What is Database Source Control?

Database source control, also known as database version control, is the practice of tracking and managing changes to database schemas, stored procedures, and other database objects using version control systems. It allows teams to maintain a complete history of database modifications, collaborate effectively, and streamline the development process.

By implementing database source control, organizations can:

• Track changes to database structures and code
• Coordinate updates across multiple environments
• Easily roll back to previous versions if issues arise
• Improve collaboration between developers and database administrators

Why Database Source Control is Essential for Teams

Without proper source control, database management can quickly become chaotic, leading to numerous challenges:

• Inconsistencies between development, testing, and production environments
• Difficulty in identifying the source of errors or performance issues
• Increased risk of data loss or corruption during updates
• Slower development cycles due to manual coordination of changes

Implementing database source control addresses these issues by providing a single source of truth for database changes. This enables teams to work more efficiently, reduce errors, and maintain better visibility into the development process.

Key Features to Look for in Database Source Control Tools

When selecting a database source control solution, consider the following essential features:

1. Version control integration: Seamless integration with standard defacto version control systems like Git
2. Schema comparison: Ability to compare and synchronize database schemas across different environments
3. Rollback capabilities: Easy reversal of changes to previous versions
4. Branching and merging: Support for parallel development workflows
5. Audit trails: Comprehensive logging of all database modifications
6. Automated testing: Integration with continuous integration and deployment pipelines
7. Security and compliance: Built-in security features and compliance management tools

Best Practices for Implementing Database Source Control

To maximize the benefits of database source control, follow these best practices:

1. Use a dedicated version control system: Implement a robust version control system specifically for database changes.
2. Treat database code like application code: Apply the same rigorous version control practices to database objects as you do to application code.
3. Implement continuous integration: Set up automated builds and tests for database changes to catch issues early in the development process.
4. Standardize naming conventions: Establish clear naming conventions for database objects to improve readability and maintainability.
5. Separate schema and data: Version control your database schema separately from data, especially for large datasets.
6. Use branches for feature development: Leverage branching strategies to isolate new feature development and manage releases effectively.
7. Automate deployment processes: Implement automated deployment scripts to ensure consistent and error-free updates across environments.
8. Implement code reviews: Establish a code review process for database changes to maintain quality and share knowledge among team members.
9. Maintain a single source of truth: Use your version control system as the authoritative source for all database changes.
10. Regularly update and synchronize environments: Keep development, testing, and production environments in sync to minimize inconsistencies.

Overcoming Challenges in Database Source Control Adoption

While the benefits of database source control are clear, teams may face some challenges during implementation:

1. Resistance to change: Some team members may be hesitant to adopt new workflows. Address this by providing thorough training and highlighting the benefits of source control.
2. Legacy systems: Older databases may be difficult to integrate into modern source control practices. Consider gradual migration strategies and use tools that support legacy systems.
3. Data sensitivity: Ensure that sensitive data is properly secured and not inadvertently included in version control repositories.
4. Performance concerns: Large databases may experience performance issues during version control operations. Optimize your processes and consider using specialized tools designed for large-scale databases.
5. Coordination between teams: Establish clear communication channels and workflows between development, database administration, and operations teams to ensure smooth collaboration.

Key Takeaways

• Database source control is essential for maintaining consistency, improving collaboration, and streamlining DevOps processes.
• Implement a dedicated version control system for database changes and treat database code with the same rigor as application code.
• Automate testing, deployment, and synchronization processes to reduce errors and improve efficiency.
• Choose a database source control tool that integrates well with your existing workflows and supports your specific database platforms.
• Address challenges proactively by providing training, establishing clear processes, and fostering a culture of collaboration.

Conclusion

As 2025 begins, database source control will continue to play a crucial role in modern software development practices. By implementing these best practices and leveraging powerful tools like DBmaestro, teams can significantly improve their database management workflows, reduce errors, and accelerate their development cycles. Embrace database source control to stay competitive in the ever-evolving world of software development and database management.

What You’ll Learn:

• The definition and importance of database change management
• Key best practices for implementing DCM
• Roles and responsibilities in the DCM process
• Common challenges and how to overcome them

What is Database Change Management?

Database change management is the process of tracking, controlling, and implementing changes to a database in a structured and organized manner1. It involves managing modifications to database schemas, stored procedures, and data while minimizing risks and ensuring consistency across different environments.

Why is Effective Database Change Management Important?

Implementing robust database change management practices is critical for several reasons:

1. Preventing data loss: Proper DCM helps safeguard against accidental data loss during schema changes or updates.
2. Ensuring compliance: It helps maintain audit trails and meet regulatory requirements.
3. Maintaining performance: Well-managed changes can prevent performance degradation and optimize database operations.
4. Avoiding deployment failures: DCM reduces the risk of errors during deployments, minimizing downtime and disruptions.

Best Practices for Database Change Management Implementation

To successfully implement database change management in your organization, consider the following best practices:

Establish a Clear Change Request Process

Implementing a standardized change request process is crucial for documenting and reviewing proposed database changes. This process should include:

• Detailed documentation of the proposed change
• Impact assessment
• Approval workflow
• Implementation plan
• Rollback procedures

Pro Tip: Use change request management tools like Jira to track and manage database changes effectively.

