GLA Summit
25-26 March 2024, 12:00 UTC
Continuous Integration: What it is, what it is not, and what it could be
Many advanced software processes and tools that are standard in other programming languages lack adoption in the NI ecosystem. Either due to actual technical limitations, because of team size and proficiency, or because of the way a typical LabVIEW project is run. Throughout the NI ecosystem, the terms CI, CI/CD and Continuous Integration are often used as wildcards for anything related to triggering processes by / through source code control. This presentation aims to introduce the LabVIEW community to more precise definitions as they are accepted in the greater SW development community.
Topics include examples of why automation (or "continuous integration") is useful and which benefits it brings; proper definitions of the vocabulary used (and explaining it in detail); Continuous Integration vs. Branch-Based Development (and describing how both can be used together with server-side or local automation of processes); different CI providers and supporting technologies (to give an overview of the current state of affairs in the LabVIEW world).
Finally, the HSE way of working - i.e. the processes and tools HSE uses in their daily customer work - shall serve as one example of a well-established set of best practices and their automation.
Jörg Hampel
My professional interest lies in software engineering in small teams, with a focus on process and workflow standardisation and automation.
I have been creating software for a living for more than two decades, delivering real-world software projects successfully by collaborating closely with my customers. I have been working with NI's technology stack since 2007.
Around 2015/2016, I founded Hampel Software Engineering (HSE), a leading firm in the NI ecosystem in the fields of process and workflow standardisation and automation. At HSE, we work with teams of developers all around the world to increase the quality of their software through improved development processes. Hampel Software Engineering is the first NI Center of Excellence in Germany, a member of the NI Partner Program and a DQMH® Trusted Advisor.
I am a Certified LabVIEW Architect (CLA), a Certified Professional Instructor (CPI) and LabVIEW Champion and an over-all avid LabVIEW user. I enjoy consulting, coaching and generally speaking with or in front of people.
I am a member of the board at the DQMH® Consortium, a partner at DSH Workshops, a member of the GDevCon Alliance and a founding member of the Alliance of LabVIEW Architects. I'm also the founder/organizer of the award-winning Würzburg LabVIEW User Group (bit.ly/WUELUG), and together with my colleague Ioan I run the North of Britain LabVIEW User Group (bit.ly/NOBLUG).
