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July 22nd, 2010 by Uri
Do you wonder how the changes you are currently making in your development environment will impact your production databases? Do you “keep your fingers crossed” when deploying new modifications, hoping they won’t have too much of an effect on your live systems?
We all know that this approach is not ideal. But, how much would you be willing to pay for a solution that could provide you with such valuable information in advance?
There are a variety of database performance tools on the market today that will provide you with this type of knowledge on high traffic objects such as important indexes or frequent procedures. These products will also help you uncover and solve issues. But, they don’t allow you to be prevent issues in production environments, they simply enable you to correct a problem after the fact.
An innovative, next-generation database change management solution, dbMaestro TeamWork™, is designed to provide you with truly proactive change management. When integrated with third-party performance tools that provide details on frequent packages, used indexes, and other important usage data, TeamWork will dynamically notify database administrators (DBAs) when critical objects are changed in the development phase. These automatic alerts let key stakeholders know each time a schema or metadata is updated. As a result, they can stop problems before they hinder the performance of production environments.
Visit our Website to learn more about proactive change management, and the other innovative features of dbMaestro TeamWork.
July 20th, 2010 by Uri
In many applications, the initial design did not take security issues into consideration. For example, instead of having all objects in one schema, which leaves much room for risk of mistake or damage, one could split the tables to be in one schema, the packages and procedures in a different schema, and the user in a third schema.. Each schema has permissions to access the objects it needs (the application schema will have permissions to execute the procedures and packages, and the packages schema will have access to the query and the ability to change the data in the tables), thus significantly reducing the potential damage one can do. Over time, and as more and more changes were made, the problem got worse.
In development environments, the issue is even greater. Usually, all objects are in the same schema, making it difficult for a company with access and change protocols in place (i.e. that only DBAs can alter tables) to enforce them. To address this issue, DBAs created a dedicated user with the minimum permissions a developer needs. The developers login with that user. This, of course, makes the DBAs life more complicated, since they need to manually maintain another security mechanism.
An innovative, next-generation database change management solution, like dbMaestro TeamWork™ helps companies solve these challenges and overcome these limitations. It provides advanced permission management capabilities that give you full control over who makes changes to your databases, making it easy to proactively prevent unauthorized modifications to your schemas and their related objects. They work by allowing you to establish very granular access settings, giving each member of your IT or development team modification rights for only certain portions of each schema, based on their role and responsibilities in the application.
The key benefit of this approach is that it virtually eliminates the risk of accidental or incorrect changes to tables and other objects.
For example, use the permissions in your TeamWork environment to grant access to all tables to one team, allow another group to modify the procedures, and give yet another set of individuals the ability to change other objects – even if those objects all exist within the same schema.
Each member of your database management team will be able to view all database objects, but can only modify those they have been granted permission for. In other words, those users who only have full permission for tables can see the associated procedures, but cannot modify them, and vice versa.
Visit our Website to learn more about permission management, and the other innovative features of dbMaestro TeamWork – database change management software.
July 15th, 2010 by Uri
There are many types of database administrators (DBAs). There are the system DBAs that oversee the technical aspects, such as ongoing maintenance and troubleshooting. There are the database architects that design and construct new databases. There are the database analysts, whose responsibilities have yet to be clearly defined, but can oversee everything from database creation to routine administration. Then, there are data modelers, application DBAs, data warehouse architects, etc.
But, while the DBA landscape may be diverse, they all share one thing in common – the environments and conditions in which they work have changed drastically over the past two decades. For example, the DBAs of the past used to manage just one common database, a mainframe. Today, while the mainframe may still exist, they must also oversee a much broader spectrum of different databases that includes those on Windows, UNIX, and other platforms.
Today’s DBAs must also deal with countless “unmanaged” databases, such as those used in development and test environments. They need effective, accurate ways to track these resources, as well as all related activities and modifications. And, as companies deploy more and more business applications, the portfolio of production databases DBAs are responsible for has also expanded rapidly.
But, perhaps the greatest challenge that has emerged over the past 20 years is that DBAs are now faced with the harrowing task of keeping both data and schemas synchronized across many different databases and database types. And, given the amount of changes made to various database components on a daily basis, this can be a nearly impossible feat.
