Final Thoughts on Innovation Today we wrap up the discussion on innovation with a number of comments from readers. Phil: Ah, certainly an intriguing question that should pique lots of interest. Of course there is no easy answer or formula. One of the rules of thumb I think is to ask "by innovating, will this give our product/service/business a significant […]

Innovation is Not the Same as Change Following up on the Question, "When Should We Innovate?", we get some great reader responses. Key to the response for today is the difference between change and innovation. The timing of innovation is crucial as well. Jim writes: Innovation for innovation’s sake, is rarely a good decision, but no always obviously so. Resisting […]

Featured Article(s) Column-Level Security with DECODE To restrict access to a certain column or columns within a table, you might create a view upon that table hiding unnecessary columns as needed. Sometimes, however, making a certain column completely inaccessible is not exactly what you’d like to get. Instead, you might mask the column values so that the user can access […]

Happy Birthday (to SSWUG.ORG)! We’re excited – it’s our birthday! 15 years – not too bad. We’re celebrating – click the banner above for details – and, if you have a minute, if we’d helped with your work with databases, drop us a note – let us know (swynk@sswug.org)! You can grab a severely discounted membership too – click here, […]

Closing the Loop on Continuous Build and Integration We have been talking about how to release software reliably, what tools are needed, and how to setup your environment for continuous integration. In the perfect world your process starts from the large idea and is incrementally reduced to the smallest detail. The end result is code meeting your requirements. Someone begins […]

Continuous Integration, Putting It Together Once you have a methodology working for your source tree you can begin a continuous integration/build process. There are a number of components useful in delivering software, and automating release management. Some tools try to cover as many of the different components as possible. Others integrate with key players. The components are: Requirements Management Bug […]

Continuous Integration, Putting It Together Once you have a methodology working for your source tree you can begin a continuous integration/build process. There are a number of components useful in delivering software, and automating release management. Some tools try to cover as many of the different components as possible. Others integrate with key players. The components are: Requirements Management Bug […]

SSWUGtv: Budgets, Chargebacks, and ROI — oh my! With Stephen Wynkoop How to you calculate the value your organization brings to your company? Nobody likes to have additional overhead taken out of their budget unless they think they are receiving the best value for their investment. Can you demonstrate the valuse your IT overhead brings to your company? Watch the […]

Automated Build and Release Management Nobody is perfect. Individuals cannot consistently release software into an existing production environment without un-intended consequences. In my opinion, the best way to overcome this truth is to not only test your software, but to test your release and release process. Two things make this effective and efficient: Automated release generation Automated release testing Building […]

What is the best configuration for Source Control and Build Management? Today I’m posting a response from Sunny about automated build management and source control. He is writing in response to the topic we considered regarding the software skill of Release Management, and things that go into it. Sunny describes the problem clearly in tool selection, methodology, and practices, asking […]