The privilege of making the wrong choice

2017: DevOps way

DevOps

• DevOps as Code
• Pipeline – the ultimate cultural tool
• Delivering changes for databases (including databases in the DevOps routine)

Database

• Data masking
• Data generation

Source Control

• Redgate SQL Source Control
• Migrations vs State

Continuous Integration

• Jenkins 2
• TeamCity
• Travis CI
• VSTS Build

Continuous Delivery

• Octopus Deploy (@ Linux)
• VSTS Release Management

Configuration Management

• Puppet

Logging

• Elastic stack (Logstash, Elastic Search, Kibana)

Monitoring

• Azure Monitor
• Datadog

Azure

• Azure Resource Manager
• Web Apps
• SQL Database

AWS

• The basics – resources creation, configuration, management
• CloudFormation

Redgate

• SQL Source Control
• DLM Automation
• DLM Dashboard
• SQL Clone
• SQL Monitor

Looking at this roadmap and thinking about what I was able to do, the first improvement is: making smaller roadmaps, I need to be more focused on the covered subjects.

• DevOps
  • This year the discussion around DevOps was about it’s implementation (“how to get Devops!?”).
  • I dedicated lot of time and effort talking and writing about the deployment pipeline as a cultural and technical organization tool.
  • The same happen with the how and the why database changes should be included in deployment pipeline together with application development.
• Database
  • Data masking – topic not covered (but since in 2018 GDPR is arriving I will comeback to this topic).
  • Data generation – topic not covered.
• Continuous Integration
  • Gained a good knowledge and experience using TeamCity.
  • Continued to deepen my VSTS build knowledge.
  • Made the first approach to TravisCI and AppVeyor.
• Configuration Management
  • Made a good introduction in the use of Puppet.
• Logging
  • Created the ELK stack – single node and cluster.
• Monitoring
  • Gained a good knowledge about Azure Monitor, Applications Insights.
  • Made an introduction to Datadog and NewRelic.
• Azure
  • Deepened my Azure knowledge (PaaS approach)
• AWS
  • Made the introduction to AWS and CloudFormation.
  • I’m now able to make a basic comparison between the two cloud providers.
• Redgate
  • Topic not covered

At professional level it was a good adaptation year working at Basecone (different cultures, different way of working).

As a speaker I made my first international experience in WinOps London conference.

And in my personal life my family just got bigger – my son Vasco born in the summer (June 3rd).

2016: DbOps definition

Source Control

• Mercurial (TortoiseHg) vs Git (SourceTree)
• Flyway
• Redgate (Source Control, DLM Automation Suite)
• ReadyRoll

Continuous Integration

• Jenkins
• TFS Build vNext (2015)
• Database unit/integration tests
  • tSQLt
  • DbFit

Continuous Delivery

• Octopus Deploy
• TFS Release Management (2015)

Infrastruture as Code

• Chef
• Puppet
• Powershell DSC
• Azure Resource Manager

During 2016 the main focus around DevOps was the its definition. My DevOps definition was built around databases operations and development (hence the title “DbOps”).

The plan was to cover the 3 stages of the deployment pipeline: source control, continuous integration and continuous deliver. And include infrastructure.

• Source Control
  • Continued to use Flyway with Git, abandoning Mercurial.
  • Unfortunately, I did not had lot of time and opportunities to use Redgate Source Control and ReadyRoll.
• Continuous Integration
  • Went full gas with TFS (and VSTS) for building process.
  • Tried tSQLt and DbFit. tSQLt suits best my use cases because allows to write unit tests using T-SQL and for that reason it’s more powerful than DbBit.
• Continuous Delivery
  • Made the first approach to TFS/VSTS Release.
  • Still preferring Octopus Deploy when compared with above one.
• Infrastructure as Code
  • ARM templates (and PowerShell) became the only way to create and manage Azure resources.
  • Made the first approach to Chef and Puppet. They are both very powerful and similar, but in my point of view Chef can be more friendly when learning.

At professional level, after more the 3 and half years I left Celfinet and joined Basecone. It was  the right time for me to leave and start a new adventure.

Also, 2016 was my year as rookie speaker. It was great to share my talks, to learn with attendees and other speakers, to feel the community spirit.

In October 2016 it happened the first DevOps Porto community event/meetup. This community, created by me and my friend Miguel Alho, have the purpose to share, discuss and promote the DevOps culture, values and practices. For me was a big personal achievement.

 2015: Hello WordPress

Introduction to WordPress

• My first wordpress post: SQLSaturday#429 Porto 2015 experience
• Recovering an old post: Arduino Christmas Lights
• My first Porto.Data presentation: XIV Porto.Data 15 December 2015

In the end of 2015 I decided to create this blog with the purpose of documenting and sharing the acquired knowledge during my professional and personal journal. Writing what I learn is a good habit and helps me to structure my knowledge. Plus, is good to share with more people and even better get some feedback and extend that knowledge.

The name “The privilege of making the wrong choice” was inspired by a music band called Zen from Porto city in the 90s. It represents the privilege of having time and space to experiment, to make mistakes, to learn from failure and success in the working place. Fortunately in Celfinet, my company at that time, I had that privilege.

My first post was about my experience as organization team member of the event SQLSaturday Porto 2015. After that I recovered one old post about a Arduino project and wrote a post about the first experience as speaker in Porto.Data community.

I was able to make my WordPress initiation: create posts and pages, add content including media, manage plugins, appearance and all the different aspects related to a WordPress website.