Environment matrix

Source: Azure Environment Standards, sys_kb_id=a507920d2b25c7941f16fc8bee91bfc4.

Five environments, in promotion order: Sandbox → Dev → Test → Stage → Production.

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The matrix

Dimension	Sandbox	Dev	Test	Stage	Production
Customer data	No	No	No, or de-identified	Yes (controlled)	Yes
Change control	Minimal	Minimal	Moderate	High	Strict
Playbook required	No	No	No	No	Yes
Disaster recovery	None	None	None	Optional	Required, with a set RPO and RTO

Reading the table

• “No, or de-identified” for Test means either is acceptable. It does not mean de-identified data is preferred over none.
• Playbooks are required for Production only. Do not tell a team they need a playbook for Stage; the standard does not require one.
• DR is optional at Stage. “Optional” is the standard’s word. A team that skips Stage DR is compliant.
• Production DR requires a set RPO and RTO — specific documented numbers, not a statement that DR exists. The Storage & Data standard adds that RPO and RTO are documented per application by the owner and that failover is tested at least annually.

Gaps

Warning

[TBD: the standard does not define the change-control tiers (Minimal / Moderate / High / Strict) in terms of concrete approvals, freeze windows or CAB involvement.]

[TBD: the standard does not state whether every application must have all five environments, or whether tiers may be skipped.]

[TBD: the standard does not state target RPO/RTO values for Production; it requires only that they be set.]

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Source of truth: plugins/patterson-engineering/skills/azure-environment-standards/references/environment-matrix.md in the patterson-corp repository.