Database DevOps with DBmarlin and Harness

Managing database changes within a CI/CD pipeline can be challenging. Without the right tools, schema updates and migrations risk slowing down deployments or impacting performance. DBmarlin and Harness work together to automate database changes, provide real-time monitoring, and ensure every deployment runs smoothly without unexpected slowdowns.

Why Database Management Matters in CI/CD

Incorporating real production data into a CI/CD pipeline allows teams to catch issues early. Unlike synthetic test data, real-world datasets reflect actual usage patterns, exposing performance bottlenecks, schema conflicts, and query inefficiencies before they impact users. However, managing database changes in CI/CD can be complex without the right tools.

How DBmarlin and Harness Work Together

A successful CI/CD pipeline needs automation, visibility, and performance monitoring. DBmarlin and Harness provide a seamless way to deploy, monitor, and optimise database changes:

• Harness Database DevOps automates database schema updates, rollbacks, and migrations while ensuring uptime. It integrates database changes directly into the CI/CD pipeline, applying updates alongside application deployments.

• DBmarlin continuously monitors database performance, correlating changes with query execution times, resource usage, and overall system behaviour. This visibility helps developers detect and fix slow queries or schema inefficiencies before they reach production.

Example: Managing a Multi-Location Inventory System

Imagine a restaurant chain expanding its warehouse operations. The business needs to update its database to support a new warehouse location, but database discrepancies between staging and production introduce risks.

Database Changes for Expansion

The company plans to add a Boston, Georgia warehouse, requiring database schema adjustments:

• Splitting a single location column into separate city and state fields.
• Implementing globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) for locations.
• Setting up triggers to maintain backward compatibility.
• Inserting the new warehouse record into the system.

Automating Schema Changes and Migrations

Once developers push these changes, Harness automates the database deployment process:

1. Data Preparation: The pipeline scales down the staging database and synchronises production data into a pre-production environment.
2. Schema Migration: Harness applies the new schema, capturing pre-deployment snapshots for auditability.
3. Performance Monitoring: DBmarlin tracks query performance, indexing strategies, and load variations during the deployment process.

Diagnosing Performance Issues with DBmarlin

Schema changes can introduce unexpected slowdowns. If query times increase after deployment, DBmarlin helps pinpoint the root cause:

• Identifies whether performance degradation stems from schema changes or inefficient queries.
• Recommends optimisations, such as indexing strategies or query rewrites.
• Provides historical performance trends to compare before and after deployment.

With this insight, developers can refine their database changes, ensuring the new schema enhances performance rather than hinders it.

Continuous Optimisation and Reliable Deployments

Once database performance is validated, the application moves through the pipeline to production. DBmarlin continues monitoring, helping teams proactively detect performance regressions over time. By integrating monitoring into the CI/CD workflow, organisations can iterate on database improvements without fear of introducing unexpected failures.

Strengthen Your CI/CD Pipeline with DBmarlin and Harness

Managing database changes efficiently in CI/CD is key to delivering high-performance applications. With Harness handling automated deployments and DBmarlin providing real-time performance insights, teams can ship reliable updates without disruptions.

Try DBmarlin for Harness for free today: https://www.dbmarlin.com/dbmarlin-for-harness