Generation of new database?

JDenman · July 27, 2017 12:31PM

I have a VSTS build (using Redgate DLM Automation: Build) that generates a nuget package and on a later step deploys to our instance of OctopusDeploy (that part is working). In OctopusDeploy, I'm using the 'Redgate - Deploy from Package' step to take that package and deploy to a server.

If the target SQL instance doesn't yet have the database, it'll fail to begin the step (as it cannot set the database/context). If my goal is to deploy all missing deltas to the target server, what step/process should I be using instead?

AlexYates · July 27, 2017 12:43PM

I like to stick an IF NOT EXISTS CREATE DATABASE script in source control for each of my databases (for each environment). This way I can source control the way I set up stuff like file groups and possibly security at a per database level. This is useful because some of that stuff is not included by default with the Redgate tools or people tend to filter it out. (Who has the same users on DEV and PROD?)

Note, add this create script in a parent or sister directory to your SQL Source Control directory. I try to avoid adding my own scripts to the directory you give to Redgate because you can confuse Redgate tools which are designed to parse all the sql scripts in that directory.

Then, I add a simple step in Octopus Deploy to run my IF NOT EXISTS CREATE DATABASE script before the "Redgate Deploy from Package" step. Then you know your DB will always exist. There is an Octopus Deploy step template to run a SQL script here:
https://library.octopusdeploy.com/step-templates/73f89638-51d1-4fbb-b68f-b71ba9e86720/actiontemplate-sql-execute-script

This step template asks you to type the script into the Octopus GUI but it does also accept variable substitution so you could package up your SQL scripts into a different NuGet and reference them from that variable.

JDenman · July 27, 2017 12:51PM

The first nuget package I created was the database creation & schema script. So ideally I'd want that package (or those changes), as well as my recent change(s) to be deployed to the new server.

Imagine I have version 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 committed in my source control, and thus 3 packages in OctopusDeploy. Now I have a SQL server I want to promote these changes to. What's the best way to setup that deploy process so it gets up to date?

Rob C · July 27, 2017 12:51PM

You could modify your Octopus Deploy deployment process to include a pre-deployment step that creates the database. For instance, you could create a PowerShell script that uses the Invoke-Sqlcmd cmdlet to execute a SQL script on the server. Your SQL script could do something like the following -

IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM sys.databases WHERE name = 'myDatabase')
BEGIN
	CREATE DATABASE [myDatabase]
	--You could also create any filegroups, etc here
END

Does that help?

AlexYates · July 27, 2017 12:56PM

Lolz - looks like Rob C and I are on the same page. :-)

@JDenham: Assuming you created your package from scripts maintained by SQL Source Control the package contains the desired state/model and the deployment, under the hood, will use SQL Compare to get the DB into the desired state. Hence, the NuGet packages do not contain your updates/migrations. These are worked out for you by the software.

Hence, as long as the database exists with the correct name you should not need any old packages.

JDenman · July 27, 2017 12:59PM

Okay that's what I expected. So there's currently no step to actually create the database itself - that's something we'd have to create a custom step for and use before the RedGate deployment step?

Easy enough, just figured it had been done before.

Rob C · July 27, 2017 1:00PM

JDenman wrote: »

Okay that's what I expected. So there's currently no step to actually create the database itself - that's something we'd have to create a custom step for and use before the RedGate deployment step?

Yes, that's correct.

JDenman · July 27, 2017 1:01PM

Excellent. Thanks guys!

yughen · March 22, 2019 2:56PM

Instead of creating a new database you could just use a ready solution. Anyways, that provides more choice and you don't have to spend your time on integrating another database after that step. Excellent idea, in my opinion.

Generation of new database?

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