Implement Version Control for Databases

Utilizing version control for database schema and data changes is essential for maintaining a historical record and facilitating collaboration. This practice allows teams to:

• Track changes over time
• Revert to previous versions if needed
• Collaborate effectively on database modifications
• Ensure consistency across different environments

Automate Testing and Validation

Automated testing plays a crucial role in ensuring that database changes don’t introduce errors or impact performance. Implement automated testing processes to:

• Validate schema changes
• Check data integrity
• Assess query performance
• Ensure compatibility with existing applications

Monitor Database Performance After Changes

Continuous monitoring of database performance is vital to ensure that changes don’t degrade speed or reliability. Implement monitoring tools and practices to:

• Track query execution times
• Monitor resource utilization
• Identify potential bottlenecks
• Quickly address any performance issues

Roles and Responsibilities in Database Change Management

Effective database change management requires collaboration between various team members:

• Database Administrators (DBAs): Responsible for implementing changes, ensuring data integrity, and maintaining overall database health.
• Developers: Propose and implement database changes as part of application development.
• DevOps Engineers: Facilitate the integration of database changes into the CI/CD pipeline and ensure smooth deployments.
• Change Advisory Board: Reviews and approves proposed changes, assessing their potential impact on the organization.

Challenges in Database Change Management and How to Overcome Them

While implementing DCM, organizations may face several challenges:

• Complex schema changes: Break down large schema changes into smaller, manageable steps to reduce risk and complexity.
• Large datasets: Implement online schema change techniques to minimize downtime during migrations of large volumes of data.
• Multi-environment deployments: Implement a robust versioning system and use automated deployment tools to ensure consistency across environments.
• Coordination between teams: Foster clear communication channels and use collaborative tools to keep all stakeholders informed and aligned.

Key Takeaways

• Implement a standardized change request process to document and review all database changes.
• Use version control for database schema and data changes to maintain a historical record.
• Automate testing and validation processes to ensure changes don’t introduce errors or performance issues.
• Continuously monitor database performance after implementing changes.
• Clearly define roles and responsibilities in the DCM process to ensure smooth collaboration.
• Address common challenges by breaking down complex changes, using specialized tools, and fostering clear communication.

How DBmaestro Can Help

DBmaestro offers a comprehensive database release automation tool that can significantly streamline your database change management processes. Our solution provides:

• Version control integration
• Change script generation
• Automated schema deployment
• Policy-based governance
• Compliance and audit capabilities
• Rollback and recovery features
• Role based security

By leveraging DBmaestro’s powerful features, organizations can implement best practices for database change management more effectively, reducing risks and improving overall database reliability and performance.

Conclusion

Implementing effective database change management best practices is crucial for maintaining data integrity, ensuring system stability, and facilitating smooth operations in today’s dynamic business environment. By following the guidelines outlined in this article and leveraging specialized tools like DBmaestro, organizations can optimize their DCM processes, reduce risks, and stay ahead in an increasingly data-driven world.

Remember, successful database change management is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement and adaptation. Stay informed about the latest trends and technologies in DCM to ensure your organization remains at the forefront of database management practices.

What You’ll Learn:

• The fundamentals of database source control
• Key benefits of implementing source control for databases
• How database source control enhances team collaboration
• Best practices for effective implementation
• The importance of source control for data security and compliance

Understanding Database Source Control

Database source control is the practice of tracking, managing, and versioning changes to database schemas, stored procedures, and other database objects using version control systems. While traditional source control focuses on application code, database source control extends these principles to database structures and content.

At its core, database source control involves:

1. Versioning database schemas
2. Tracking changes to stored procedures, functions, and views
3. Managing database scripts and migration files
4. Coordinating changes across different environments (development, testing, production)

Unlike application code, databases present unique challenges for version control due to their stateful nature and the potential impact of changes on existing data. Database source control tools and practices address these challenges by providing specialized workflows and integration with database management systems.

Benefits of Implementing Database Source Control

Implementing database source control offers numerous advantages for development teams and organizations:

1. Version History: Maintain a complete history of database changes, allowing teams to track modifications, identify issues, and roll back to previous versions if needed.
2. Improved Collaboration: Enable multiple developers to work on the same database project simultaneously without conflicts.
3. Consistency Across Environments: Ensure that database schemas and objects are consistent across development, testing, and production environments.
4. Automated Deployments: Facilitate automated database deployments as part of continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.
5. Risk Mitigation: Reduce the risk of data loss or corruption by providing a safety net for database changes.
6. Auditability: Maintain a clear audit trail of who made what changes and when, supporting compliance requirements.
7. Faster Development Cycles: Streamline the development process by reducing manual tasks and enabling faster iterations.

How Database Source Control Streamlines Collaboration

Effective collaboration is essential for modern development teams, and database source control plays a crucial role in facilitating seamless teamwork:

1. Centralized Repository: Provide a single source of truth for database schemas and objects, ensuring all team members work with the latest versions.
2. Branching and Merging: Allow developers to work on separate branches for different features or fixes, merging changes back into the main branch when ready.
3. Code Reviews: Enable peer reviews of database changes before they are merged, improving code quality and knowledge sharing.
4. Conflict Resolution: Identify and resolve conflicts between different developers’ changes early in the development process.
5. Integration with Development Tools: Seamlessly integrate database changes with application code changes, ensuring consistency between the two.

By implementing database source control, teams can work more efficiently, reduce errors, and maintain a clear history of database evolution throughout the project lifecycle.

Database Source Control Best Practices

To maximize the benefits of database source control, consider the following best practices:

• Use a Dedicated Version Control System: Implement a robust version control system specifically designed for database objects.
• Implement Branching Strategies: Adopt a branching strategy that aligns with your development workflow, such as feature branching or GitFlow.
• Automate Database Deployments: Integrate database changes into your CI/CD pipeline for automated testing and deployment.
• Maintain Script-Based Migrations: Use script-based migrations to manage database schema changes, ensuring repeatability and version control.
• Implement Code Reviews: Establish a code review process for database changes to catch potential issues early and share knowledge.
• Use Database Comparison Tools: Regularly compare database schemas across environments to detect and resolve discrepancies.
• Document Changes: Maintain clear documentation for database changes, including the purpose and impact of each modification.
• Test Database Changes: Implement automated testing for database changes to ensure they don’t break existing functionality or impact performance.
• Monitor and Audit: Regularly monitor and audit database changes to ensure compliance with organizational policies and industry regulations.

