Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • The Control Poll

    This editorial was originally published on May 17, 2013. It is being re-run as Steve is out of the office.

    I was reading about version control systems (VCS) recently, brushing up on some skills, and saw this quote in a thread:

    “There is no excuse for not using version control, even for a small project developed by single developer. Setting up local version control is beyond trivial, benefits huge. Any developer not knowing that cannot be considered good nor experienced.”

    That’s quite a pronouncement, and one that I believe is very true. No matter what type of development you engage in, I’d expect that you’d understand the benefits of using version control, and the dangers of not using it. It’s just like never backing up your system. I’d think that any developer that cares about their craft and is a professional has used version control. The really good ones will insist upon it.

    However I know that the decision to use a VCS is not always made by a developer. The company building the software might feel differently, and while I’ve always asked for a VCS, I have ended up with a series of folders on a share, named for dates, each containing a zip file of all our code at the end of that day. It was the bare minimum of version control I could live with, and fortunately we got by with just two people coordinating work. Any more than that and I’d insist on some type of VCS.

    This week, I wanted to ask how many of you voluntarily or involuntarily might be forced to do something similar.

    How many of you skip source control for certain apps?

    Even if you have source control for those large, multi-person teams, are there apps that you avoid putting into a VCS? What about your database code? I think it’s important that you keep all your code, whether for the front end application or database objects, in some type of Version Control system. If your boss won’t buy one, then check out Git or Subversion, both of which are open source and free.

    Let us know this week how you feel about source control and whether or not you decide the effort isn’t worthwhile for your projects.

  • DevOps Basics–Git Clients

    This is also a part of a basic series on git and how to use it.

    There are lots of git clients. If you look at the top list for this year, you’ll see quite a few. I’ve used a couple of these, but they all give you roughly the same information. Where am I in the commit tree, and what branches are out there. I tend to prefer the command line most times, but clients are handy to have.

    There are two main ones that I have been using, trading off and on between them, so a quick look at both Sourcetree and Gitkrakken.

    Sourcetree

    Sourcetree is a free client from Atlassian. They’re a software company, much like Redgate, that gives back to the community. One of the ways they do this is with Sourcetree and Bitbucket . This client is available for Windows and MacOS, so it’s cross platform.

    It’s simple and easy to setup, and the install isn’t worth covering. Amazing how simple most installs are these days. Once installed, you can open or create repositories easily.

    The interface is clean and easy to understand. All the main features (push, pull, commit, branch, etc.) are large buttons at the top. The graph, comments, and other information is in the middle.

    2017-08-25 11_36_24-SourceTree_1.9

    Below here are the staged and unstaged files in my repo, so I can easily see the state of my work.

    There are tabs for each repo, so if you open multiple ones, you’ll see them listed at the top and can easily switch between them. Handy if you need to work on multiple projects.

    Sourcetree will check for updates and let you know when they are available. As with most software, this will download the patch and then let you know that you need to close the app to start the install.

    2017-08-25 11_33_48-Found Updates for SourceTree

    After using other clients, I find this sometimes a bit slow, but usually commit/push time isn’t a large factor in work. I can start the process and go get coffee or take some break.

    I’d say Sourcetree is a nice client, and it’s easy to use. There’s also a nice button to pop open a Git Bash terminal, which is helpful if you want to work in a text format.

    Gitkraken

    I stumbled on this client somewhere. I think someone recommended it on Twitter, and I decided to give it a try. Sourcetree was working, but I was curious if there was something else.

    Gitkraken bills itself as the most popular client. It might be, but even if it’s not, I like some of the simplicity. This client is available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, so you might prefer this if you move across all those platforms.

    It’s also cool to look at. The animation when it starts is neat.

    Others

    There are other clients, including some MS tools in Visual Studio (regular and code) that work with git. I don’t really use those, as I tend to work with the command line or simple interfaces for commits, not examining differences or looking at branches. For those tasks, I do like these two clients.

    Of course, at some point you may need to drop into the command line if you find yourself in a pickle. While I’m sure you’ll google most issues, be comfortable solving them in the command line and practice a few tasks periodically by typing the syntax.

  • Game Night is Back at the Summit

    Last year Andy Warren and I worked out a deal with the PASS organization to sponsor a game night on Thursday evening since there were no official events. The event went well, with way more attendance than we expected. I was actually amazed at the number of people that brought games I’d never heard of.

    This year Andy and I are a bit busy with other events, and Halloween is causing some issues. Over the year we’ve had discussions with PASS and they agreed to host Game Night as an official event, providing the room and support. Kevin Hill (b | t) is going to lead the event, and everyone should thank him for stepping up.

    Game Night tickets are available now, for $12, which will cover admission and an alcoholic (or 2 non-alcoholic) drinks. I expect space will be limited, so sign up today if you want a quieter, fun time Thursday night competing with other attendees.

    I think I’ll have other commitments, but I’ll try to stop by and say hi. Don’t worry, I won’t take a ticket, and prevent one of you from enjoying the games.

    If this is your thing, and you’d like to help out in 2018, let me know. I’d like PASS to run this every night and get multiple volunteers to help keep things organized. I think plenty of you would love a space to compete for fun instead of searching for something else.

  • The End of Summer

    Today is Labor Day in the US, and a federal holiday. Not much of one for me as I’m flying to the UK today for a week of meetings and the Redgate Community Hub livestream on Wednesday. Register, tune in and watch if you can. I don’t feel too bad about working today as I’ve had a few light days in the last few weeks.

    When I was younger, Labor day was the end of summer. School typically started the next day, so this was our last day to go to the beach and surf, play volleyball, or enjoy ourselves with few responsibilities. It was the last day off for quite some time, usually until late October or even Thanksgiving in November. We appreciated this holidays as only schoolchildren can.

    These days I view the world differently. Labor Day often means the start of conference season, with deadlines approaching and travel ramping up. So many events seem to occur in the Sept/Oct/Nov timeframe that it’s a busy part of my year. This year is no different with travel this week and 4 more events before December. Hopefully I’ll meet more of you at one of those stops.

    Most of us are the laborers, working for an organization and receiving a paycheck in response. We don’t usually have organized unions in our industry, but we have helped spur economic growth in our countries with our with in technology and this is a good day to remember our contributions and celebrate them in the US.

    Happy Labor Day.