The key to overcoming these new obstacles? An advanced database change management solution, dbMaestro TeamWork™ that applies proven software change management (SCM) principles to the database world. With TeamWork, DBAs can gain greater control over their entire database environment, enforcing formal change policies, and ensuring consistency, accuracy, and coordination across all systems, using database version control solutions.
July 13th, 2010 by Uri
In an ideal world, database administrators (DBAs) and database developers would work side-by-side in complete harmony. The developers would strive to continuously enhance databases to meet evolving or emerging business needs, while the DBAs would monitor their activities, to ensure that everything was going “according to plan”, and that nothing would hinder database performance.
However, more often than not, these two roles clash. DBAs want to control everything – from access permissions, to the kind of database changes that can be made. They feel the need to keep a tight leash on all database activities because, they claim, developers don’t know how to design correctly, and that they fail to take database performance into consideration when writing statements.
On the other hand, developers want free, unhindered access to databases, with the ability to freely change any component or element, including code, table structures, etc. They complain that DBAs are way too strict, being a bottleneck in development and always become a bottleneck in making the changes, and therefore cause delays in development activities.
This is not much different than what happens in the software world, where software developers want to rapidly introduce new changes to meet end user needs, while application administrators want to maintain full control over the application environment to ensure code quality and compliance.
Fortunately, software teams have always had some help coordinating the goals and objectives of these two roles, in the form of software change management (SCM) solutions. By enabling the implementation of formal, well-enforced change policies, while streamlining and accelerating the execution of modifications, SCM keeps both developers and administrators happy.
Yet, even though database development is just as important to the successful deployment of business systems, those in the database world lacked similar solutions – until now. A wave of next-generation database change management solution, dbMaestro TeamWork™, is applying key SCM principles and techniques to the database world. So, database developers can make modifications in a faster, more productive manner, while administrators can maintain better control over the entire database environment.
With advanced, innovative database change management solutions, database administrators and developers can now be friends – instead of foes.
July 12th, 2010 by Uri
For many companies, the risk of mistakes or information loss related to software development and modification activities is quite high. This is because the software change management (SCM) solutions they use leverage scripts to make adjustments, as opposed to making alterations directly within the database structure.
Most SCM tools on the market today require a multi-step (sometimes manual) process, forcing the database administrator (DBA) to:
1) Export the appropriate object DDL from the underlying database
2) Check the object DDL out of the repository
3) Check the object DDL in to a repository
4) Use a database change tool to make modifications, or edit the DDL manually, then run the new script
This approach is not only unproductive and time-consuming, it can create significant problems. For example, because multiple steps are involved in the check-in/check-out process, and there is typically no validation in place, it can lead to the wrong DDL being checked in, or the wrong object DDL being applied to the database. Or, because the database object itself is never locked, it can be changed at any time – without a corresponding change in the object DDL stored in the repository. This can lead to discrepancies and loss of synchronization between the object in the database and the DDL in the repository.
However, innovative database configuration management solution, dbMaestro TeamWork™, uses more straightforward methods, providing such benefits as enhanced DBA efficiency and eliminated risk of errors or change loss. TeamWork allows DBAs to make updates directly to the database structure. They check the object out, make their alterations, then check it back in. It’s that simple.
Visit our Web site to learn more about dbMaestro TeamWork, and how it can help prevent mistakes or losses in your software change management processes.
July 8th, 2010 by Uri
We find that, in many organizations, there is a massive disconnect between software or application change management software, and database development and management activities. And this lack of coordination, unfortunately, can create many problems.
Those who oversee software change management, for example, often ignore one very important element in their activities – the impact that the modifications they make will have on related back-end systems. Therefore, the database adjustments needed to ensure seamless rollout of their software changes are not made, creating performance issues or conflicts when the solution is tested and/or put into production.
On the other hand, database administrators are seldom aware of the requirements that those in charge of SCM face. So, alterations made to database schemas, tables, and other elements can unknowingly have a negative impact on compliance, software performance, etc.
