What is a build ?
The process of software production goes through several stages. The beta test stage is among them.
This stage means the release of successive Betas, RCs (Release Candidate), etc., until reaching to the final product.
The aim of this beta test stage is to test the features included in the products, not only from the stability point of view, but also from its featureness.
The frequency in the betas release depends on the production process. A beta is basically the product "close up", which has got tests, documentation, setups building, etc.
Sometimes it happens that certain product includes features or corrects errors occurred in previous releases and its release must be postponed till the next beta's close up.
The build concept is born to avoid that problem, and with the aim of giving: greater celerity to the beta test process as well as the different products' last advances to the beta testers as soon as possible.
Then, a build has the aim of favouring the beta test process velocity, making available the products with their improvements, corrections, etc., as soon as possible.
Its counterpart is that it hasn't got documentation, or it has got a minimal one. Also, it doesn't have use test, stability, etc. That is to say, there isn't a "formal" build close up process that implies tests, documentation, etc.
Under these terms, there will be people who might decide to use builds or a particular one, and there will be others who will prefer to sacrifice the improvements' velocity to get the stability of the last beta released, and they will use this one.
Summarizing:
Then, it's important to clarify that a build contains the last improvements, corrections, etc. included in the products, but as a counterpart it doesn't have the tests, documentation, etc. that goes with it, because it didn't go through the "close up and release" process as the betas do.
How to install a build
A build is always related to a beta version. For example to install a build of the .net generator for GeneXus Yi beta 3, you first need to install the GeneXus Yi Beta 3 and then install the build.
A beta always has a setup, you install it using the setup. A build is usually just a zip file.
To install a build, after downloading the zip, you just need to extract the content to the product's installation directory (for GeneXus Yi, tipically "C:\Program Files\ARTech\GeneXus\gxwyi")
The files will then extrated to the installation directory and its folders.