In an increasingly data-driven world with ever-changing systems, having an automated process for database migrations is a valuable practice. Instead of people having to keep track of each file, table, procedure, or object being modified, a tool can make database deployments more automatic and less excruciating, saving time and reducing errors.
Steve Jobs once said that a computer is like a bicycle for the mind. The late founder of Apple was talking about the fact that while human beings are not very efficient when it comes to locomotion, with the invention of the right tool (the bicycle), humanity was able to move much more effectively. Jobs took this idea of using computers to amplify our natural cognitive abilities and made it central to design, shaping the history of digital experiences.
Most products these days try to deliver relevant information based on automated processes that watch, track, and act upon the previous interaction with the system and what is likely to come next. This philosophy should not be limited to iPads and other consumer-grade content-consumption devices. What if it were applied to software production, and instead of using automation to push content, we used automation to push content creation to push database deployments?
Inspired by Jobs’s quote, my colleagues and I thought that instead of people having to keep track of each file, table, procedure, or object being modified, we could make a tool that does for database deployments what the bike did for locomotion. In this effort, we have been working on a way to make database deployments more automatic and less excruciating.
Originally published in CM Crossroads. Read the original here
