Database Lifecycle Management Archives

09Aug 2017 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

IT/Dev Connections 2017

Database Lifecycle Management, DevOps, SQL Server 2016

I'm very honored to be able to announce that I am going to be speaking at IT/Dev Connections in San Francisco. I'm not just speaking there, I'm presenting an all day seminar on the tools needed for query tuning. The title does say SQL Server 2016, but most of the tools I'll cover can be used be used from SQL Server 2012 to SQL Server 2017. I'll also throw in a few SQL Server 2017 tools just to spice things up. If you're looking for a lot of information about how to get your query tuning done, I'm here to help. I'm also going to be talking about two other favorite topics of mine, DevOps and Monitoring. Please check it out and join me at this event.

06Mar 2017 by Grant Fritchey 41 Comments

SQL Clone and a Little Competition

Database Lifecycle Management, DevOps, Redgate Software

Redgate has released a new product, SQL Clone. I've already talked about how excited I am about it. Now, it's your turn to get excited. Our developers evidently had too much time on their hands after building SQL Clone. They created a skill in Alexa that lets you clone a database using voice commands. In fact, I was recently visiting Redgate HQ and was able to try it out and you can watch here. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zI2Oj9EZM8&feature=youtu.be[/embed] Now, in celebration of the launch of SQL Clone, we want to enable you to do some voice commands of your own. We're giving away five Amazon Echo DotsÂ and one copy of SQL Clone to anÂ overall winner. To enter, go into the comments and let us know what skill you would like toÂ build for Alexa…

27Jan 2016 by Grant Fritchey 4 Comments

The Importance of a Full Backup in SQL Server

Database Lifecycle Management, DevOps, Professional Development, SQL Server, SQL Server 2016

This is the first of 12 posts this year in support of Tim Ford's #iwanttohelp initiative. These will be completely 100 level, introductory blog posts meant to help people that are just getting started as data professionals. I'll try to cover several different topics over the year, but felt I should start with what I think is the most important, backups. It is impossible to overstate the importance of getting a good backup of your SQL Server databases. A backup is the most fundamental of protections for the information on which your business is dependent. Since SQL Server is a service, it manages it's own files. Because of this, you can't just copy the *.mdb file where your data is stored. Instead, you must run a process, usually through the…

15Dec 2015 by Grant Fritchey 2 Comments

Benefits from Data Lifecycle Management

Database Lifecycle Management, DevOps

I spend a lot of time talking about the need for automation within your databases, especially in support of development, deployment, and through process management. It's because I learned the hard way just how important this stuff is. It took a pretty strong developer (in the sense of abilities, he didn't beat me up) to convince me that I was doing database development the wrong way. However, once he made me see the light, I was like one of the Blues Brothers, on a mission. However, I think this is one of the hardest parts to get people to understand. If you have a mostly, or completely, manual deployment process, you're experiencing pain from the inefficiencies that causes. However, it's a pain that'sÂ just embedded into the organization so much, that…

03Dec 2015 by Grant Fritchey 4 Comments

Changing Course On Learning

Azure, Database Lifecycle Management, DevOps, DocumentDB, Professional Development

With all the new stuff on the MicrosoftÂ Data Platform, it's really hard to keep up with it all. I had announced my plans to charge down the DocumentDB road to try to get the basics of that in my head along with learning some JSON so I could get what all the hoopla is about. However, after a lot of thought and some extensive meetings at Redgate, I'm looking to shift my learning in a new direction. First up. Arrrrrrrrr! No, it's not yet "Talk Like a Pirate Day." I'm going to start learning the R language. It's a language for statistical computing and is one of the many underpinnings for what's going to be happening with a lot of the Machine Learning capabilities in the Data Platform. With Azure…

19Aug 2015 by Grant Fritchey 1 Comment

Time to Change

Database Lifecycle Management

I recently spent two days consulting with a company on their database development and deployment processes. They are a small,Â capable,Â team of developers, database developers and a DBA who have embraced the idea that they need to be able to automate their deployments. I wasn't in there to teach them much of anything, but to help walk them through what the possibilities were for their deployments. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. They recognized that it was time to change what they did and how they did it in order to achieve greater efficiencies. They recognized that, while they were successfully building and deploying their databases (a capable team, remember), they were experiencing pain that they could alleviate. Like Peter, it was a time for change. I…

29Jul 2015 by Grant Fritchey 1 Comment

Hey Kids! Let’s Put on a Show at the Old Barn

Azure, Database Lifecycle Management, DevOps, PASS, SQL Server, T-SQL

Alternate Title: I'm traveling a bunch. Let's get together and talk. A bunch of trips and presentations coming up, so I thought I'd share. First, I'll be SQL Saturday Omaha for my first time ever presenting in Nebraska. I'm excited to add this state to my list (which is almost over 40 now). If you're not doing anything August 15th, let's have a chat. Next, fingers crossed, I'll get selected to fly back to my home state, Oklahoma, to go to SQL Saturday OKC. These guys put on a great event and hey, it's Oklahoma so how can it be bad. I hope they announce soon. I need to schedule my flights. This one is on August 29th. September also has several events. First, I'll be at SQL Saturday Las…

06Jul 2015 by Grant Fritchey 4 Comments

But I Don’t Have a Test Server…

Database Lifecycle Management, DevOps, SQL Server, T-SQL

I frequently see statements on forums along the lines of "I don't have a test server, so I'm going to do something I've never done before directly onÂ my production servers..." This is usually followed by questions along the lines of: But that's OK and I won't get fired, right? So how do I know if it worked? Is that dangerous? The replies are: No.Â You should be fired You won't By All the Gods! Yes! It's stupidly, insanely, I don't really like my production server, my data, my boss, or my job, dangerous. Yes. I understand. You're working for a not-for-profit, so you can't afford tons of new servers. You're looking at a 50tb production server of which, you can't make a copy. Your bosses just don't want to spend the…

18May 2015 by Grant Fritchey No Comments

Come to Us or We’ll Come to You

Database Lifecycle Management, DevOps

No, that's not a threat. It's an offer to help out. Redgate Software is very serious about the efforts we're putting into creating the tools needed to support your Database Lifecycle Management (DLM) processes. DLM isÂ a vital part of supporting both Agile development methods and moving towards an automated DevOps style of systems management that tightly integrates your software development and deployments with your database development and deployments. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can get really good at performing manual tasks, or you can get really good at automation. You want to get good at automation and we're here to help. Getting a smooth process from source control, continuous integration, continuous delivery and continuous deployment can be a lot of work, but work with huge…

26Feb 2015 by Grant Fritchey 3 Comments

How to do DevOps as a SQL Server DBA

Database Lifecycle Management, DevOps

You recognize that you need to provide a pipeline for database deployments, that you need to automate as much support for your development teams as you possibly can, that you have to have testing in place to ensure protection of the production environment, that you need to speed your processes. In short, you recognize the need for taking on a DevOps approach, an Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) approach, even, a Database Lifecycle Management (DLM) approach. Cool. Now what? Well, there are threeÂ fundamentals that you need to get under your belt. You need to get your database into source control. You need to set up a continuous integration process. You need to set up automated deployments. All tough nuts to crack. Hey, we get it. That's why Redgate Software is going…

Category: Database Lifecycle Management