DataOps: How to Bring Databases into DevOps

Data, the way that we process it and store it, is one of many important aspects of IT. Data is the lifeblood of our organizations, supporting real-time business processes and decision-making. We must be able to safely and quickly evolve production databases, just as we safely and quickly evolve production code. Yet for many organizations their data sources prove to be less than trustworthy and their data-oriented development efforts little more than productivity sinkholes. We can, and must, do better.  We need DataOps.

This presentation begins with a collection of agile principles for data professionals and of data principles for agile developers. The first step in working together is to understand and appreciate the priorities and strengths of the people that we work with. Our focus is on a collection of practices that enable development teams to easily and safely evolve and deploy databases. These techniques include agile data modeling, database refactoring, database regression testing, continuous database integration, and continuous database deployment. We also work through operational strategies required of production databases to support your DevOps strategy.  If data sources aren’t an explicit part of your DevOps strategy then you’re not really doing DevOps, are you?

What You’ll Learn About DataOps

• • • Discover why it can be very challenging adopting agile strategies within the data management space
    • Learn why adopting agile strategies for data management is critical for DevOps
    • Learn about proven agile database techniques that enable fast, high-quality evolutionary database development

Audience For This Presentation

• • • Data professionals wanting to learn how to support DevOps
    • Agile developers wanting to learn how to address database issues in their DevOps strategy
    • IT management who want to adopt DevOps within their organization

Why You Want to Hear About DataOps From Me

I have been working in the data space since the late 1980s. I’m the thought leader behind the Agile Data method and co-creator of PMI’s Disciplined Agile (DA) tool kit.  Agile data introduced many of the key agile database development techniques required for DataOps.  The DA tool kit was the first to embed DataOps thinking and strategies in its DevOps approach.

Presentation History

I have been giving this presentation in various settings since 2021. Furthermore, I’ve spoken about agile data ways of working (WoW), which encompass DataOps, since the mid 00s. This is one of several topics that I speak on, and you can find about more about What I Do if you’re interested in engaging with me.