Voice of the DBA

Tag: SQL in the City

  • Using ReadyRoll to Automate Database Migrations

    I like ReadyRoll, and this week at SQL in the City 2017, I get to show some of the product off. I’ll be doing mostly demos and coding, live, with ReadyRoll, sending my code through from development to QA to production.

    Despite the power and ease with which I use SQL Compare, SQL Source Control and the DLM Automation tools, I really like the ReadyRoll paradigm. It’s not better or worse, but it’s a method I’ve been more comfortable using to deploy code to databases. It’s the type of process I’ve had to manually build in the past, but now it’s much easier with the ReadyRoll project and plugin for Visual Studio.

    Join me and see how I use ReadyRoll to write code, track it, and then deploy it to various other environments.

    We’re broadcasting a virtual SQL in the City this year, on December 14/15. The same content is both days, spread out to cover different time zones on each day. I hope you’ll join us and see what Redgate has in store for 2017.

  • Manual v Automation

    I’ve got my work cut out for me. This week is SQL in the City 2017. One of the sessions I need to present is a Manual DBA database deployment against an automated CI/CD process with the Redgate tools.

    To give our automated DBA a chance, I’ll be playing the role of the manual DBA, which means I’ll need all my typing skills and experience to try and quickly get code moved from one instance to the next.

    I don’t have a lot of confidence I’ll be faster, but I do know I can do the deployment. Or at least, I know I have done plenty of manual deployments in my career that have worked. I know how to script out changes, check them, and be sure they get executed in the right order on the next instance.

    However.

    I’ve also made plenty of mistakes, even with simple changes. I’ve learned that while I know what to do, I don’t always do what I should. Fortunately I know how to fix things quickly. Patching live in production. Always a good idea, right?

    We’ll see.

    We’re broadcasting a virtual SQL in the City this year, on December 14/15. The same content is both days, spread out to cover different time zones on each day. I hope you’ll join us and see what Redgate has in store for 2017.

  • SQL in the City is coming next week

    Next week is the 2016 version of SQL in the City and you can register now to attend. It’s free and doesn’t require any travel. You can watch the event live from the comfort of your office chair.

    In the many years that we’ve run SQL in the City, we’ve had events in London and various cities around the US. It’s been a lot of fun and we want to continue the tradition, but with an experiment.

    This year we’re broadcasting SQL in the City from the Redgate Software offices in Cambridge, UK. We have seven hours of sessions mixed in with tips and tricks that will help you become better SQL Server developers and DBAs while showing you some new ways you might use the SQL Toolbelt to work more efficiently. Even if you’re not a Redgate Software customer, I’m sure you’ll learn some things about SQL Server.

    In order to make things more convenient for everyone around the globe, we are broadcasting on two days, December 14 and 15. The content is the same both days, but the times vary. Wednesday will be an early day for my in Cambridge as we broadcast for Asia and Eastern Europe. Thursday will be a late night as the conference is scheduled to fit the Western Europe and US time zones.

    I hope you’ll join us and get excited about our new SQL Clone and Data Platform Studio as well as learn a few things about DLM Automation, SQL Monitor, ReadyRoll and more.

  • A Great SQL in the City 2015 Seattle

    Yesterday was the Seattle edition of the 2015 Redgate Software SQL in the City tour. I was in London a couple weeks ago for the first event, and we closed out the year in Seattle on Monday.

    I had some, fun, as you can see here.

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    Slava Murygin has a bunch more pictures on his blog. Check them out and you can see how much everyone enjoyed the event.

    The day started early for me, and with rehearsals early and the need to iron a shirt, I didn’t get a chance to work out in the am. That was disappointing. It still was a 10k step day, but I’m looking forward to yoga or running today. We arrived and practiced, working through the demos and talks with our CEO, Simon, and  Alastair, a developer working on Visual Studio stuff. We felt a little less polished than in London, and I think we were all more nervous this time.

    The keynote seemed to go OK. We missed a few lines and I was hoping it wasn’t too cheesy showcasing tools, but people seemed to enjoy it.

    My Version Control talk started slow, and I was a bit worried about time, but ended up going long with some questions and had to skip some of the branching stuff. I need to write more and get some things up on this blog since I didn’t cover the topic well enough. I have to apologize to Brian Randall for running long. I gave him about 3 minutes to setup before his session.

    The rest of the day was chatting with people before the panel at the end. I think the panel is one of the more interesting sessions, with us debating and chatting about building software and we got lots of questions. There were 4 or 5 more hands in the air when I had to cut things off. I’d really like to see us do two panels a day, with only 3 people and the chance for more questions from attendees that are struggling with issues.

    I had to rush out of the event for the networking dinner with Andy Warren, but it was an enjoyable day and one I hope we repeat in 2016.