Database DevOps tools can help developers automate and orchestrate database changes, resulting in enhanced collaboration, increased reliability and accelerated deployments in software development. This guide will break down the following top database DevOps tools in terms of features, pros, cons and pricing:
- DbVisualizer, a great choice for developers seeking a multi-platform database management tool that is secure, powerful and versatile.
- Toad DevOps, ideal for teams looking to integrate Oracle database change management into their DevOps workflows to accelerate project completion.
- Liquibase, a solid pick for teams seeking an open-source database change management tool that provides automation to help developers code faster and deliver continuously with confidence.
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DbVisualizer
DbVisualizer is a powerful, versatile and secure multi-platform database management tool. It is ideal for developers seeking a tool to help them work with databases to create and maintain applications.
Features of DbVisualizer
Some of DbVisualizer’s top features include:
- SQL editor.
- Database management.
- Data management.
- Workflow.
- Enhanced security.
DbVisualizer helps developers spend less time on manual coding tasks and more time on problem-solving. The database programming tool’s powerful SQL editor offers simple coding via visual query builders, intelligent autocomplete, variables and more.
Database management is another DbVisualizer feature worth mentioning. The database development tool lets you connect to the most widely used data sources, work with their custom object types and more directly in the client. It also has visualization and optimization tools to help developers work smarter and faster.
DbVisualizer makes data management easy thanks to features like inline data editing, query tools, simple data visualizations and powerful exports. It also gives you full workflow control via configurations for UI themes, key bindings, window layouts, mark scripts, etc. Regarding security, the database development tool lets developers set user permissions, encryption, strong local passwords and other configurations to meet the toughest standards.
Pros of DbVisualizer
DbVisualizer’s pros include:
- User-friendly.
- Intuitive interface.
- Frequent updates.
- Multiple database connections.
DbVisualizer is easy to use, and its intuitive interface makes navigating the database programming tool a cinch. Many users like the fact that the DbVisualizer is updated regularly. And its ability to connect to multiple database engines on a single IDE is another plus.
Cons of DbVisualizer
DbVisualizer’s cons include:
- Data import.
- File export.
- Themes.
- Find/replace.
Some users noted that importing data from text files is a DbVisualizer weakness, and exporting files is rather clunky. The database DevOps tool could benefit from better themes/modernization, and its find-and-replace functionality could be easier to use.
Pricing of DbVisualizer
DbVisualizer pricing is as follows. Beyond the pricing below, the developer tool also offers volume discounts for larger software development teams:
- Free: No cost for standard features and community support.
- Pro with 60-day support: $197 per user for the first year. $69 for the second year onward. Includes all features and 60-day support.
- Pro with premium support: $229 per user for the first year. $99 for the second year onwards. Includes all features and premium support.
DbVisualizer’s Free plan comes with a configurable UI, monitoring, SQL history, references graphs, connection management, SSH, generic JDBC support and extended database-specific support. The Pro plan adds table management, a table data viewer/editor, procedure, function, package and trigger, database scheduling, events and jobs, table import/export, query builder, client-side commands, charts and a command line interface.
Toad DevOps
Toad DevOps Toolkit tackles the problem of database development bottlenecks in Agile DevOps workflows. It lets developers integrate Oracle database change management into their DevOps workflows with ease to eliminate bottlenecks and accelerate project completion without compromising performance, reliability or quality.
Features of Toad DevOps
Some of Toad DevOps Toolkit’s most noteworthy features include:
- Accelerated DevOps pipelines
- Improved code quality
- DevOps tool integrations
Teams can meet their deployment deadlines using Toad DevOps to synchronize database and application changes within their DevOps processes. Toad DevOps Toolkit works with Jenkins, Bamboo and other automation tools to include database development/deployment as part of existing CI/CD processes. Developers can enjoy better code quality via PL/SQL testing, static code reviews, database, schema and data compare and script execution. Toad DevOps also integrates with many CI/CD tools, including Bamboo, Jenkins, etc., to keep developers from being locked into a single solution.
