Database Solutions

The Corgix Database Solution

In Corgix Database Solution, every role and task in relational database development is identified and brought under an automated error prevention umbrella that uses source control and nightly build systems in conjunction with proven error prevention techniques coding standards, naming conventions, load and functional testing, structure verification, and regression testing -- to prevent development, maintenance, and operational errors.

Corgix enhances these proven techniques by implementing a fully automated solution organized around the main roles in the database development process. Each of these roles -- Developers, Architects, Quality Assurance (QA) Personnel, Database Administrators, and Project/Operations Managers -- is equipped with the tools and procedures that enable active participation in the prevention of errors throughout the entire database development lifecycle.

Database Developers -- Each developer is equipped with the tools needed to adhere to a total automated error prevention methodology, including naming conventions and coding standards enforcement and operational prototyping of SQL statements. Corgix tools work as filters to your source control system so that corrupt or incomplete code cannot get from the developer into the source code repository.

Database Architects -- Each Architect is equipped with the tools that allow them to control which coding standards, naming conventions,load and functional tests, structure verification tests, or regression tests are used during development, nightly builds, and development database testing. The Architect can customize these techniques to meet the needs of a particular developer, development team, or project. Reports from nightly builds provide Architects vital information that allows them to continually monitor all phases of the development process, from initial software coding to full database deployment. Important interactions between Developers and QA personnel can be fully monitored by the Architect, ensuring that sufficient tests are created and utilized, and that nightly builds are correctly integrated into the middleware and development database to consistently ensure the structural and functional integrity of the database.

Database QA Personnel -- Each QA team member is equipped with the tools needed to perform load and functional testing on the development database, including structure verification of tables and fields layout, naming conventions, and indexing. All interactions between the nightly builds, middleware, and the development database are monitored and controlled by QA to ensure that the development database is constructed properly and operates correctly, and that all changes are successfully rolled into the production database. Any necessary modification of test suites and deployment procedures can be made accordingly and distributed to Developers, the Architect, or the DBA.

Database Administrators (DBAs) -- Each DBA is equipped with tools to inspect data integrity in the production database and to monitor the production database to ensure proper functioning, controlled growth, and performance. This includes detection of data pollution, regardless of the architecture of the database, and notification regarding failure to deliver required service. Structural and load tests created by Development and QA to monitor the performance of the development database can be used by the DBA, ensuring that the structure and content integrity of the production database does not stray from the development database model.

Database Project and Operations Managers -- Each Project and Operations Manager receives nightly reports detailing how the development lifecycle is functioning and verifying that each developer and architect is adhering to the process, that nightly builds are using only valid, checked-in code, and that all load and functional tests used by QA are using viable SQL statements. At a single glance management has all necessary information needed to make important decisions concerning application deliverables, key production dates, and development milestones.

Interaction and communication between each role in the Corgix Database Solution is leveraged so that work is not duplicated or lost but fully utilized throughout the entire development lifecycle. This effectively and dramatically reduces the amount of time and effort spent in producing, testing and deploying relational databases.

As shown in the figure at left, the Corgix Database Solution engages each phase in the database application lifecycle, building upon and seamlessly carrying over information, unit and regression tests, and verification tools from one phase to the next.

Corgix's Automated Error Prevention Methodology

For the software and database development lifecycle, Corgix Database Solution is a logical and practical application of W. Edward Deming's Principles of Total Quality Management (TQM). Corgix finds errors in your development process, correlates the error to the production process that is responsible for introducing the error, introduces practices which reduce or eliminate the probability of reintroducing the same error, introduces practices and metrics for measuring error rates during all stages of development, and monitors all quality improvements.

Corgix Database Solution is implemented in five easy steps:

Evaluation -- Corgix Professional Services team evaluates your development procedures and processes, gaining an intimate understanding of your overall manufacturing methods and identifying its weaknesses.
Customization -- Corgix customizes the solution to fit your development process. The goal is to improve your existing development process -- Corgix solutions do not revolutionize your processes but rather help your already established software development cycle evolve. Put simply -- Corgix improves the way you make software.
Automation -- Corgix automates needed error prevention procedures and build them into your development process, source control systems, and nightly build processes. For companies without established source control systems or nightly build processes, such systems and processes can be built and implemented -- using open source applications -- as part of the complete automation process.
Training -- Corgix trains and mentors each member of your organization to understand the value of the automated error prevention process so that they can follow that same process effectively and independently.
Reports -- Corgix creates the reports you need to help you maintain and use your new automated error prevention system by customizing standard report templates to your specifications, delivering them as the final stage in the implementation.

The Time Has Come for Error Prevention

Corgix Database Solution gives you the ability to identify and prevent errors before they affect your business, reducing the risk of business system failures. It is an economical answer to preventing errors throughout the full software and database development lifecycle, from initial development through deployment to full operation. Historically, companies have not found it economically feasible to implement error prevention strategies throughout their enterprise. With Corgix Database Solution, businesses finally have an easy, cost-effective method for automatically implementing a complete automated error prevention package for their database development. The most important benefit of Corgix Database Solution is that most of the risks associated with implementation are borne by Corgix and not our customers.

Features

Complete automation of project management.
Complete automation of load testing.
Complete automation of functional testing and verification of SQL.
Complete automation of database structure verification, including verification of tables and fields layout, naming conventions, and indexing.
Complete automation of regression testing.
Complete automation of connectivity verification.
Monitoring of database performance, including detection of data pollution, regardless of the architecture of the database.
Tools to support Developers, Architects and Project Managers.
Complete integration with source control and automated build systems.
Cross-platform support for Linux, Windows, and Solaris OS.
Non-intrusive integration into existing systems.
Complete automation of HTML reports for project and operational management.

Benefits

Reduces development costs by making software 100% more productive. As errors decrease, productivity increases.
Implements easily into any development process.
Supports practices required to achieve and maintain ISO and CMM certificates.
Prevents delays. Eliminates the costly process of rewriting and restructuring databases.
Prevents budget overruns. Removes the uncertainty caused by errors and the necessity of finding and correcting them.
Identifies dangerous database constructs.
Prevents database table corruption and data pollution.
Ensures database performance and scalability.
Performs real time data capture without writing SQL.
Enables report and test sharing among multiple users.

Corgix Database Solution automates error prevention practices for organizations looking to improve development processes and application quality while simultaneously preventing business failures and customer dissatisfaction. Functional application areas for the Corgix Enterprise Data Solution include:

Commercial software development -- Improve the quality of commercial software products your organization delivers to end-users.
Creation or enhancement of internal business systems -- Provide a comprehensive tool set your IT organization can use to create robust, reliable information systems for accounting, sales, human resources and other vital departments.
Systems Integration -- Incorporate tested technologies into systems integration processes, whether merging existing business systems or third-party applications.

Whether your software system is a customer interface or will serve as the backbone for your business operations, choose Corgix Database Solution for Automated Error Prevention -- We make software work.