Tag: Redgate

  • The Book of Redgate: Ingeniously Simple

    Redgate has been known for many useful tools that are easy to use. We’ve tried to do that in all our point tools. We talk about simplicity all the time and when we release something that isn’t simple, lots of people question why.

    Perhaps not enough or with enough pushback, but we do talk about simplicity.

    One of the pages in the book was devoted to merely expressing ingeniously simple. It’s written in a number of languages.

    2025-05_0105

    The goal of ingenious simplicity is to build things that people can use without resorting to complex manuals and example code. SQL Compare is a great example of this. Enter a few database connections and click Compare and you get an easy report. There’s a big Deploy button on top to help you sync your databases.

    I think we’ve done a good job of building some simple tools over the years. Perhaps now we’re in a more complex environment, but we are trying to keep things simple and provide clues to help users understand how the tools work.

    I have a copy of the Book of Redgate from 2010. This was a book we produced internally about the company after 10 years in existence. At that time, I’d been there for about 3 years, and it was interesting to learn a some things about the company. This series of posts looks back at the Book of Redgate 15 years later.

  • DevOps Devour Hour Slides

    Here are the slides from my talk today at the Redgate NYC Devour Hour: Architecting Zero Downtime Deployments.pptx

    The Repo is here: https://github.com/way0utwest/ZeroDowntime

    An interesting question on feature toggles: Would you use Extended Properties for a feature toggle flag?

    My answer:

    I wouldn’t. I find Extended Propeties (and triggers) to be hidden inside databases and I don’t like hidden things. They fall through the cracks, it’s hard to remember they exist, and more. Plus Extended properties aren’t easily programmed.

    I would love

    alter table add (or update) extended property

    and a way to query these

    select * from table.properties

    Instead we have a messed up sp_add/update property with a very, very unintuitive set of parameters.

  • The Book of Redgate: Do Your Best Work

    One of our mission statements in the Book of Redgate says: attempt to do the best work of your life.

    I’d like to think that at most points in time, people are trying to go good work. There are always times when you are distracted, ill, new child, etc. However, doing the best work of your life? Do you think you are always doing the “best work” at a new place? Or being the best version of yourself at this current position?

    I think I am, and this is a good reminder to strive for being the best you can be at that point in time.

    The text alongside this value is: We’d like you to achieve your own greatness and to be all that you can be. We’ll try hard to allow that to happen and we’d like you to try hard too.

    That’s comforting and inspiring. I do think we try to allow people to grow and achieve things. It’s a nice environment.

    I have a copy of the Book of Redgate from 2010. This was a book we produced internally about the company after 10 years in existence. At that time, I’d been there for about 3 years, and it was interesting to learn a some things about the company. This series of posts looks back at the Book of Redgate 15 years later.

  • A DevOps Workshop Tomorrow in Atlanta

    Tomorrow is the Redgate DevOps Day in Atlanta. You can still sign up, so do that if you can make it. Here’s the rough outline

    • Vision Session – w/ Advocate Steve Jones
    • Redgate Flyway hands-on Session
    • 6 ways to Elevate Database Monitoring
    • Whiteboarding Session
    • Test Data Manager Demo Session
    • Networking/Happy Hour

    Lunch is provided and I’m looking forward to this. I’m traveling from Baton Rouge today to Atlanta (probably right now), coming from a customer visit.

    Register and come see me in Atlanta tomorrow