Pros of Toad DevOps
Strengths of Toad DevOps Toolkit include:
- Easy deployment.
- User-friendly.
- Solid technical support.
- DevOps integrations.
Installing Toad DevOps is quick and painless. Using the database DevOps tool is quite simple as well. Toad DevOps’ enterprise-level tech support ensures any questions get answered promptly, and its DevOps integrations give developers plenty of flexibility when choosing which CI/CD tools to work with.
Cons of Toad DevOps
Toad DevOps Toolkit’s weaknesses include:
- Load time.
- Performance.
- Best for Oracle Database users.
Some have reported slow load times for Toad DevOps Toolkit, and its processing speed could use a boost. Since it is best for those working with Oracle Database, this could be considered a lack of flexibility and seen as another downside.
Pricing of Toad DevOps
The Toad DevOps Toolkit comes with a free trial. To see how much the programmer tool costs, you will need to go here to request pricing.
Liquibase
Liquibase is an open-source database change management tool. By automating the database change process, it lets developers code faster, collaborate with ease and deliver with confidence on a continuous basis.
Features of Liquibase
Some of Liquibase’s highlighted features include:
- Multi-database support.
- Deployment automation.
- Change tracking.
- Version control.
- Data migration.
- Integrations.
Liquibase supports over 50 databases. Developers can use the DevOps tool to automate database change deployments via CI/CD pipelines. Its changelog tracks the history of database changes. This gives developers insight into what changes were made and when. With support for version control, Liquibase lets you track changes to the changelog and revert to past versions if needed.
If you need to move from one database to another, Liquibase can help with its data migration capabilities. And if you need extra functionality, you can get it by integrating Liquibase with popular third-party developer tools.
Pros of Liquibase
Liquibase’s advantages include:
- Open-source.
- CI/CD integrations.
- Minimizes errors.
- Team collaboration.
Liquibase’s open-source version is a plus for developers seeking a free database management tool with basic features. It integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines and minimizes common deployment errors via automation. Another Liquibase pro is how it promotes team collaboration through its changelog files, allowing multiple developers to work on the same project simultaneously without conflicts.
Cons of Liquibase
Liquibase’s disadvantages include:
- Documentation.
- Customer support.
- Sluggish with large databases.
Liquibase could use more extensive documentation, especially when it comes to migrating from other developer tools. The documentation issue is compounded by Liquibase’s slow support. And if you plan on working with large databases, you may expect slow performance.
Pricing of Liquibase
Liquibase is offered in open-source and Pro versions. The open-source version lets developers version, track and deploy database changes for free. The Pro version, which comes with a free trial, offers observability, agility and governance for SQL and NoSQL databases.
Choose the open-source version of the developer tool, and you get native SQL dialect, preconditions, rollback, change preview/dry run, standard JDBC and community support.
Choose the Pro version of the developer tool, and you get enhanced features like advanced stored logic, targeted rollback, advanced diff/drift detection, governance and security automation and standard support.
Go here to learn more about Liquibase pricing or start a free trial.
What to Look For in Database DevOps Tools
When shopping around for database DevOps tools, several factors must be considered. If your software development team is on a limited budget, you may want to consider an open-source programmer tool that is free to use or has a free plan with basic features. If such an option is unavailable, you must shop around until you find a database DevOps tool that fits your budget.
User-friendliness is another important factor to consider, as you want a programmer tool with an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate and use. Solid customer support, documentation, customization, extensibility and scalability are other characteristics to look for, as is compatibility with your database systems. Some features to look for in your ideal database DevOps tool include automated testing and deployment, version control integration, CI/CD support, script management, team collaboration, performance monitoring, rollback and recovery and schema and data migration.
Final Thoughts on the Best Database DevOps Tools
Incorporate the database DevOps tools listed above into your software development process, and your team can significantly increase its collaboration, efficiency and delivery speed.
Before choosing any programmer tool, make sure it fits your team’s specific needs in terms of budget, user-friendliness and features.
This post originally appeared on TechToday.