Change management for the database schema is a feature that's always been MIA for SQL Server. Although third-party products can fill the void, database schema change management isn't on the radar screen for most organizations that use SQL Server. Many small-to-midsized businesses (SMBs) tend to use a development process that doesn't typically incorporate formalized database change-management processes. Maybe many organizations that use SQL Server don't employ formal change management because SQL Server doesn't have built-in change-management features. Or maybe it's because the majority of SQL Server installations are SMBs.
In most organizations that don't use formal version and database schema control,
the production version of the database is regarded as the current version. Development
databases are usually created by taking a point-in-time copy of the production
database. Subsequent application and database updates are developed and tested
against the snapshot copy of the production database.
This process has several inherent problems.One problem is the difficulty in
tracking the changes in each new code rollout, especially if problems arise
in the new version. Examining the T-SQL update scripts isn't the most efficient
way to track and identify schema changes. Also, problems arise when a company
has multiple installations of the same database. For example, each branch-office
installation can potentially have unique changes or database updates. In such
a case, it can be difficult to know which version of the database is really
the correct version.
Microsoft's newVisual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals (Team
Data) product is designed to address these problems.The Community Technology
Preview for Team Data is now available, and the release to manufacturing is
scheduled for the end of 2006. Team Data provides database schema change management
for SQL Server 2005 and 2000.And Team Data uses Visual Studio's project-oriented
IDE to provide database schema version control, moving the "production" or "master"
copy of the database schema from within the production database to theVisual
Studio?based version-control system.When you modify a database schema, Team
Data generates a script that you can use to deploy the changes to your production
servers. In addition to basic version control and deployment,Team Data lets
DBAs rename database objects, compare the schema or data between two databases,
and optionally synchronize the schema and data.
The tools that Team Data provides perform several vital database-management
functions. However, the product probably won't be a silver bullet for database
schema change management in most SQL Server organizations because Team Data
is still a separate product from SQL Server. Being part of the Visual Studio
Team System product line makes Team Data a tool that's more attractive and affordable
to large organizations than SMBs. Perhaps more important is the fact that using
Team Data for database schema change management requires businesses that currently
use an informal process to change the way they do things. Changing present behaviors
can be more difficult than learning and implementing new technologies. For more
information about Team Data see Microsoft's Visual Studio Team Edition for Database
Professionals Web page at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/teamsystem/products/dbpro/default.aspx.
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