Why Database Source Control Matters for Data Security and Compliance

In an era of increasing data breaches and stringent regulations, database source control plays a critical role in maintaining data security and ensuring compliance:

1. Access Control: Implement fine-grained access controls to database objects, ensuring only authorized personnel can make changes.
2. Audit Trail: Maintain a detailed audit trail of all database modifications, supporting compliance requirements and forensic investigations.
3. Data Protection: Prevent unauthorized or accidental changes to sensitive data by enforcing change management processes.
4. Compliance Support: Meet regulatory requirements by demonstrating control over database changes and providing evidence of change management practices.
5. Disaster Recovery: Facilitate faster recovery from data breaches or system failures by maintaining version-controlled backups of database structures and content.
6. Separation of Duties: Enforce separation of duties between development, testing, and production environments to reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

By implementing robust database source control practices, organizations can significantly enhance their data security posture and demonstrate compliance with industry regulations.

How DBmaestro’s Source Control Can Help

DBmaestro’s Database Source Control solution offers a comprehensive approach to managing database changes effectively:

• Seamless Integration: DBmaestro integrates with various sources of database changes across all environments, simplifying the management process.
• Collaboration Enhancement: The platform makes it easier for developers, DevOps teams, and DBAs to work together, accelerating release speed.
• Automated Script Generation: DBmaestro automatically generates and tests database change scripts, reducing manual errors and improving efficiency.
• Conflict Identification: The system helps identify conflicts and merge different development branches while providing a full view of all committed changes.
• Change Tracking: DBmaestro offers full visibility into who made changes, what changes were made, where, and why, enhancing accountability and traceability.
• Policy Enforcement: The platform helps enforce change procedures and reduce application downtime caused by database-related errors.

By leveraging DBmaestro’s Database Source Control, organizations can streamline their database management processes, improve collaboration, and ensure consistent, high-quality database deployments.

Conclusion

As organizations continue to prioritize digital transformation and agile development practices, implementing effective database source control becomes increasingly critical. Database source control offers numerous benefits, including improved collaboration, enhanced security, and streamlined development processes. By adopting best practices and leveraging specialized tools like DBmaestro’s Database Source Control, teams can significantly enhance their database management capabilities, reduce risks, and accelerate their development cycles.

In 2024 and beyond, database source control will remain a cornerstone of efficient and secure database management. Organizations that embrace these practices and tools will be better positioned to meet the challenges of rapid development, maintain data integrity, and ensure compliance with evolving regulations. As the complexity of database environments continues to grow, the importance of robust source control practices will only increase, making it an essential investment for forward-thinking organizations.

• What database version control is and how it benefits the CI/CD process.
• The common reasons why databases are often left out of CI/CD pipelines.
• Key advantages of implementing database version control, such as improved collaboration and rollback capabilities.
• Why a unified database version control tool is essential for managing multiple databases.
• The challenges involved in implementing database version control and how tools like DBmaestro can simplify the process.

A proper version control mechanism is vital for managing any application development process. It is more significant when moving from slow and monolithic development processes to leaner and faster agile developments. However, the database is an important aspect that is left out of the agile development process. In this article, we will see what you can achieve by implementing database version control into your CI/CD pipeline.

What is Database Version Control?

Once you start reading this article, the first question you would get is what’s the meaning of database version control. It’s similar to application version control, where you keep track of all the changes (bug fixes, improvement, features, hotfixes) done to the application by all your team members.

The same can be done for the database to keep track of all the changes done by different team members. This can include database schema, indexes, views, stored procedures, functions, database configurations, etc. The database version control acts as a single source of truth, allowing you to properly view, track and manage all the modifications done to your databases.

Why is Database often left out of CI/CD?

Even in the age of DevOps, databases are often left out of the CI/CD pipeline and managed separately. This creates a disconnect between the application and the database as well as development and database teams. As a result, database changes will be slow and lagging while the application is rapidly growing. There can be many reasons why databases are left out of the CI/CD process as follows.

Database Complexity
Most of the time, modern applications do not rely on a single database, and they use multiple types of databases to handle various types of data. These can range from RDBMS to NoSQL databases from different vendors to facilitate different functions. Therefore properly integrating an existing database into a CI/CD pipeline can be a complex and time-consuming process.

Siloed Teams
In the SDLC, there’s a high disconnect between your Dev and DBA teams which leads to differences in priorities and targets. For instance, if the DBA wants to update the database into a new version while the developers are introducing a new feature, it might lead to catastrophic bugs. Thus all teams should be on the same page with shared goals and targets before integrating databases to CI/CD.

Lack of Tools
Even if your organization wants to integrate databases to CI/CD, there can be a lack of proper tools for seamless integration. Most of the time, solutions are vendor locked or lack the necessary features and need workarounds to integrate properly with CI/CD tools.

Limited Knowledge
Another major reason why databases are left out is the lack of knowledge on Database DevOps. You might be aware of all the ins and outs of the application DevOps, yet a novice when it comes to DB DevOps.

What are the Advantages of Database Version Control

Database version control offers many advantages to streamline database management efficiently, and some of them are listed below.

Increased Visibility
Version control will provide you visibility of what has happened to the database, what has been done currently, its progress, and who is doing the changes. Having all the historical changes under a single source, if any bug related to the DB is identified, you can easily refer to the source and fix it quickly.

This increased visibility also allows developers and DBAs to synchronize application and database changes better using a DevOps pipeline. Thus it helps you identify which application changes correspond to which database changes.

