Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • Webinar: Database Deployment with Git, Jenkins, and Octopus Deploy

    I’ve got a webinar later today that looks at how Redgate Software’s DLM Automation and other SQL Toolbelt tools can be used to smoothly move development changes from one database to another.

    Sign up and spend an hour with me this morning.

    This is part of a monthly series that Redgate is running, where we’re changing the platform out every month. In this case, I’m going to use a git as my VCS, storing changes in there as I make them to a database.

    From there, I will push the changes to a remote git repo and have Jenkins automatically pick up the changes and build, test, and deploy the changes to another database. I’ll make table changes, data changes, proc changes, anything you want. Just ask.

    However, that’s not all. From there, we’ll see Octopus Deploy take a package of changes and deploy them out to other environments, letting my manage and track the process with the click of a button.

    I’ve been doing this demos for a few years, across multiple platforms, but never on Jenkins. However, I’m amazed that things work as smoothly here as they do with TeamCity or VSTS.

    Building software is building software, including database software.

    If you’ve got some time today, join me and see how easy this can be.

    Sign up and see database changes made live.

  • Yet Another Database

    The “yet another” moniker is used throughout technology. YAAF, YARN, YAML, and more ways that people talk about yet another way to solve some problem or build a platform. That’s one of the amazing things about technology is that we, as a group, are not satisfied with the way things are done. Someone is constantly looking to find a better solution and advance our technology choices in a new direction.

    In the database world, we’ve seen changes as well. Relational databases were the obvious, or perhaps just dominant, choice for most of my career. At some point I saw object databases, XML databases, then streaming databases, none of which gained much popularity. The last few years have seen document databases, graph databases, key value databases, and more. We categorize databases as row-store or column-stores now. There are probably other types I’m forgetting.

    There are also categorizations of OLTP, OLAP, operational, ODS, data warehouses (DW), etc. that people use. I ran across a piece called “Why you need another database“, whose opening line is “Do you really need yet another database?” The answer is, sure, you need an analytical database, but I think the piece is a bit behind the times. Lots of people have built an analytic database in the form of a relational DW, an SSAS cube, or perhaps some other type of NoSQL store (Hadoop is popular) that allows complex querying of data away from the operational, every day OLTP system.

    I would guess many of you have some separate reporting copy of data that allows analysis separately from your online system. This could be a copy of your production database, a data warehouse receiving regular loads, a read-only AG replica, or something else. Some of you might perform analysis in your primary OLTP system, with enough spare capacity to handle the reporting load.

    There are multiple ways in which you may decide to implement an analytical database, but I do agree that most businesses ought to have some way of analyzing the data they collect. The questions in the piece (structure, size, analytics), are good ones, and no matter what your platform, architecture, or technology, make sure that you build something that meets the needs of your organization as a whole, not just the technologists that prefer one platform over another.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 3.4MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and Libsyn.

  • Thursday Game Night at PASS Summit

    On Thursday night, Oct 27, 2016, Andy Warren and I are hosting a game night event at the Washington State Convention Center. This is a low-key, alternative fun event for those of you that might not be attending another party elsewhere.

    If you’re interested, please purchase a ticket. We have arranged for a bar, but this required a financial commitment. With your $10 ticket, we’ll provide you with a single adult beverage ticket or two soda tickets. You can purchase more with cash if you’d like. The tickets are more for planning purposes, as we have a limited space. However, if lots of you want to come, we’ll work on securing more space.

    Andy and I will provide some board games (Monopoly, Scrabble, Chess, decks of cards), but please feel free to bring your own. Pass the word to friends, letting them know that they can come and enjoy their favorite tabletop game with others at the Summit. You can look to join a group and just play.

    Our goal is more networking and fun in a safe, comfortable environment.

    We are complying with the Anti-Harassment policy from PASS, so no Cards Against Humanity. Andy and I may ask you to leave if we feel your game is inappropriate. However, feel free to find another location and play there.

    Again, please register today if you’d like to enjoy some gaming with fellow data professionals at the Summit. If we fill up, please join the waitlist and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

    Alternatively, come even if you’re on the wait list and perhaps you can find a few people that might want to migrate to a hotel lobby, restaurant, or other location for some gaming.

    Hope to see you there, and please, pass the word to others.

    Game Night – PASS Summit 2016

  • Thursday Night Networking Dinner Meetup at Summit 2016

    This year PASS announced that Thursday night would be an open night at the PASS Summit, with no events scheduled. Typically Microsoft has sponsored a party at Gameworks, but not this year. PASS has a list of events at the Summit, if you want to browse. Many of these events do require invitations, which means attendance will be limited.

    Andy Warren and I decided to put together a couple of events for Thursday night, hoping to give many of you an alternative that’s both fun and good for your career. We came up with two items, and we hope that some of you will choose to attend. I’ll talk about one here, and the other in a new post.

    Please pass the word on to others that you know might be attending the summit. Tweets, blogs, etc. are appreciated. We’re using the hashtag #sqldinner, so please feel free to add that to your promotion.

    Thursday Night Dinner Meetup

    For many years, Andy and I have run the Monday Night Networking Dinner. This year, we decided to expand that to Thursday night, but with a twist. We are looking to organize small groups of people for a quiet dinner. We are asking for anyone interested in meeting fellow database professionals to come to the Convention Center lobby on Thursday around 5:30. We’ll have signs to help guide you.

    In the lobby we’ll have some facilitators to help you find/build a group of four with a shared interest, anything from technical to sports to politics. Once you have a group you’ll move over to the ‘restaurant board’ to look at a list of area restaurants. We’ll tag each with whether they are in walking distance (< 1/2 mile). Pick a restaurant and you’re off to dinner! Our goal is to facilitate, but self organizing is fine. Our hope is this is a chance for you to network with some new people and enjoy a nice dinner with some new friends.

    Around 5:45-6:30, we’ll try to organize people into groups of 4 that can go out for a dinner at a local restaurant. Please feel free to self-organize and leave if you have a group, but the idea is to network with some new people and enjoy a nice dinner with some new friends.

    I’ve gotten a number of restaurant suggestions (still looking for more), at various price ranges, and will have information available that night. We will have the various restaurant names on cards, to help you choose, but also try to spread the load so people aren’t waiting too long. We will also have a whiteboard with various topics and ideas in the Community Zone during the day Thursday for you to come read and consider which items are interesting to you. Feel free to vote on existing topics or add your own.

    This is an opportunity to try something new, and certainly a chance to get out of your hotel room if you don’t have other plans. If you have a group of 2 or 3, then feel free to come by and meet another new person or two that might want to join you.

    Again, I hope this works out well and please help me and Andy pass the word. Even if you have other plans Thursday, I’m sure there are plenty that won’t, so encourage them to meet someone new on Thursday night.