Beta and Experimental Releases

Introduction

Some Mendix Platform releases contain beta or experimental features or products that can be used and evaluated by early-adopter developers.

Mendix releases beta versions in two circumstances:

• When a new product or product version is introduced and made available to early adopters so that they can try it
• When individual features are introduced within a non-beta product which are, in principle, production-ready but are either subject to change or need to be reviewed by a broader audience; these features are disabled by default

Mendix releases experimental versions when a new product or product version is introduced and can already provide value to the user, but Mendix cannot yet guarantee the stability or quality and may never release this as GA.

Generally, the release status of a feature or product can follow this order:

1. Private beta.
2. Experimental.
3. Public beta.
4. General availability (GA).

We collect feedback on the implementation and use of these beta/experimental features and products so that we can improve them. We value any feedback, as it enables us to provide you with the best possible product. This also helps us prepare for the GA release.

An example is a new major version of Mendix Studio Pro. We release this product in beta, as the feature sets may not be complete and developers may find gaps in functionality that Mendix is still working on.

The availability of beta/experimental features and products is documented in the release notes for the release. Other documentation may be provided by Mendix. Please consult the release notes and the documentation for details on how to enable and use these features and products.

In the docs, pages about beta features are marked with a beta badge (BETA) on the left sidebar.

Testing Beta Releases

If you would like to test a beta feature or product, consider the following:

• Contact the responsible Mendix Product Manager (PM) who can assist you in your test app
  • The PM can help you identify if your use case is a good fit for the particular beta feature or product
  • Your Customer Success Manager (CSM) can introduce you
• Your CSM will also ensure the involvement of Mendix Expert Services if required in order to aid you in your test app and provide you with the required knowledge to successfully make use of the beta feature or product
• Feedback on the quality of the beta feature or product will be evaluated by the PM
• When there is a strong desire to take a beta feature or product into production, please contact your CSM to see if special arrangements are possible

Limitations of Beta and Experimental Releases

Please take note of the following limitations regarding beta/experimental features and products:

• Beta/experimental features and products should not be used for production applications
  • We do not offer production support on beta/experimental features and products
  • Beta/experimental features and products may contain bugs, which could potentially lead to data corruption
• Beta/experimental features and products are not covered by any SLA
  • We value feedback, including tickets describing problems with beta/experimental features and products, but these tickets will not be handled according to your SLA
  • We cannot guarantee timely fixes for any problems you encounter with beta/experimental features and products
• Beta/experimental features and products may introduce breaking changes
  • Although we aim for backwards compatibility, Mendix cannot guarantee backwards compatibility between monthly releases for beta/experimental features and products
• Beta/experimental features and products may change in future releases, depending on the feedback
• Beta/experimental features and products may be incomplete
  • Future releases may include more functionality to complete the feature or product
• Experimental features and products may be made available to a limited group of users
• Experimental features and products may be removed at any time from existing and future releases