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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.elementum.io/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Beta: The environments feature is currently being tested in beta. Not all Elementum customers have access to this functionality.
An organization environment is a separate Elementum workspace tied to your production organization. You can build and test changes without affecting live workflows, then copy app configurations to another environment when you are ready.

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Organization environments

Each environment:
  • Uses its own subdomain (for example dev-yourorg.elementum.io)
  • Needs its own CloudLink configuration to reach your data warehouse
  • Holds its own copies of apps you deploy into it
  • Runs independently of other environments
Your organization begins with Production—the default, live environment. You can add environments for purposes such as Development, Testing, Staging, and Training. Environments do not share app configuration by default; you move configuration between them using deployment. See Deploy Apps between Environments for how that works. Why teams use multiple environments
  • Develop and change apps without risking production data or workflows
  • Validate behavior with realistic configuration before go-live
  • Let several people work in parallel in separate workspaces
  • Release changes in a controlled way after review

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Environment categories

Every environment belongs to one of four categories. The category determines the color and icon shown on the persistent indicator visible throughout the platform.
CategoryColorIconDescription
DevelopmentOrangeTriangleAn environment to build and experiment with new ideas without affecting anyone else.
TestYellowSquareAn environment to review your work and make sure everything clicks before moving forward.
StageGreenPentagonAn environment to host demos or beta users and verify everything is perfect before the final release.
ProductionBlueCircleAn environment to host the finished, live version of your app where your actual users interact with your work.
Every authenticated user sees the same indicator regardless of role — there is no permission gate on viewing it. Production is locked. The Production category is reserved for the default Production environment. It cannot be selected when creating a new environment, and the Production environment’s category cannot be changed after creation. Pre-existing environments. When this feature is enabled, the Production environment is automatically assigned the Production category. All other existing environments are assigned Development by default. Org Admins can update those assignments afterward.
Each environment needs its own CloudLink configuration. Set up credentials in the environment before deployed apps can use Snowflake-backed data there.
Isolated environments need separate warehouse connections. Plan Snowflake users, roles, databases, and schemas before you connect CloudLink; then verify the connection works before relying on deployments.

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Isolating platform data

ComponentRequirement
UserOne Snowflake user per environment (for example ELEMENTUM_DEV, ELEMENTUM_PROD)
RoleOne role per environment
DatabaseOne database per environment for platform data
SchemaA dedicated platform schema in that database
This separation limits cross-environment access to platform data and supports auditing. External (non-platform) tables can be shared across environment users if your governance allows it; changes to those shared tables are visible in every environment that uses them. Example
EnvironmentUserRolePlatform databasePlatform schema
ProductionELEMENTUM_PRODELEMENTUM_PRODELEMENTUM_PRODELEMENTUM_PLATFORM
DevelopmentELEMENTUM_DEVELEMENTUM_DEVELEMENTUM_DEVELEMENTUM_PLATFORM
StagingELEMENTUM_STAGINGELEMENTUM_STAGINGELEMENTUM_STAGINGELEMENTUM_PLATFORM

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Create an Environment

Create a new environment from your production organization to start developing and testing in isolation.
  1. Go to Settings icon Organization Settings > Platform > Environments. You will see a list of all environments in your organization, with Production marked as the default.
  2. Click + Create Environment in the upper right. A modal appears with the message: “Create an environment that allows you to safely build, test, and release changes without affecting your live app.”
  3. Fill in the required fields:
    FieldDescriptionExample
    Environment nameA descriptive name for the environmentDevelopment, Testing, Staging
    SubdomainThe URL prefix for this environmentdev, test, staging
    DescriptionOptional description of the environment’s purposeFor testing new features before production
    CategoryThe environment type that controls its color and icon throughout the platformDevelopment, Test, Stage
    The subdomain creates the environment’s URL: [subdomain]-[yourorg].elementum.io
  4. Click Create Environment. The new environment appears in the list with its own card showing the name, description, and domain.

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Change an Environment’s Category

You can update an environment’s category at any time after creation. The Production environment’s category is locked and cannot be changed.
  1. Go to Settings icon Organization Settings > Platform > Environments.
  2. Find the environment and click Edit on its card.
  3. In the edit environment panel, select a new value for the Category field.
  4. Click Save.
The Production category cannot be assigned to any environment other than the default Production environment, and the Production environment’s category cannot be changed.
After creating an environment, configure CloudLink to connect the environment to your data warehouse.
CloudLink must be configured before you can deploy apps that use Snowflake-connected Tables icon Tables or Elements icon Elements. Apps deployed without a valid CloudLink connection cannot access data.
Create dedicated Snowflake users, roles, databases, and schemas per environment before you connect CloudLink. Full isolation rules and examples are in Isolating platform data above.
1

Open Environment Configuration

From the Environments list, find your new environment and click the Configure button on its card.This opens the environment configuration page showing the environment name, status, and domain configuration.
2

Access CloudLink Settings

Click the Manage CloudLink Credentials button.This opens the new environment in a new tab/window, navigating directly to the CloudLinks settings page.
3

Edit CloudLink Connection

On the CloudLinks page, click the Edit button on the CloudLink entry.The Edit CloudLink modal appears with the following fields:Connection Settings:
  • Name - Identifier for this CloudLink connection
  • Username - Snowflake service account username
  • URL - Your Snowflake account URL (for example, your-account.snowflakecomputing.com)
  • Authentication Method - Select Password or Key-pair authentication
  • Password - Service account password (if using password authentication)
Resource Scheduler:
  • Interval - Sync frequency (default: 20 minutes)
  • Time unit - Minutes, Hours, or Days
The default sync interval is 20 minutes. Shorter intervals provide faster data updates but increase Snowflake credit consumption.
4

Configure Data Connection

After entering valid credentials, additional fields become available:
  • Role - Select the Snowflake role for this connection
  • Warehouse - Select the Snowflake warehouse to use
  • Database - Select the database where Elementum stores platform data
The Database field is where Elementum creates its platform tables. Select or create a dedicated schema for Elementum. Do not use your business data schema here.
5

Save Configuration

Click Save to apply the CloudLink configuration.The connection is tested automatically. Once successful, the environment is ready for app deployments.
For detailed Snowflake configuration including IP whitelisting and permissions, see the Connecting Snowflake to Elementum guide.

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Practices to follow

  • Naming and category — Use clear names (Development, QA, Staging, Training) and assign the matching category so the purpose of each environment is obvious to every user at a glance; keep both consistent across your organization.
  • CloudLink — Prefer separate Snowflake service accounts per environment; document which databases and schemas each environment uses; confirm connections stay healthy.
  • Access — Restrict who can create environments and deploy apps; use non-production accounts for testing where appropriate; review access periodically.

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Next steps

Deploy Apps between Environments

Move app configuration from one environment to another and complete post-deployment setup

CloudLink Overview

Configure CloudLink connections for your environments

Snowflake Connection

Detailed guide for connecting Snowflake to Elementum

Apps Overview

Learn about apps and how they organize your business processes