This lack of coordination can also lead to errors and unnecessary re-work, draining the productivity of IT resources. For example, companies who haven’t unified their software change management and database change management activities typically utilize a two-step process when checking in or checking out database objects. This significantly increases the risk of mistakes, and prevents the capture of a thorough audit trail of the change, for compliance purposes.
With dbMaestro TeamWorkTM, next-generation database change management solution, companies can synchronize their software change management and database change management activities, by making database development an integral part of the SCM process. Because both database development and source code development are treated equally from a change management perspective, manual or semi-automated processes will be eliminated, while efficiency and accountability will be significantly increased.
Read more about the benefits of blending database development and software change management in our blog. Or, visit our Web site to learn how dbMaestro TeamWork can effectively synchronize SCM projects with related database activities.
July 7th, 2010 by Uri
Several weeks ago, Microsoft released security update which by installing it caused to dbMaestro TeamWork™, innovative database management software, to stop working.
In the security update there were two updates 982167 and 982168. After installing them dbMaestro clients were not started and the following message appears in the log:
“Message: 1) Error Source: Extreme.TWUserAgent.DatabaseAgentsContainer..ctor
Error Message: System.TypeLoadException: Could not load type ‘System.Security.
Authentication.ExtendedProtection.ExtendedProtectionPolicy’ from assembly
‘System, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089′.
at Extreme.TWUserAgent.DatabaseAgentsContainer..ctor()
at Extreme.TWUserAgent.DatabaseAgentsContainer.get_SingleInstance()
at Extreme.dbMaestroTeamWorkGlobalUIEntities.SideBar.ControllerMainSidebar.
ConnectController(String teamWorkControllerServer, String teamWorkControllerPort,
String teamWorkSecurityPort, String teamWorkRmsPort, Boolean checkLicense)”
dbMaestro reported this issue to Microsoft and the temporary solution was to remove the problematic KBs from the system (982167 and 982168).
Few days ago Microsoft released a formal solution for the problem.
dbMaestro Support Team
support@dbmaestro.com
July 6th, 2010 by Uri
As the role of databases and related systems becomes increasingly important in facilitating operational excellence for today’s businesses, companies are seeking new ways to boost the productivity of their database administrators (DBAs). With the average DBA spending as much as 80 percent of their time on routine systems maintenance, many companies want to empower them to devote more effort to more strategic technology initiatives.
One task that takes up a tremendous amount of time is the creation of merge scripts for deployment between environments. For example, when unifying different versions of a database, potential conflicts must be located and addressed. Performing these actions manually is not only time-consuming, it is highly error-prone, often resulting in the need to rollback changes, and start over.
Traditional compare and sync tools can also be ineffective and unproductive, producing shallow results or incomplete information that forces the DBA to conduct further investigation. They also lack flexibility when it comes to handling conflicts and deploying changes.
A next-generation database change management solution, dbMaestro TeamWork™, includes a unique and powerful Merge Wizard, unlike any other available in the database world today. This three-way compare and merge tool provides deep analysis of all changes – including revisions to database objects – with relevance to previous versions or reference environments. TeamWork will not only deliver detailed insight into all modifications, it will recommend appropriate actions for handling each change. And, if conflicts exist, it will dynamically detect them and alert the DBA, and suggest the best possible resolution based on the available information.
But, most importantly, once all issues have been uncovered, and the best way to handle them has been defined, TeamWork will automatically generate merge scripts in just a single click of a button, saving DBAs tremendous time and effort and dramatically increasing their productivity. That time can then be used for more strategic tasks, such as conducting performance reviews, or other activities that will directly impact user satisfaction.
For more detail on our three-way compare and merge tool, and what makes it so superior, read our post titled “Three-Way Analysis and Merge: Advantages vs. Traditional Compare and Sync Tools”.
July 5th, 2010 by Uri
Software configuration management (SCM) solutions provide a wide array of benefits for companies across all industries. In fact, a survey performed by industry analyst firm Forrester claims that companies who don’t use automated SCM solutions, and instead choose to manage software changes in a manual or ad hoc fashion, experience problems such as poor software quality, dissatisfied customers, higher IT costs, and loss of business continuity due to production downtime.