Better Collaboration between team members
Proper version control enables your team members to work collaboratively by sharing the workload for databases effectively. Moreover, it enables DBAs to easily push changes to the source repo and get verified by other team members before merging.

Likewise, this improved collaboration fast-tracks the database development while increasing the visibility and management capabilities of the database.

Efficient and Scalable Deployments
A single source of truth offered by version control simplifies the management of databases.  When integrating database version control into your CI/CD pipeline, focus on automating repetitive tasks such as testing and deployment. This will save significant time and reduce manual errors. You just have to plug the version control into a CI/CD pipeline, and each approved change will be automatically reflected in staging and production databases as required.

Version control also enables to scale up databases easily. You can use the master source to replicate the schema, database configurations, etc.

Database Rollbacks
Version control allows you to easily roll back to a previous version in the event of a critical production bug. This is also a critical part of a good database backup strategy. Since all the changes are incremental, the effect of the rollbacks can be minimized. These rollbacks also help to identify the root cause of the bug quickly.

Easy compliance and audit requirements
Version control can help you comply with compliance and audit requirements easily. Since all the changes are tracked and divided effectively, DBA can focus on creating code that is fully compliant with any requirement. Moreover, version control facilitates integrating compliance requirement management into the database DevOps process with easy management and review.

Minimize errors and time-consuming (re)work
Database versioning, such as is found with DBmaestro’s database version control tools, reduces application downtime because it identifies conflicts and enforces procedures. Database version control also enables the merging of different development branches while also getting a full of all committed changes. The fact that database version control tools, such as DBmaestro’s, automatically generates and tests change scripts means that both errors are diminished while also boosting productivity and time-to-market.

Why do you need Database Version Control?

As mentioned previously, database version control offers a whole host of advantages. Yet, do you really need version control? Would it be worth the investment? What if you are a smaller team, and will there be any tangible benefits?

In short, the answer to all the above questions is “Yes.” Regardless of the size of your organization or the database, it is beneficial to have a proper database version control mechanism configured from the beginning.

Think of a situation where you have to manage a database manually. There, even a small change request from the Dev team has to go to the DBA and wait until it’s approved to carry on the development and testing. It will not work and create bottlenecks in the development pipeline when there are multiple requests. Besides, how can team members know what each member is working on to avoid duplicates or outright conflicts with each other’s work? How difficult it will be to pinpoint the change when a database issue occurs. So manually doing all these things is a nearly impossible task that would waste a lot of DBA time and resources.

Version control can help mitigate all the bottlenecks in database management while also increasing the efficiency and visibility of the database development process. Integrating source control to CI/CD and automating tasks such as testing and deployment further saves time and helps to easily adapt to any requirement.

Why do you need a single Database version control tool to rule them all?

A database source control tool must support several databases because organizations often use multiple databases for different purposes. A unified database version control tool is necessary for customers because it allows them to manage and track changes to their databases in a centralized and consistent manner. Choose a database version control tool that supports multiple database types, especially if your organization uses both relational and NoSQL databases. This ensures smoother management and reduces conflicts.

Database versioning and version control features, allowing users to track different versions of their databases, which can be helpful for capturing the errors and pitfalls on the first change development mile (i.e. often on the developer sandbox) shielding the centralized operational version from unsafe, untrusted change unintentionally made on remoted silo.

Why is it so challenging to implement?

Earlier, we discussed why databases are often left out of the DevOps process. All of those reasons, such as complexity and lack of knowledge and tools, also apply to database version control.

In application development, the usual process is developing the application, testing, packaging, and deploying it to the appropriate environments. You can easily integrate new technologies and tools without having to do major restructuring to the codebase.

However, there is a unique set of challenges with databases that any DBA must overcome to implement version control properly. The main concern is security as you are dealing with user data. Any data breach can be catastrophic, and even minor changes should be handled carefully. When there are different database types and limitations, version control should be structured to handle different database codebases separately without any conflicts. This is important as SQL dialects can differ depending on the database.

The complexity of databases increases further with their host environment. For instance, some configurations available in an on-premise database might not be available in a managed database on the cloud. Thus any code targeting an unavailable feature will break the database. So implementing database version control in a CI/CD pipeline will become a resource-intensive, time-consuming and daunting task without proper tools to facilitate Database DevOps.

Intro to DBmaestro Database Version Control

DBmaestro is a purpose-built database delivery automation platform that can be used to automate, secure, and govern database CI/CD pipelines. Database Version Control is one of the core products offered by DBmaestro, which provides all the necessary functionality to manage the changes done to the database structure and content while maintaining a single source of truth.

Now let’s have a look at a simple DBmaestro version control workflow.

Step 1 – Do some changes to the database. (This can be anything from a simple procedure change to creating a new table)

Step 2 – Using DBmaestro, commit to version control the changes introduced to the database. It will also provide you with an overview of your intended changes and any conflicts.

Step 3 – You can review your commits again and push the changes to the source repository.

The changes will be reflected in the source repository immediately after pushing (The following is an example of a Github repo)

Step 4 – If another team member wants to get the changes, he can pull changes from version control, and integrate them into his database.

The user can generate a script that includes the changes in the source repository and implement them in his local sandbox or team database.

DBmaestro’s Database DevOps platform simplifies the database version control so that you can easily manage the source repository and keep track of all the changes done by your team. It provides an excellent platform for Database Version Control with its support for multiple databases from different vendors and easy integrations with existing CI/CD tools.

Key Takeaways

• Database version control acts as a single source of truth, ensuring visibility and traceability for all changes made to the database.
• Automating database tasks through version control reduces bottlenecks in development and improves efficiency.
• A unified database version control tool supports better management and tracking across multiple databases.
• Implementing version control for databases is complex but crucial for scaling DevOps, as it enables smooth rollbacks, compliance, and error reduction.
• Tools like DBmaestro simplify the implementation of database version control by offering features that integrate seamlessly with existing CI/CD pipelines.

