Building a Database Directly from Object-level Source Scripts

Table manifests, and object manifests, which are just ordered lists, are a very useful output from and development database build. This article show how to generate a table manifest in SQL, and once you have it, you'll start to find several uses for it, besides the build process. Read more

A Quick Diff Checker for SQL Server Databases

Compare the schemas of two SQL Server databases using SQL Compare command line then quickly produce a diff report showing you immediately which tables, views and functions have changed. Read more

Branching and Merging in Database Development using Flyway

How to exploit the branching and merging capabilities of Git for scaling up team-based development, when doing Flyway migrations. Read more

Automating SQL Compare Snapshots using SQL Snapper

If you have SQL Compare, then the SQL Snapper utility is very valuable 'extra' for certain team activities, because it can be freely distributed. It means that any developer can create a SQL Compare snapshot from databases that are on their local workstation and store them on the network. Read more

Using SQL Compare and SQL Data Compare within a PowerShell Cmdlet

SQL Compare and SQL Data Compare can be used together, from the command line, to provide a complete build process, or to script out changes to both the database and its development data. For doing this routinely, I find it easiest to script the operation using PowerShell. Read more

Maintaining a Database Build Script with SQL Compare

Phil Factor explores a lesser-known capability of SQL Compare, which is to help you maintain a 'traditional', well-documented, single file build script, for creating the current version of the database during development. Read more

Database Deployments and Rocky Rollback Horrors: Where Does the New Data Go?

Phil Factor describes the problem of preserving data that is left 'in limbo' when you need to revert the database to a previous version that has no way of accommodating it. Read more

Database Build Blockers: Four-part Object References

Cross-server references keep cropping up as a problem for development and build. Phil Factor demonstrates how using linked server 'aliases' can get around these issues, even if the individual databases use four-part references within the code rather than synonyms. Read more

Database Updates: Roll Back or Fix Forward?

Phil Factor's take on the best ways to reverse or accelerate your way out of the problems caused by a failed database update. Read more

Database DevOps for Pragmatists: A Datafaction Case Study

Ami Adler, a Software Development Manager at Datafaction explains how they used Redgate tools, and others, to introduce automation and testing into their Database DevOps processes and so achieved a faster and more reliable deployment process for their application. Read more

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