Blogs

Controlling who commits code to a given database schema in Git with Azure DevOps

January 18, 2020

One of most the fun things about working as an Advocate at Redgate is getting to help clients determine their preferred workflow for database DevOps.

Teams often have unique requirements and are using different combinations of tooling, so figuring out the best way to accomplish what they need typically involves leveraging what I already know, collaborating with my coworkers and the client to generate ideas, researching and prototyping solutions, and then getting feedback from everyone.

Why I like the Release Flow branching strategy with Git for database DevOps

in devops

January 10, 2020

When people begin applying DevOps principles to database development using Redgate tooling, often one of the first steps in the process involves getting database code into version control. Questions naturally come up about how to manage the flow of changes to database objects from development into production once changes begin occurring.

Why I’m Learning Git via the Command Line Interface

in sql

January 3, 2020

I’ve learned a bit about Git in the last year: I’m now quite comfortable creating and managing Git Repos in Azure DevOps. I frequently do demos with SQL Change Automation and SQL Source control with Git on Redgate’s YouTube channel, and I’ve published a Git Cheat Sheet for the Command Line Interface.

Resolving Merge Conflicts in SQL Source Control - the Basics (video)

in sql

December 27, 2019

In this 35 minute livestream recording, I commit conflicting code to a Git repo in Azure DevOps Services using Redgate’s SQL Source Control, then step through options to fix the conflict. We first run through an example where we hit a conflict when pushing to the master branch and resolve that. Then we run through an example where we are using a feature branch and identify the conflict when doing a pull request to merge the change into master.

Why You Should Take the 2020 State of Database DevOps Survey today (video)

in sql

December 19, 2019

In this six minute video, I explain why you should take the 2020 State of Database DevOps Survey. The survey is open for a few more days – we’ve had a record number of responses, but we want YOUR input as well!

Take the survey at Redgate.com/DevOpsSurvey.

Database Reliability Engineering (22 minute video)

in sql

December 18, 2019

I was fascinated yesterday to come across the term, “Database Reliability Engineering,” which I hadn’t seen before. In this 22 minute whiteboarding session, I talk about why we need new terms for “Database Administration,” and my initial understanding of what Database Reliability Engineering means by comparison.

Online, Resumable, and WAIT_AT_LOW_PRIORITY operations in SQL Server

in sql

December 10, 2019

ONLINE operations in SQL Server were simple to understand for years – we got ONLINE index rebuilds in SQL Server 2005. That was it for a while.

Then, things got more complicated: we got more types of indexes. We got ONLINE options for schema changes that don’t involve indexes. We got more options for managing things like blocking, because online operations are really only mostly online — generally there’s going to be at least a short period where an exclusive lock is needed to update metadata. We now have some RESUMABLE operations coming in, too, for those big operations that are tough to handle.

What would you say you do here?

in devops

December 9, 2019

The other day, I was looking back at an excellent blog post my colleague Jamie Wallis wrote about what Product Marketing Managers do at Redgate. I really like the chart he created which explains how Product Marketing Managers work with Product Managers – what each role focuses on, and where they collaborate.

I realized that my own role as an Advocate can also be hard to understand.

Installing Redgate SQL Toolbelt with Chocolatey (video with transcript)

in sql

December 2, 2019

Chocolatey is a package manager that helps you install, upgrade, and uninstall packages (applications) on Windows quickly and easily from the command line.