See Project Status on our REDCap Policies page for more information.
Development Status
Development status is the default status when a project is created. It allows for easy building, testing, and modification of REDCap projects. Data in projects with development status are not HIPAA compliant. Projects in development status allow 1) any project modifications in real time, 2) adding and deleting test records, 3) enabling any features that users are allowed to enable. These features allow for comprehensive testing of a project prior to moving to production status. Once a project has been tested and you are prepared to begin collecting data from real study participants, you must request that your project be moved to production status. To do this, go to project setup, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Move to Production Status. You will be required to submit your IRB approval letter before the project is moved to production. If your project is for operational support, you will need to provide IRB waiver and justification for use.
Production Status
Production status is intended for IRB-approved projects or projects with IRB waivers. Project in Production Status are considered HIPAA compliant and can contain PHI and other study data ("real data"). Once project are in Production Status, data are continually backed to facilitate PITR (point in time recovery) methods and are stored for approximately 30 days. Please note, while data are backed up on the production server, if you or anyone added to your project purposely deletes data, for example by deleting records, fields, or instruments, or changing variable names or multiple choice codes, there will be a fee associated with recovering data.
It is important to note that you can still make modifications to your project in production status. Some modifications may require administrator review in order to prevent data loss or project corruption.Development Status is the status by default when a project is created. It is good for building and testing project. Real study data should not be collected in Development Status. Production Status is used after the project has been thoroughly tested and the study team is ready to collect and store real data. When in production, a snapshot of all data is taken once a month with daily incremental back ups for point in time recovery. Each data backup is maintained for approximately 30 days.