Developing and deploying a new database is never easy. Manually synchronizing new revisions of database structures with an already running system can become a nightmare. If your assignment includes modifications to the structure of an existing database, your options of performing the task without disrupting the workflow are limited. Read this article and learn about the tools you’ll need to synchronize database structures much easier than ever before.
The Obvious Way
The simplest and most obvious way of synchronizing two databases would be by deleting the old database and creating new structures on top of it. If you back up the data before deleting the old database, and restore it from the backup after you’re finished updating the structures, you might just get away with it. However, this approach is unacceptable in many environments as it disrupts the workflow and does not provide reasonable security.
The Cheap Way
Coding a set of SQL statements and running the script on the client side is a better idea, but still has many weaknesses as it consumes a developer’s time on routine operations, and opens the possibility for errors. If...