Traditionally, database changes were often managed through manual scripts or ad hoc processes, leading to inconsistencies, errors, and difficulties in tracking changes over time. Database source control, on the other hand, brings order to this chaos by treating the database schema and associated objects as code. Just like application code, the database code can be versioned, branched, and merged, enabling teams to collaborate effectively.

One of the key barriers to adopting database source control has been the assumption that it requires extensive DevOps knowledge. However, DBmaestro’s Database Source Control solution has greatly simplified the process, allowing developers and database administrators to easily integrate source control into their workflow. DBmaestro Database Source Control tool provides intuitive interfaces and step-by-step guidance, eliminating the need for specialized expertise and making it accessible to anyone familiar with basic development concepts.

One of the most significant advantages of embracing DBmaestro’s database source control is the ease of use it offers. Developers can leverage familiar workflows and techniques to manage database changes, rather than relying on cumbersome manual processes. By treating the database as code, developers can use their preferred Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to write and test changes locally before committing them to source control. This allows for faster iteration and reduces the risk of introducing errors into the production environment.

Automation plays a vital role in making database source control even more convenient and efficient. Automated build and deployment processes ensure that changes are applied consistently and reliably across different environments. This eliminates the need for manual intervention, reducing the chances of human error and speeding up the release cycle. By automating the deployment of database changes, teams can ensure that their applications and databases are always in sync, minimizing compatibility issues and enhancing overall system stability.

DBmaestro’s database Source Control solution uses GIT as the backbone of any source control process. Augmenting the rich set of GIT features that enable teams to track APP changes, manage branches, and collaborate seamlessly. By leveraging the power of Git or similar systems, developers and database administrators, and all DBmaestro Database Source Control users can ensure that their database changes are well-documented, auditable, and reversible. In case of any issues or conflicts, the VCS allows teams to roll back changes easily and investigate the root causes.

The benefits of database source control go beyond the development phase. With a well-managed source control system in place, organizations gain valuable insights into their database history and evolution. They can track the progression of the database schema over time, understand the impact of changes on performance, and maintain a clear audit trail. This information becomes invaluable during troubleshooting, compliance audits, and planning for future enhancements.

Implementing database source control requires a few essential steps. Recommended that firstly, teams should choose a suitable application Version Control System (VCS) such as Git, or similar depending on their preferences and requirements. DBmaestro database source control solution integrates seamlessly with their chosen VCS and database platform.

Once the tool is set up, teams can start by initializing the database as a repository and committing the existing schema and objects into source control. From there, any subsequent changes made to the database structure or data can be tracked by creating branches, making commits, and merging changes. Regular synchronization with the remote repository ensures that the team is always working with the latest version of the database code.

In summary, database source control is an essential practice that brings order and efficiency to managing database changes. It eliminates manual processes, improves collaboration, and ensures the traceability of changes over time. Contrary to popular belief, getting started with database source control does not require extensive DevOps knowledge. With user-friendly tools and automated processes, developers and database administrators can easily integrate source control into their workflow, enabling them to leverage familiar techniques and optimize their productivity. By emphasizing ease of use and automation, organizations can harness the full potential of database source control and reap its numerous benefits.

There are several patterns and antipatterns to consider when implementing database both, outlined below:

DO’s for database release automation:

1. Version control: Use a version control system (such as Git) to manage and track changes to the database schema and seed data. This allows you to easily rollback changes and maintain a history of changes. Version control as the single source of truth for database deployments facilitates the ability to deploy changes consistently across all environments.
2. Continuous integration: Set up a continuous integration (CI) pipeline to automatically build and test database changes as part of the application release process. This can help catch issues early in the development process.
3. Test-driven development: Use test-driven development (TDD) to ensure that database changes are properly tested and validated before being deployed to production.
4. One-click deployments: Implement a system for one-click deployments, where a single button press can automatically apply database changes to the appropriate environments (e.g., staging, production).

DON’Ts for database release automation:

1. Manual deployments: avoid manually deploying database changes, as this can be error-prone and time-consuming.
2. Lack of testing: don’t skip testing database changes, as this can lead to issues in production.
3. No rollback plan: have a plan in place for rolling back changes in the event of an issue with a database deployment.

Similarly, there are several patterns and antipatterns to consider when implementing database source control:

DO’s for database source control:

1. Version control: Similar to release automation patterns, using a version control system (such as Git) to manage and track changes to the database schema and seed data, allows you to easily rollback changes and maintain a history of changes.
2. Store database schemas and seed data in version control: Storing the database schema (e.g. tables, views, stored procedures) and seed data (i.e. initial data used to populate the database) in version control, along with the application code, enables you to track changes to the database in a similar manner to application code changes.
3. Use branches: Using branches in version control to manage different environments (e.g., development, staging, production), permits you to easily apply changes to the appropriate environment.

DON’Ts for database source control:

1. Manual processes: As with release automation, manual processes for managing and tracking database changes should be avoided for the same reasons. Version control will automate the process, ensuring a history of changes is maintained, as well as facilitate rollbacks.
2. No rollback plan: It is a best practice to have a plan in place for rolling back changes in the event of an issue with a database deployment.
3. No integration with the application: Perhaps because they’re separated by teams, treating the database as a separate entity from the application is a mistake that happens too often today. Integrating the database with the application’s version control and release process helps to ensure that changes are coordinated and tested properly.

Implementing database source control is not difficult, especially considering the manual problems that it alleviates through the turnkey application for purchasing online. The database version control best practices explain how to make it easy for database Devs, DevOps and DBAs to make changes and work together at accelerated speeds without errors. And, while implementing database release automation is not quite the turnkey process as Source Control product (at least initially), the security, compliance, reduction of errors, and breathtaking decrease in time-to-market from a harmonized, automated database release will be evident on the very first release.

