TetraScience products, like other software products, improve through iterative changes over time. Some improvements require that TetraScience must deprecate a feature, component (including API endpoints), or function. Deprecate means that TetraScience plans to stop supporting the feature, component, or function in the future. TetraScience provides advanced notice of deprecations to help customers and partners assess the impact of these changes and make adjustments in their environments as needed.

This topic provides an overview of the guidelines TetraScience will follow for the deprecation process and notices. For the actual deprecation notices, see Tetra Product Deprecation Notices

Deprecation Notices

When TetraScience deprecates a feature, component, or function, TetraScience will provide a deprecation notice that is published to let the customers know about planned breaking changes that will occur in the product. Notices will be:

• Given, at minimum, 6 months in advance of the removal. Note that exceptions to the 6-month timeline might be made based on usage of feature or impact of change.
• Provided for deprecations to stable components, features, and functions.
• Posted on the TetraScience documentation website.
• Referenced in our release notes.

Deprecations sometimes include intermediary steps, such as the hiding of a screen in one version that a URL can still access, then the complete removal of the screen in the next version of the product.

Note that there are no deprecation notices for BETA components, functions, or features, as those should not be used in production.

Upgrade Considerations

• Depending on the timeline of upgrades, customers could upgrade to the releases where the deprecation starts or ends.
• Customers who are upgrading to the releases when the deprecation period ends will need to carefully consider the impact and handle them.

Customer Best Practices for Handling Deprecations

TetraScience strongly recommends that when customers become aware of deprecations they do the following.

• Do not start new initiatives using the deprecated components.
• Assess the impact of the deprecation on your processes, workflows, and data. For example, if the deprecation affects a pipeline trigger, consider whether adjustments might be needed in the pipeline triggers to accommodate the change.
• Plan to accommodate the deprecation, customers will need to make changes to accommodate it.
• Identify and notify the internal users about the deprecation if it impacts their work.
• Contact TetraScience if there are any questions about the deprecation.