An Introduction to Database DevOps

Database DevOps sounds scary and technical, but it’s a simple set of methods that most organisations would benefit from using! 

What Is ‘DevOps’?

DevOps combines software development (‘Dev’) and information-technology operations (‘Ops’) to shorten the systems development life cycle. 

These processes allow development teams to coordinate and quickly deliver features, fixes, and updates that align with business objectives.

What is ‘Database DevOps’?

Database DevOps is a set of processes that improves and encourages collaboration, communication, and coordination between developers and database administrators. 

By implementing Database DevOps processes, organisations can produce software and products quickly and reliably. Additionally, Database DevOps utilises tools to automate and facilitate code creation, testing, and deployment. 

Traditionally, databases were seen as entities separate from the rest of the application, with a different team responsible for managing them. This trend resulted in overly long development cycles and a disconnect between the database and the rest of the software.

With Database DevOps, the database is considered a critical part of the software application and the continuous integration and delivery process. This strategy facilitates fast changes and improved collaboration between the database and application teams.

Critical Practices of Database DevOps

Database DevOps represents continuous integration, fast delivery, infrastructure as code, monitoring systems, and observability.

It also often involves using automation and tools to facilitate collaboration and communication between database administrators and developers.

Implementing Database DevOps can help organisations to develop and maintain a competitive advantage by enabling rapid responses and quick updates based on the customer or client’s needs. 

Furthermore, Database DevOps processes can provide the groundwork for a business to dramatically improve the reliability and performance of its applications and databases.

Database DevOps allows businesses to streamline their software development, database management, and IT operations. As a result, companies can create and implement fixes and updates faster and more efficiently than competitors.

What Are 3 Benefits of Database DevOps?

There are several benefits of Database DevOps; however, three of the most prominent benefits are: 

1. Fast Fixes and Rapid Responses: 

Deployment of updates and fixes is much quicker when organisations frequently apply integration and delivery processes to their databases.

2. Collaboration Between Organisational Teams and Database Teams:

Database DevOps helps to promote and improve collaboration and teamwork between database and application teams because the database is considered a critical part of the software application.

3. Improve Reliability and Performance:

Organisations that implement Database DevOps can improve the reliability and performance of their systems by using database monitoring tools and automating database processes.

What Does A Company Need To Get Right When Implementing Database DevOps?

To properly benefit from Database DevOps, organisations that implement DevOps into their business processes need to follow these essential guidelines: 

1. Constant Integration and Delivery: 

Companies should create and maintain a robust continuous integration and delivery process. This allows organisations to make quick and agile database changes and deploy updates without worry. Companies should look to automate the build, testing, and deployment processes wherever possible.

2. Infrastructure as Code: 

Using code to manage the organisation’s underlying IT infrastructure enables businesses to implement more automation techniques and manage the database environment easier. Companies should also seek to implement infrastructure as code in a sustainable, maintainable, and scalable way. 

3. Database Monitoring and Database Observability:

Organisations should create strong and effective data monitoring and observability practices. This is important because good database observability lets organisations verify that their databases and applications work correctly. Organisations can use tools to track the performance and status of their databases and implement notification processes that can highlight any issues to the team.

Conclusion

Database DevOps is an essential collection of practices that helps facilitate communication and collaboration between the organisation and database administrator teams.

By implementing Database DevOps strategies and processes, companies can deliver and deploy software faster, improve the reliability of their updates, and generate a competitive advantage due to faster response times.

Get in contact with Digital Samurai for DBA, DBAaaS, cloud services, data management, and cyber security solutions today!