Version control for databases

The Case

You have a team of developers working on database changing schema and the data. To prevent a situation when several developers make simultaneous changes to the schemas objects during the development process, you certainly use a source control program.

Source control programs are designed for source code, rather than for databases.

When you need to revert to an earlier version of a schemas object in order to consider dependencies, you need to account for the entire database, and not just line-by-line differences. However, a source control program provides only the line-by-line differences in the script for the object, without getting references on dependencies.

Reverting to an earlier version of a schemas object by based on only line-by-line differences in the script for a schemas object may entail dramatic consequences of an ineffective database.

Main goals to be achived

• Keeping snapshots of different versions of database throughout the whole development cycle instead of recording the entire database each time.
• Maintaining the integrity of the database while reverting to a previous version.

Our solution is

Use Cross-Database Studio 6.0 in order to generate SQL scripts that can be used to revert back to a previous schemas objects state or data contents:

1. Select schema objects and/or data you want to keep an audit trail of the changes;
2. Configure synchronization strategy in order to produce synchronization SQL scripts, session scheduling etc.;
3. Run synchronization session in order to produce synchronization SQL scripts without actual execution;
4. Archive and keep those SQL scripts in order to revert back to a previous schema objects state or data contents;

Advantage of our solution

• Snapshots are smaller and easier to operate with than database backups.
• The integrity of the database is maintained, and the dependencies are considered.
• Easier way to revert to a previous version or release.
• Enables to record the complete history of the entire database development process.