It is possible to separate the production study and test environment automatically by using a Form Sync feature or manually creating a duplicate of a study.
To learn more about creating a duplicate of your study automatically, read the article: Using Test and Production Study Environments in EDC/CDMS
If you want to create a duplicate of your study manually, follow these steps:
- Create a test study and add structure, visits, forms and fields. Test the forms and the surveys.
- Once the testing is done, export the structure from the test study and import it into the real study. Keep in mind that it is not possible to import users, settings and automation engine settings into the real study. We recommend setting this up directly in the production environment.
- Once the production study goes live, you can use the test study to test any potential changes to the study.
- After these changes are tested in a test study, set the real study to 'not live' and make the relevant changes. Set the study back to 'live' once the changes are completed. Keep in mind that changing the study forms can have an impact on the data which are described in the article: Can I still change the forms when my study is live?