Database release management should no longer be just a nice-to-have, maybe-one-day, if-we-get-around-to-it process. The majority of application code developers moved to agile development long ago. Most have had version control and automated release management in place for years. That move only increased the burden on the database team, many of whom are still attempting to deploy database releases manually. Through the introduction of database source control, coupled with database release automation, the process will become more secure, effective, timely, and far less costly due to the prevention of reworked solutions and reduced downtime.

DBmaestro is here to help with both processes, with an easy, ironed-out method for setting your company up for success. Schedule a demo here, today.

• The benefits of using Git as a version control system for database development and how it differs from other VCS solutions.
• Key features of Git that make it ideal for tracking changes and ensuring data integrity in both code and databases.
• How Git integrates with database objects, addressing the challenges of version control for non-textual files.
• The role of DBmaestro’s DevOps Platform in complementing Git for database version control, enabling database update scripts and continuous integration.
• Best practices for maintaining synchronicity between database objects and application code using Git.

Git is the $&it

Git is prepared to handle any sized projects and does so arguably quicker and more efficiently than any of its competitors. For this reason, Git is the go-to VCS for most projects.

Here are four more reasons that Git sets itself apart:

1.  The Data Snapshot

Git looks at the data differently than its competitors, by storing data as snapshots instead of as files. What this means is that as changes are made, the system takes a picture of what all of the files look like at that time, and then determines which parts have actually changed.

Whatever has changed will be stored again, and the ones that haven’t will be referenced to in a link that’ll take you back to the previous file. This method of storing changes makes Git consider each aspect of version control that other systems simply copy from previous generations, acting as a mini filesystem.

2.  Operational Requirements

Git only requires local files in order to operate, instead of needing to access to the server.  This allows the programmer to fully operate while offline, which is a significant advantage.

3.  Making Changes in Git

It is impossible for any change to occur without Git knowing about it and storing it. This is because everything that goes on in Git is check-summed before it is stored and then referred to by that checksum. This is a key aspect to Git’s underlying philosophy, ensuring that no information gets lost in transition or becomes corrupted without Git being able to detect it.

4.  Storing Information

Instead of deleting information that is no longer relevant, Git for database stores everything, only adding newer data. It is actually difficult to do anything that is undoable (many mistakes simply require you to hit ‘command+z’) or to delete information. This allows you to sleep well at night, knowing that nothing is undoable and no huge mistakes can occur. Once anything is published it will always be stored by Git.

The Role of Git for Database

While developers across the board acknowledge the importance of database version control, so often the database gets forgotten about. Not putting in place a VCS for your database may lead to deploying a new version of an application using an old version of a database, which can have many negative consequences.

If you’re looking for that authentic Git experience, DBmaestro has you covered with a Git integration — allowing Git to do what it does best and filling in any database specific gaps in coverage.

For example, Git is designed to work well with textual files such as C#, Java, asp, etcetera, but database objects are not textual files and still need to be controlled for version synchronicity. With the DBmaestro DevOps Platform, you can generate database update scripts (SQL scripts for the DDL, DCL and DML) using a object revision based impact analysis. When managing database version control with Git, ensure you’re using tools like DBmaestro’s DevOps Platform to handle non-textual files such as database objects, making the entire process more streamlined and reliable. The resulting scripts can be managed using the Git repository, while you track and manage your database objects through the DBmaestro DevOps Platform.

Saving the SQL upgrade scripts in a Git repository will streamline your continuous integration and continuous delivery processes and at the same time ensure that these processes are aligned with your application code (C#, Java, etc.) processes. Always store SQL upgrade scripts in your Git repository alongside application code to ensure that database changes are properly aligned with continuous integration and delivery processes.

In fact, if you’re interested in Git for database, you’ll certainly be interested in DBmaestro’s  DevOps Platform. In many ways, the platform is Git for database — designed specifically to address and resolve version control challenges in the db.

Key Takeaways

• Git stores data as snapshots, ensuring efficient version control by only tracking changes while maintaining a complete history of all modifications.
• Using Git for database development allows you to work offline and make changes that are automatically tracked and check-summed for added data integrity.
  
• Git is highly effective for code management, but when dealing with database objects, tools like DBmaestro fill in the gaps to ensure proper version control.
  
• By integrating Git with DBmaestro, you can generate and manage SQL scripts for database updates, improving CI/CD processes.
  
• Version control is critical for databases to avoid deploying mismatched versions of applications and databases, which can cause significant errors.

The acquisition actually fits quite seamlessly into Microsoft’s “developer-first” approach, adopted by the company most notably since CEO Satya Nadella got on board in 2014. Microsoft proudly admits that it relies on open source tools, and has even developed some of its projects (such as the Visual Studio Code text editor) on GitHub itself.

Microsoft is such a heavy GitHub user, in fact, that Microsoft developer and open source guru Miguel de Icaza joked on Twitter: “Satya looked at Microsoft’s bill from all the code we host on GitHub and figured it would be cheaper to buy the company.”

By embracing rather than fighting the open source movement of the last decade, Microsoft is joining the ranks of Facebook, Yahoo!, Dell and others, who have admitted to choosing open source software for some of their most critical development environments. Open source is no longer the exception; it’s the norm.

DevOps and Version Control: Like PB and J?

Version control wasn’t anything new in 2005 when Linux creator Linus Torvalds released the first version of Git, but the existing options were missing something key, the ability to track work locally and participate in a workgroup – distributed version control.  Centralized systems didn’t offer the speed, workflow or open (read: free) availability that he sought after. GitHub, born a few years later, has become a massive Git-repository hosting service, with an estimated 85 million repositories and 28 million users. Github took the concept of participating in a code project into the social sharing realm.

