Source control is an essential tool for developers working on SQL Server projects. It allows you to track and manage changes to your database objects, ensuring that you have a history of all modifications made over time. In this article, we will explore the benefits of using source control in SQL Server and how to set it up.

Why Use Source Control?

When working directly in SQL Server, you may not have the ability to save changes to a repository before deploying them to the production environment. This can be problematic if you need to partially save changes or if you encounter issues during the development phase. Source control provides a solution by allowing you to track and version your database changes incrementally, ensuring that no modifications are lost in case of a crash or failure.

Additionally, source control enables collaboration among team members. Multiple developers can work on the same repository, allowing for code review, testing, and seamless integration of changes. This promotes a more efficient and organized development process.

Setting Up Source Control

To enable source control in SQL Server, you need to configure a repository. This can be done during the provisioning of your SQL Server instance or after it has been created. You will need administrator permissions on the Azure subscription you are using.

To configure the repository, open SQL Server from the Azure portal and choose the “Set up code repository” option. You can select either an Azure DevOps Git or GitHub repository. Provide the necessary information to connect to the repository, such as the GitHub account name and the repository to be used for saving the database changes. Once configured, you can create a new working branch within the repository or use an existing branch.

Working with Source Control

Once source control is enabled, you can start saving and tracking changes using the repository. In SQL Server, you have two modes: the production mode, where changes are published after thorough testing, and the source control mode, where changes are saved incrementally before being published to the production environment.

It is important to note that when working in source control mode, publishing in the production mode is disabled. To make changes to your database objects, you need to switch back to source control mode and publish the changes from there.

After making all the required changes and testing the database objects, you can validate the changes to ensure there are no blocking issues. Then, you can review the code and merge the changes from the feature branch to the collaboration branch. This is typically the master branch, from which you can perform the final publish to the production environment.

Conclusion

Using source control in SQL Server is crucial for managing and tracking changes to your database objects. It allows for incremental saving of changes, collaboration among team members, and a more controlled development process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily set up and utilize source control in your SQL Server projects.