (a) pure user interface changes, and (b) a complete new independent application; and

the computer application function is reversible with restrictions because it includes one of (a) an uncritical application or custom data remaining, (b) a critical application or custom data remaining, and (c) an uncritical cross client application or custom data changes.

24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein one of:

the computer application function is reversible because it includes one of (a) pure user interface changes, and (b) a complete new independent application; and

the computer application function is reversible with restrictions because it includes one of (a) an uncritical application or custom data remaining, (b) a critical application or custom data remaining, and (c) an uncritical cross client application or custom data changes.