Prior to the publication of a SNOMED CT Edition or Extension, it is strongly recommended that extension producers provide stakeholders with early visibility of content changes. Early review helps implementers understand potential impacts on local systems, identify issues, and provide feedback before content is formally published and must be maintained indefinitely.
Historically, this was achieved through alpha and beta releases. While this approach is still valid and may be used by some extension producers, SNOMED International (SI) and Member Services no longer routinely produce alpha or beta releases. Instead, alternative mechanisms are now used to support prepublication content review.
SNOMED International no longer publishes formal alpha or beta releases for the International Edition or Member Services extensions. Instead, preproduction content review is supported through continuous visibility and communication mechanisms.
Content changes for each monthly International Edition release can be reviewed via the Daily Build Browser, which provides early visibility of in-progress changes prior to publication.
Any potential issues identified during prepublication review should be reported to SNOMED International via:
SNOMED International Helpdesk
Early reporting allows issues to be addressed before content is officially published and becomes part of the permanent version history.
To assess potential impacts on local extensions, extension producers and implementers are strongly encouraged to:
These channels provide advance notice of significant changes, editorial policy updates, and upcoming content releases.
Some extension producers may still choose to use alpha and/or beta releases as part of their development lifecycle.
A SNOMED CT release package made available only for initial review and testing.
A SNOMED CT release package made available for broader review and testing prior to a production release.
A beta release of an extension may function as a candidate baseline until the extension is considered mature and ready for publication.