Table of Contents
What is a Sandbox?
Like a sandbox you find at the playground, a sandbox is a test environment that you can 'play in' that acts like your live system. This means the changes you make in the sandbox system do not affect your production system. However, changes in your production system will affect your sandbox system.
📌Note: Sandbox is available to Enterprise clients only. If you do not have sandbox access and would be interested please reach out to your customer success manager or implementation manager.
The sandbox updates quarterly and syncs with the information that is in the production system at the time of the quarterly sync.
So you can tell the difference between the production and sandbox systems, the production system has a blue side menu while the sandbox system will have a yellow side menu.
Production System:
Sandbox System:
Why Should I Use the Sandbox?
The Sandbox is built to help your company test data and the features of Aspire, worry-free!
This allows you to prepare for busy seasons, set up test templates, configure settings, and teach others about Aspire without editing data in your live production system.
Often times, using the sandbox can help reinforce learning and helps experiment with new processes before deploying them in your production system.
⚠️ Sandbox systems are not available for Cohort tier clients.
⚠️ We suggest using the sandbox after your first quarterly sandbox update so that your sandbox system will have the correct system configuration and enough system data from your production system. Generally, it's best to use the sandbox after the Implementation process.
How Sandbox Updates Work
You will get your own sandbox system. The sandbox system is created at the same time as your production system, when you first start the Implementation process.
Depending on when data is entered into your production system, and when the sandbox sync is scheduled, your sandbox system may not have any information when you first try to use it.
Below is an example of a user being created in the production system after Update 1. Notice when the user's record will show in the Sandbox.
Any data added into your production system between sandbox updates (like after Update 1) will not show in the sandbox until the next sandbox update (Update 2).
To determine whether your system has data in it, try logging in at:
https://cloudsandbox.youraspire.com/.
Using the Sandbox as a System Admin
As a system admin, you will need to submit a ticket to AspireCare in order to get a log in and get an approved device if you are wanting to use the sandbox before your user information has synced.
Before you can actually get into the sandbox system, you must have:
An employee contact and user
An approved device in the sandbox system
You will then be able to create users for other employees if their users are not already in your sandbox system.
Giving Employees Access to the Sandbox
Once you, as the System Admin, are able to log in to the sandbox system, employees that will be accessing the sandbox system will also go to https://cloudsandbox.youraspire.com/.
Before they can actually get into the sandbox system, employees must have:
An employee contact and user
An approved device in the sandbox system
Creating an Employee Contact and User for Sandbox
There are two ways that an employee contact and user record can be created for the sandbox. This depends on when the quarterly sandbox updates happen and when information was created in the production system.
If the quarterly sandbox update has happened before the employee contact and user were created in your production system (like Update 1 in the diagram below), the employee's information will not be in the sandbox (until Update 2).
You can wait until the next sandbox update for the sandbox to have the employee's contact information or you need to create an employee contact and user record in the sandbox system.
📌 Note: We recommend that you generate the password to match with what their password is in your production system. This will eliminate confusion for the employee when logging in, so when the sandbox updates, their password will remain the same.
If the quarterly sandbox update has happened after the employee contact and user were created in your production system (such as Update 2), the employee's information will be in the sandbox.
To check whether the employee's information has synced over to the Sandbox system, go to Administration ➡️ User Management tab ➡️ Users subsection ➡️ Search for the employee.
🧠 If they are not in the sandbox system, and you do not want to wait until the next sandbox update, you will need to follow the first option.
Approving a Device for Employees in the Sandbox
Besides having the employee's contact and user record created, an approved device is needed for the sandbox system just like it is for the production system.
⚠️ While the production system and sandbox system are alike, a key difference is that the System Admin won't be emailed a device request from the sandbox system.
The sandbox system is a test environment which means email notifications are not available. This includes emails for device approvals from the sandbox environment.
To start the device approval process, the employee will enter their information as shown in the example below:
Once the employee selects Login, they will get the following screen:
For employees that are entering the sandbox environment for the first time, they will need to notify you of their requested device approval. It's best to communicate this expectation to them.
As the System Admin, once the employee let's you know that have requested device approval, it's your turn!
To manually approve the device in the sandbox system, go to Administration ⚙️ ➡️ User Management tab ➡️ Devices subsection
The Devices subsection will default to the Pending Devices list, only showing devices that need to be activated, including your employee.
You can click the Active checkbox for the device to activate it. A pop-up window will appear.
Otherwise, you can click the device name that needs to be activated.
The device record will show. Click the grey Active slider as shown below.
It will turn yellow, showing the device has now been activated, and then take you back to the Devices screen.
The employee will not be sent an email notification, so it's important that you communicate to them that their device is approved.
If the screen below is displayed, they can click Refresh and log in with their PIN or email and password.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I request access to my sandbox account? I’m stuck on the ‘Your device needs approval’ screen!
A: If you are the System Admin, log an AspireCare ticket from the production system. Send us the name of your company, user name, and device name needing approved. AspireCare will approve your device.
If you are not the System Admin, reach out to your system admin that has access to the sandbox, and they will follow these directions.
Q: When does the sandbox update?
A: 2024 Sandbox Data refresh dates:
February 14, 2024
April 17, 2024
June 14, 2024
September 6, 2024
November 15, 2024
⚠️ Dates are subject to change. Please check with AspireCare if you would like to reconfirm the specific date of the next sandbox update.
Q: I’m trying to test sending email features in the sandbox, and it’s not working. Is this broken?
A: In the sandbox system, emails are disabled. This will not work as production email tests do.
Q: I use report designer and want to preview my live changes to my layouts in Sandbox, can I do this?
A: Since the sandbox system relies on production system information, you would have to wait until the next sandbox sync to view those changes (even if you make updates to a layout and try to preview in the sandbox system).
In other words, AspireCare does not recommend relying on the sandbox system for Web Report Designer. Report Designers should use the Print Preview tab with Report Designer to view those changes.