SQL Cop is an open source project that aims to promote code quality by identifying common poor T-SQL coding practices. It is built on the tsqlt framework and runs within its structure. By adding SQL Cop tests to your database, you can ensure that your developers follow best practices and improve the overall quality of your code.
Contributing to the SQL Cop project is a great way to enhance the existing tests or create new ones to address specific coding practices. In this article, we will walk you through the process of submitting a change to the project and explain how you can get involved.
The Contribution Process
The process for making a contribution to the SQL Cop project is simple and straightforward. Here are the basic steps:
- Fork the repository
- Make changes in your copy of the code
- Commit those changes
- Create a Pull Request for the SQL Cop project
Once you have created a Pull Request, the project maintainers will review your changes and either accept or provide feedback for improvement. If your changes are accepted, they will be incorporated into the official SQL Cop codebase for others to download and use.
Getting Started
To contribute to the SQL Cop project, you will need a GitHub account and git installed on your workstation. If you don’t have a GitHub account, you can easily sign up for one. Git can be installed on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and it can run alongside other Version Control Systems without any issues.
Once you have set up your GitHub account and installed git, you can fork the SQL Cop repository to create your own copy of the code. This will allow you to make changes without directly modifying the original project. You can then clone the repository to your local machine using the git clone command.
Making Changes
After cloning the repository, you can start making changes to the code. You can either enhance existing tests or create new ones to address specific coding practices. Once you have made your changes, it is important to test them to ensure they work as expected.
Once you are confident in your changes, you can save the modified files and stage them using the git add command. This will prepare the changes for commit. You can then provide a meaningful commit message that explains the purpose of your changes. Finally, you can push your changes to your GitHub repository using the git push command.
Creating a Pull Request
A Pull Request is a notification that you have made changes that are ready to be reviewed and merged into the main project. To create a Pull Request, navigate to your GitHub repository and click on the “Pull requests” menu item. From there, you can click the “New pull request” button to start the process.
When creating a Pull Request, make sure to provide a detailed description of your changes and explain why they are beneficial. It is also important to submit one test at a time and describe your changes clearly. Once you have created the Pull Request, the project maintainers will review your changes and provide feedback or merge them into the project.
Conclusion
Contributing to the SQL Cop project is a great way to improve code quality and promote best practices in T-SQL coding. By following the simple steps outlined in this article, you can make a valuable contribution to the project and help the community by creating new and better tests.
We encourage you to get involved and start contributing to SQL Cop today. Together, we can raise the bar for code quality and ensure that developers follow the best coding practices in SQL Server.