support@drupal.org:
I've been searching for a comfortable CMS for years. I deployed a personal Drupal site ~20 months ago and have been fumbling my way along, learning as I go (http://holgerdanske.com/). I recently worked my way through "Using Drupal", and have come to realize Drupal's GUI CMS RAD nature. Slick, but...
My current development-test-deployment process is as follows:
1. Log in to the production server and take a backup using Backup and Migrate.
2. Lock out the users.
3. Hack.
4. Do some manual testing. If testing fails, either:
a. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until I succeed, then let the users back in.
b. Restore.
I'm now running Drupal sites for other people, and need a better process. I'm looking for Drupal features/ tools that allow me to:
1. Export settings, content, uploaded files, etc. (e.g. everything "dynamic") from the production server and import the same into a development machine.
2. Export additions, changes, fixes, etc., as deltas from the development machine and import them into a test/ staging machine.
3. Import validated delta(s) into the production server, quickly and easily, with the ability to revert. (Referential integrity will need to be solved, or precluded.)
I would prefer that exports and imports be in the form of a directory tree of files in suitable standard formats, so that the full range of command-line tools can be brought to bear -- version control, backup, archive, mv, cp, diff/patch, hand editing, scripting, etc..
I would prefer that the export/ import functionality be available via both a Drupal administration control panel and via command-line utilities.
STFW, this is not a new issue:
http://lists.drupal.org/pipermail/support/2009-July/012439.html
I'm wondering what the Drupal project has in mind for solving it, when, and for who (e.g. 4.x? 5.x? 6.x? 7.x?)?
TIA,
David