Presentation by David Atkinson @dtabase and Grant Fritchey @GFritchey from Red Gate Software at SQL Bits 2014. Presentation covers the evolution of database deployments, how automation has solved release problems, and how to evolve your own pipeline.

1. The secret to pain-free database
deployments? Automation (yes, really)
David Atkinson
Product Strategy
Red Gate
David.Atkinson@red-gate.com
@dtabase
Continuous delivery for databases
Grant Fritchey
Product Evangelist
Red Gate
grant@scarydba.com
@GFritchey

2. Goals
 Evolution of database deployments
 How automation has solved release problems
 Evolve your own pipeline

3. Database Delivery
It’s about automating to Production.
In fact –
there’s a difference between three continuous approaches:
Development
Source
control CI server Test Production
Continuous integration
Continuous deployment
Continuous delivery
Release
pipeline

4. Databases as a bottleneck – historically
Odd languages
 SQL
 Cubes
 X-Query
3 reasons why databases have traditionally slowed down
deployments:
Data persistence
 Data outlives
applications
 Data can’t be
replaced
DBA paranoia
 Frankly…
1 2 3

5. So what’s changed?

6. Tools, techniques and processes…

7. Getting your database
under version control is easier

8. Lean and agile are more
frequently used in software delivery

9. We’re learning from the ALM space
on pipeline building

10. The goals of continuous delivery for databases
 Faster feedback on changes made
o Continuously integrate team changes
o Automated testing
o Releases rehearsed in testing environments before
deployed to Production
= repeatability, reliability and
a strong team process for changes

11. Pre-2000:deployments using
hand-crafted scripts
Deployment
Script
Development Production

12. It’s like a master craft to do it well
But…
 Human error is likely
 Time-consuming
 Changes will be missed

13. 2000: deployments using diff tools
Deploy
Development Production

14. Letting software take the strain
 Much reduced potential for human error
 Generate diff report
 Deployment scripts dynamically generated

15. Teams keep changes in sync using SQL Compare
Deploy
Production
Deployment
Team Development
Development

16. But source control is the
recognised development
collaboration tool…

17. 2010: SQL Source Control is released
Production
Development
Deploy
Source
Control
Development Deployment

18. • Team collaboration
• Prevent painful merges
• Maintain an audit trail of changes
• Undo and roll back
Source Control provides:

19. VERSION
CONTROL
CONTINUOUS
INTEGRATION:
FUNDAMENTALS
CONTINUOUS
INTEGRATION:
ADVANCED
AUTOMATED
DEPLOYMENT
Four stages to evolve your deployment pipeline

20. VERSION
CONTROL
Foundation – the first step towards automation
 Greenfield and brownfield projects
 Source for audit trail
 Sandbox for speed and isolation
Four stages to evolve your deployment pipeline

21.  Automate builds as first step
o Incremental
o Complete
 Verify database changes on check-in can
be built successfullyCONTINUOUS
INTEGRATION:
FUNDAMENTALS
Four stages to evolve your deployment pipeline

22.  Team discipline
 Customization of build steps
 Automate database tests
CONTINUOUS
INTEGRATION:
ADVANCED
Four stages to evolve your deployment pipeline

23.  Automation of releases to test and staging
environments
o Every delivery is practice
 Safety
o Rollback strategies and backups
 Approval gate for production-ready releasesAUTOMATED
DEPLOYMENT
Four key stages to evolve your deployment
pipeline

24. Remember those changes
that were checked in?

25. Successful build is deployed
to pre-production

26. Changes to workplace
SOURCE
CONTROL
CONTINUOUS
INTEGRATION:
FUNDAMENTALS
CONTINUOUS
INTEGRATION:
ADVANCED
AUTOMATED
DEPLOYMENT

27. It’s not always easy

28. Operations focus is on production protectionprotection
Development pressure is on speed to deliver
…is a DevOps approach the solution?

29. Focus on the pipeline
Think of the Toyota production system…
 Start with Lean
o Focus on the customer, eliminate waste
o Continuously improve
o Empower the team
o Optimize the whole
o Plan for change
o Automate processes
o Build quality in

30. What does the future hold?

31. 2015+: Automated deployments as far as Production
Development
Continuous
integration
Build Test
Publish Sync
ALTER
TABLE
foo…
Deployment
script
SQL
Release
Artifact
repository
Production
Release management
Trigger
Deploy
Continuous
Integration
Source
Control
Development Backup Deployment

32. Remember those changes
that were checked in?

33. Summary
 Automation is arriving in the database world
o Deployments are already evolving
 Four key stages
o Source control – start here!
o Automate your builds
o Advanced CI – automate tests and integrate frequently
o Continuous delivery – release to pre-production

34. Documentation and resources
 Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble and David Farley (Addison Wesley)
 The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by
Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford (IT Revolution Press)
 The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
(Gower Publishing Ltd.)
 Agile Organization by the agile admin (theagileadmin.com)
Further resources:
 Database Delivery Learning program: www.red-gate.com/delivery
o Patterns and practices on Simple-Talk
o Tutorials in Red Gate training academy
 www.youtube.com/user/RedGateVideos - for recorded seminars

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