But, software change management is particularly important for insurance and finance companies, for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the most important is the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX). First, there is Section 404 of SOX, which applies only to publicly-held insurance companies, and calls for them to prove the effectiveness of their financial reporting processes and related infrastructure – including software systems.
Then, there are SOX provisions that have been adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and incorporated into their Model Regulation Requiring Annual Audited Financial Reports. This holds privately-owned insurers accountable in much the same way as public firms when it comes to financial reporting.
SCM can help ensure SOX adherence in several ways. It can proactively prevent unauthorized changes to those software applications involved in the financial reporting process. It can allow insurance and finance companies to establish formal, enforceable procedures and workflows for software change and administration. And, it can enable organizations to create detailed audit trails of all solution modifications, from the time they are requested, until they are put into production.
Health insurers face even greater challenges, as they must not only comply with SOX and NAIC rules, but also with HIPAA and other privacy guidelines. Software configuration management helps them overcome the obstacles associated with governing those systems that facilitate the collection and exchange of sensitive patient information.
Another, although less critical driver for software change management in the insurance and finance industries is cost-cutting. The marketplace has become highly competitive, and companies are aggressively lowering premiums to attract new business. Yet, in order to maintain profitability, they must reduce overhead expenses to offset the reduced income. SCM solutions have been proven to help minimize total cost of ownership (TCO) by accelerating enhancements, improving IT productivity, and eliminating errors and re-work.
Contact us to learn more about SCM and database management software, and the value it can provide to today’s insurance and finance companies.
July 1st, 2010 by Uri
Now that you’ve learned how to configure database version control, dbMaestro TeamWork™, to work with IBM Rational Team Concert (RTC), we will show you how to link your TeamWork projects to projects within RTC.
From your dbMaestro TeamWork Management Studio console, select “Options” from the top navigation bar, and click on “CMS Settings” in the drop-down list that appears.
When the pop-up window displays, enter the name of the RTC work item that should be updated upon check-in actions under “Field Name”. Be sure to use plain text only. Note, if this field is left blank, RTC work items will not be updated. Click “OK” when you’re finished.
Next, right-click on the schema you want to link the RTC project to, and select “Link to Change Management Project”. When the pop-up window appears, choose the project from the drop-down menu, and click “OK”.
In the tree in the center of your TeamWork console, highlight the objects you wish to work with, left-click, and select “Check in Object Definition”. When the pop-up window appears, note that the “Assign to Changeset” drop-down has been enabled, and contains a list of RTC work items retrieved using the query specified in the “Query” drop-down.
The “Query” list defines and displays the changesets/tasks you will see upon check-in. To change the query used, open the “Query” drop-down menu and pick he “Select Query” option. The following window will display all available queries. Select the one you want, and click “OK”.
The list of changesets will automatically update on your Check In screen. Select the appropriate RTC work item from the drop-down menu, and click “OK”.
Go back to the tree in the center of your TeamWork Management Studio console, where your objects should still be highlighted. Left-click on each object individually, and select “View History”. The pop-up will display the history of changes for the selected object. Any database changes linked to an RTC work item will include the item name, as well as the name of any related RTC project. Close the window when you’re finished reviewing the history.
Next, click the database in the tree in the center of your console, and select “View History”. When the pop-up window appears, select the “Changesets” tab at the top. Here, in the schema history, you can review which RTC work items have linked database changes. You can also see the specific database changes associated with each work item. When you’re done reviewing the schema history, close the window.
Next, open the RTC application, and select “Work Items” in the top navigation bar. In the side navigation bar, choose “Open (Current Sprint)” under “My Queries”. All queries will display in the center of your screen. Click on a specific work item to view its details. For example, the screen will indicate if an RTC work item was updated upon check-in in dbMaestro TeamWork. You will also see those database objects that were changed from directly within the RTC environment.
Note, it is a best practice to add a custom field to RTC work items specifically for database updates.
To view the video tutorial on linking RTC projects to dbMaestro TeamWork projects, check out the dbMaestro “How to” video collection on our Web site, or visit our YouTube channel.
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