SQL Server Team-based Development - Red Gate Software

Continuous integration server
Chapter 3: Change Management and Source Control
When there are a lot of dependencies between teams or applications, it might be a good
idea to check those dependencies a lot more frequently, maybe even constantly. This
is the purpose of a continuous integration (CI) server. With a CI server, you'll want to
automate a build based, either on code being checked into source control, or on a regular,
but frequent schedule. The key word to associate with a CI server is "automation." You
need to set up automatic deployment and automatic testing, so that you can validate
the build and deployment without involving a single human being. This provides a solid
early warning system for integration issues. The CI process is discussed in more detail in
Chapter 4.
Security shouldn't be a problem on a CI server, because no one from a development team
should be allowed access to it.
Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance (QA) is a standard practice whereby, as each new build is deployed, the
general quality of the code is repeatedly validated through a combination of automated
and manual testing. The QA process usually includes verifying that the code meets the
documented business requirements and Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Deployments
to a QA server are either done on an ad hoc basis, as milestones within the code are met,
or on a scheduled basis, so that QA is constantly checking the status of the code.
Deployments are based on a known version of the code, and can take the form of
differential (incremental) builds, or full builds. In a differential build, only the code or
structures that have changed are deployed; in a full build, all of the code, including the
database, is completely replaced each time.
The importance of repeatable tests in a QA environment suggests the need for realistic
test data, as supplied by data generation tools such as the Data Generator in Visual Studio
Team System Database Edition, or SQL Data Generator from Red Gate.
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