Over the last decade, Git and GitHub have established themselves as the go-to choice for startups and enterprises alike, offering the incomparable performance Linus Torvalds had once set off to achieve. As DevOps adoption has accelerated in recent years, GitHub has taken an active role in automation, with dozens of reference points throughout the automation and build sequences, version control has long since been adopted as the gospel for code development.

Jenkins rose to fame around the same time, eventually becoming the world’s favorite open source build automation tool, with an estimated 70% of the market share as of 2018. Jenkins hosts its own repository on GitHub as well, offering hundreds of plugins to support a harmonious Jenkins/GitHub relationship. This isn’t mere coincidence. The fact is that DevOps and version control go hand-and-hand. To really be able to pull DevOps off, you need to have smart, automate-able, and resilience enhancing controls in place. And that’s precisely what’s offered by GitHub and other agile version control tools.

The combination of version control and code repositories for development and an automation server that can easily access the code and build, creates an unparalleled force that drives agility and enables safe teamwork.

DevOps and version control work together through the deployment process to support continuous delivery.  Automation code and configuration stored in git gives control and location flexibility so that many nodes can participate in the process.  Jenkins integration ensures that it’s a fresh git checkout every time the pipeline executes.

Is All Code Equal?

Many organizations benefit from the combined offering for developing and deploying source code, and Microsoft may even be one of them. As organizations have become comfortable with hosting repositories remotely and relying on open source software, this development method is widely used.

However, not all code is treated equally. DevOps, agile, and open source adoption may have become the norm for application development, but database code is often left out of the equation.

Why, you might ask. The reasoning isn’t obvious; why is database code different than all other code? It is developed, tested and deployed, just as other code is, yet it is often excluded from the automation and version control story. Perhaps the reason is that the database is perceived as heavy, dangerous to tinker with, old. In reality, however, leaving the database behind creates a bottleneck that slows development and can potentially lead to serious issues.

In reality, there is no real reason to treat database source code any differently. Whether working on-prem or with cloud-based databases (or a combination of both), organizations can benefit from the GitHub/Jenkins relationship; a smooth, agile development-to-deployment process can be easily achieved for the database, too.

DevOps and version control solutions are instrumental to successful builds and deployments that keep up with the pace of business today.  Of course, even with such solutions in place, you’re not exactly going to have a set-it-and-forget-it software ecosystem. To push the wheels of progress to that end, you’ll need a tool that ties them both together and adds security, database governance and process makes it darn near perfect.

Combine all that with a built-in set of APIs and connectors to other tools in the DevOps ecosystem, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Find out more about continuous integration with Jenkins

Both these IT philosophies are predicated on continuously working your way through a number of recurring tasks under slightly different conditions – such as the build and deployment of applications and packages, while resetting environments and databases as needed. As such, it’s hugely important to automate all eligible processes (using either canned scripts or purpose-specific tools) as well as to catalogue and validate all changes throughout the process in a version control system.

Run a Tight Ship: Plug the Versioning Leaks

Unfortunately, not everybody realizes that database code is included in “everything”. That’s why database enforced change management and source code version control solutions complement each other so well.

There are many important differences between working with normal files or scripts and working on a database. As an example, the database is a centralized and shared resource that, by definition, must be homogenized for the entire team. There’s also the small matter of database objects having their own syntax for creation and modification.

Either way, the point is that these differences only make it all the more important that database be handled with appropriate IT controls. It’s somewhat ironic then that the database is on the short list of IT domains most likely to neglect versioning.

Because of the need for universal database synchronicity, there are several approaches to managing the DB work process. For example, one method is to have each developer work in a sandbox environment, which is similar to having a local directory for the files. Another method is to share database schema(s) between the teams.

Each of these methods has its comparative benefits and drawbacks. Regardless of your preferred approach, it’s essential that it follow these version control best practices:

1. Every change is versioned. No one can modify an object within the database without documenting the change.
2. Synchronization between the team is needed in order to prevent code overrides.
3. The merge process of parallel development from different environments must be easy.
4. The team must have the ability to collect all changes and wrap them into a deploy unit.

Let’s explore each of these requirements in greater detail:

Every Change is Versioned

Having all changes versioned means that no one can modify any object in the database, not even connections using the command line, without having the change documented in the version control repository.

When you use Perforce, for example, to manage your files, this feature is automatic. It’s unlikely that someone will change something directly in the Perforce repository. All changes are submitted to Perforce, otherwise they do not exist.

In order to achieve this, you must have a database enforced change management method that facilitates digital agility while at the same time maintaining prudent IT controls to prevent out-of-process changes.

Synchronization on a Central Resource

Working on central resource requires a method for synchronizing the work. For example, you might have a calendar for a meeting room in order to synchronize the appointments to be held there. Database objects are no different. Without proper synchronization, conflicts can happen if someone doesn’t following protocol.

Some synchronization methods provide an indication that an object is being worked on (i.e. a developer will Check-Out the object), much like the “On-Live” light in a TV or radio broadcasting room. The status of the object can be monitored through a version control application that in addition to monitoring and presenting the current status can also save the definition of the objects after the change.

But having an indication in the version control UI is not a silver bullet in terms of IT controls, as another developer can still log in to the database using the database IDE, and start working directly on the object without seeing the in-work indication (Check-Out). Preventing this problem requires integration with the database engine.

Easy Merge Process of Parallel Development

When developers have a sandbox environment, they’re required to promote changes into the integration or team environment, and update the sandbox with the latest changes. This process is very easy when a solution such as Perforce is used, because conflict notification and merges happen when changes are submitted. At this point, Perforce checks to see if there is a conflict with the file, and aids in the process of merging the text and updating the local file.

