In week 4 of our Improving the Daily Life of a Database Developer blog series, we discuss the common task of generating and executing object scripts. If you missed it, you can read the previous post on Creating High-Quality and Easily Editable SQL.
Another common task in database development and administration is to generate SQL scripts for database objects such as tables, views, constraints, and indexes. These object scripts are often used to copy or migrate the database objects from one environment to another (i.e. development to production, or updating the version of a database platform, such as from Oracle 11g to Oracle 12c). Because the constructs and SQL syntax are often different between platforms, you can only copy objects between the same platforms.
Many database IDEs now integrate with widely used version control systems to manage and track changes to scripts. Making version control accessible from inside the tool enforces the consistency of database objects and SQL across developer teams. It also extends the benefits of version management and protection beyond the traditional realm of application development to the world of database development.