How dbForge Source Control is involved in the DevOps process

Although the dbForge Source Control tool is not used in the Continuous Integration process directly, database developers do use version-controlling extensively in their work.

Naturally, a database is a critical part of an application. Thus, if the changes (e.g., the ones related to the delivery of a new app version to customers) do not find their way into the production database, the entire application may end up working improperly. Long story short, version control is crucial for the entire database development lifecycle.

When implementing a new feature or improving the current functionality, a developer normally deploys a local database on their machine and makes changes to the database schema objects, such as adding or modifying tables, columns, stored procedures, etc. The number of such changes may be huge, and all of them are made right in the deployed database. Eventually, the time to save the changes to the database comes.

dbForge Source Control displays all the changes made to the database and provides an option to review them prior to committing. The following example illustrates a case of database deployment from Git and putting it under source control to track changes made during a database schema change.

dbForge Source Control within SQL Databse Development

01

To access the Link Database to Source Control wizard:

Right-click on the desired database that you wish to include in source control.
Point to the Source Control sub-menu.
Click Link Database to Source Control.

02

Configure the settings in the Link Database to Source Control wizard:

Select the Source connection and database.
Select the Target connection and database.
Choose the database development model.
Click Link once done.

dbForge Source Control - Link Database to Source Control wizard.

03

After implementing the required modifications to the database schema:

Review the alterations and identify the ones that should be synchronized with the remote repository.
Input your commit comment in the corresponding field to allow other team members to see what has been changed.
Finally, click Commit to complete the process.

After the commit, the Git repository will be updated with the new changes that were previously made in your local working directory.

Using dbForge Source Control when synchronizing with popular version control systems

The example above showed how to use the dbForge Source Control tool when synchronizing with Git. Generally, the tool allows you to link your database to the following version control systems:

Subversion (SVN)
Team Foundation Server (including TFS Cloud)
Git (including GitHub)
Perforce (P4)
Mercurial
SourceGear Vault

01

You can easily link your database to any of the mentioned version control systems just in a few clicks using the convenient Link Database to Source Control wizard:

Select the source control repository.
Configure the source control repository properties.

02

When working with these data sources, users get an additional opportunity to view the history of changes on the server. This feature allows users to track modifications, understand the evolution of the data, and ascertain who made specific alterations and when. Such insight into the history of changes enhances transparency, facilitates error detection, and aids in maintaining data integrity and accountability within the system.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the dbForge Source Control tool proves to be an indispensable ally for seamless database development. Its user-friendly interface allows for quick and effortless configuration, enabling users to effortlessly link databases to supported source control systems. By streamlining the process without disrupting workflows, this tool enhances productivity and efficiency, making it an invaluable asset in modern-day database management.

Learn about other dbForge tools involved in collaborative
database development and deployment