With database development, developers cannot work disconnected from the database without compiling the change in the database and checking for syntax errors. The question therefore is: what script will be stored in the version control repository? Will it be the created object or the accumulated alter statements?

If it’s the created statement, then the submit change process is responsible for updating the database environment (which is also the developer sandbox environment).

If it’s the accumulated alter statements, then a developer must execute the alter statement in the sandbox and add it to the script.

A conflict can happen when two developers add their own alter statements to the table. No one can execute the script without error, as the script has changes from both developers and each developer needs to execute only the changes made by the other one

In order to streamline the merge process during parallel development, therefore, a three-way analysis comparing the live database schema and a baseline is required.

Collecting all Changes and Wrapping Them into a Deploy Unit

It doesn’t matter if you’re working in Waterfall or Agile, you must have an easy process for collecting all changes from one single source (the source control repository) and wrapping them in to a deployable package.

For native code (such as Java, .NET), this is usually known as the compile or build process. This process normally executes on a special server called build server, which takes the latest revision of the code and initiates the build process.

The same process should exist for database code. Of course, the process for the database is a little bit different, as it must consider the existing schema definition (a live database which has the previous release) and the target schema definition (the definition in the repository).

Note that this is not just a matter of running a copy and replace process as it is with source code version control. Instead, it is a collection of SQL statements that modify existing database schema(s) to create a new structure while maintaining the integrity of the underlying data.

The Makings of Improved IT Controls

Any system designed to support  rapid and continuous database deployment, especially within a continuous delivery and DevOps framework, should be easy-to-use, incorporate best practices for IT controls, and be fully automated in order to keep the lifecycle moving smoothly and prevent developers from pulling through the wrong changes.

Indeed, to follow through on the mantra to “version everything”, database code changes should be included. For that, you’d be well-served to make use of a smart  enforced change management solution for the database.

In order to properly implement DevOps, you’ll need trustworthy source control. There are two ways to go about this: native code and database source control.

In this article, I outline both processes and explain the differences between them.

Source Control in Native Code

Every organization has its own processes for compiling native code. It can be manual or automatic. Either way, the build always relies on one specific thing: Source control.

Every build starts with an empty folder that is gradually filled with the relevant source code files from the file-based version control repository (SVN, Git, Perforce, Microsoft TFS, IBM RTC etc.). The system then compiles the source code files, and, if the compilation succeeds, the process can continue to the next step, which is to deploy to an automated test environment.

Some organizations also save the file-based compilation phase output (binary artifacts) in a binary source control repository (SVN, Git, Perforce, TFS, RTC, etc.), so the deployment system can retrieve the relevant artifacts from the source control repository.

Deployment to an automated test environment is done differently in different organizations. Some do it manually, while some rely on scripts, and still others use an application release automation tool, such as IBM UrbanCode Deploy or CA Release Automation. What is common between all these methods is the need to copy artifacts (binary) to the relevant server, while overriding the previous file version.

Every change a developer makes must be documented in the source control repository. If it doesn’t exist there, it won’t be included in the build process. What’s more, if a developer copies a locally-generated artifact to a test environment, the next deployment will override this “out-of-process” change.

Occasionally, defects will only recreate in test environments, but due to infrastructure limitations (storage, costs, complex architecture, etc.) the developer is required to work in the test environment and not in the development environment. In such cases, the developer may need to copy the locally-generated artifact directly to the test environment.

Once the developer checks-in the code changes, the next deploy to the test environment will override the locally-generated artifact with an artifact from the binaries’ source control. This built in safety net in the process, prevents out-of-process locally-generated artifacts from entering into the production environment.

The Difference between Native Code and Database Deployment

Native code deployment requires the copying of the binaries (DLL, jar, etc.) to the target environment. The previous version of the artifact is no longer valid (but may be saved for a quick rollback). This is the safety net which prevents out-of-process artifacts from reaching the production servers.

Unlike native code which invalidates previous file versions, database code deployment uses SQL scripts (DDL, DCL and DML triggers and commands generated in the build phase) to change the structure and data to meet the desired version. The script changes version A to version Z via DDL, DCL and DML commands, with every command changing the version a little bit. If the current version of the database is not A, there are two possible outcomes:

1. The script will ignore the current version and override the structure with whatever exists in the script.
2. The script will fail. For example: trying to add a column that already exists with a wrong data type.

While an error in the deployment process is not usually a desirable outcome, in this case, generating an error is better than having the script run successfully and then, without warning, reverting changes from a different team or branch in production (or changes made in the trunk/stash) as an emergency fix.

Why it Matters…

So if you’re still reading this, congratulations. You learned something new! But why does the difference beween native code and database deployment matter? Because native code deployment is only effective if we can safely assume that the file-based version control repository is the single source of truth for the code. As it happens, that  assumption is far less reliable than one  might expect.

With a native code approach to source control, only changes that are in the version control repository are available to the build process, changes made locally and not check-in will not to be promoted and may actually be lost – even  if those changes make up the properly authorized, most up-to-date version.

Database managed source control, on the other hand, will always catch version conflicts, and where it cannot automatically resolve them on the basis of a well-defined protocol, it will report them as errors – thus assuring review and resolution by capable human hands.

This distinction is hugely consequential, especially at the enterprise level, where a lost update can take days to notice and cost millions of dollars.

To fully embrace DevOps, therefore, you’ll need to be agile, continuous, and controlled across all environments. Frequent releases only amplify the importance of a stable database backbone for your software.

When it comes to intelligently and scalably managing source control, working from within the database should be the standard. That said, you might need to outfit your system with added functionality to make sure it can rapidly implement changes without error and without lengthy development cycles, while eliminating the possibility of overriding critical changes.