Last month I wrote about how to sell continuous delivery to people who aren’t bought into the ideas of automation and frequent releases. It was inspired by the panel discussion at Pipeline which I took part in. The Pipeline crew have now posted a recording of the panel discussion on vimeo. If you would like to see the whole discussion (30…
Monthly Archives: May 2014
Don’t be a brick in the wall
Software geeks have a reputation for being pretty smart. Footballers… not so much. But footballers understand something that software geeks don’t. Imagine this: It’s 5 minutes to 4pm on Sunday July 13th 2014. The sun is high in the sky and the whole world is electric in anticipation. Rio de Janeiro is buzzing with a carnival atmosphere in that way…
Setting up automated SQL Server builds in TeamCity… in 10 minutes flat
We all know we should be building our code upon every commit to our version control system (VCS). That way we catch bugs quicker. There are no downsides. This is just as true for our database as it is for our code. If you need persuading of the benefits read this. But most of us don’t do it. I think they think it…
A brief anecdote that demonstrates the value of automated builds and unit tests for your database
On Wednesday I put on a suit and boarded a train to the city. Then I went to a high up meeting room in a skyscraper with spectacular views and started working with the lead database architect and build manager at a large international bank. It was strange. I missed my jeans, my SQL Saturday t-shirt and my odd shoes. What…
For a reliable CI process start with the source
Yesterday I nearly crashed my car on the magic roundabout in Swindon. (For non-Brits: don’t ask! 🙂 ) I had gone to visit a client who wanted some advice about how to achieve continuous delivery for their legacy SQL Server databases. This near death driving experience (slight risk of exaggeration) seemed like a good metaphor. About feedback loops… One of…