How to detect database drift prior to running a database migration, so that you can be certain that a database hasn't been subject to any 'uncontrolled' changes that could affect the migration or result in untested changes being deployed to production. Read more
A set of PowerShell automation script tasks for running database build and migrations tasks. This article describes the SQL code analysis task, which will check the syntax of the SQL code in your databases and your migration scripts for 'code smells'. Read more
This article provides PowerShell automation scripts for running Flyway database migrations. These scripts use SQL Compare to automatically generate all the required database build artifacts in the version control system, for each Flyway deployment. Read more
During development you need a fast, automated way to build multiple copies of a database on any development or test server, with each database at the right version. This article provides a PowerShell automation script for Flyway that will do the job. Read more
How to send Flyway logging and error output to JSON and consume it in PowerShell to produce ad-hoc database migrations reports, including any errors that occurred, the version of the database, runtimes for each migration script and more. Read more
A SQL Server query is suddenly running slowly, for no obvious reason. Grant Fritchey shares a 5-point plan to help you track down the cause and fix the problem. Read more
You need a fast, general-purpose way to save the results of a query or batch or procedure into any sort of worktable, such as a temporary table or a table variable or table valued parameter. A simple SELECT…INTO isn't versatile enough for these requirements, and the alternative ways to handcraft the list of columns are slow and error prone. Phil Factor shows how to create a 'table-build generator' that will do all this, and save you a lot of time, especially if you use a lot of working tables in your code. Read more
There are certain checks that need to be done after a database migration is complete. One good example of this is the check that a migration script, such as one that merges changes from a branch into main, doesn't cause 'invalid objects' (a.k.a. 'missing references') in your databases. I'll show you how to run this check, using sp_RefreshSQLModule, and incorporate it into a Flyway "after" migration script. Read more
Phil Factor explains the uses and limitations of native SSMS templates and snippets, and then demonstrates the extra versatility that SQL Prompt snippets provide. Read more