FDO - Flexible Deployment Option - Be mindful, it is not as flexible as you may think.

If you review the following link from Bb Help
https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Administrator/SaaS/Release_Notes/Learn_SaaS_Release_Schedule#fdo_schedule

you will notice the flexible deployment schedule for 3200 (Q2 2017) has 3 scheduled dates only:

• 18 May 2017, 5:00 PM EST
• 25 May 2017, 5:00 PM EST
• 8 June 2017, 5:00 PM EST

This presents a dilemma for me because our summer course, our ONLINE summer courses begin May 22, 2017.  When is the best time for us to upgrade?

I am comforted that 3200 is already loaded on my Test server and has already been released to those on CD (continuous delivery).  Hopefully all the problems with the version have been found and then corrected before we move.

SaaS Versioning and "Lingo"
Our Test environment had been updated to 3100.11.0 which is equal to Q4 2016 CU1
The Test environment is on CD or "Continuous Delivery".

When it came time to upgrade our production environment which is on Flexible Deployment Option known as FDO the version was listed as 3100.0.2.

That took me by surprise and I immediately re-did all of my tool testing.  In searching Behind the Blackboard, I discovered an article 000043586 which indicated my version was Q4, 2016 CU1 with 2 security patches.  

I reached out to a few Blackboard sources and learned about how that in the version numbers:
- the first 4 numbers represent the "release" 3100 = Q4 2016
- first set of number after the first decimal (3100.11.0) represents the build for CD, continuous delivery build #11
- the second set of numbers after the second decimal (3100.0.02) represents the build for the FDO, flexible deployment .0.2

The SaaS Update Schedule is located at 
https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Administrator/SaaS/Release_Notes/Learn_SaaS_Release_Schedule#fdo_schedule