DSXchange

Hi

Todate I have never used the datastage versioning tool. I would appreciate it if someone could explain how to get started with the tool, and the procedures thay have put in place to ensure a development team continues to use execute the version process correctly

Thanking you all in advance

The tool comes with good help files and a PDF. I'd advise you to create two play projects, one for dev and one for prod, and perform a few test deliveries of jobs between the two. Try out the different version numbering and documentation options. Make sure stuff delivered to prod stays readonly. Put the VERSION repository into the dev play repository or into a seperate project. Once you have finished playing and are comfortable with the product delete the two projects and the version repository and start a new one for delivery of real jobs.

That way you don't get a repository and job descriptions cluttered up with early tests and mistakes.

The PDF covers the basics of version control such as keeping all test and prod environments readonly and controlling environment changes through job parameters.

There are not a lot of team controls in the product, it doesn't have the check in and check you expect in a version control tool. It is more of a release management tool then a version control tool.

A forum search will show you a few threads on this topic.

Chapter 2 of the help (either online or pdf) is the Methodology chapter and gives you a good grounding in how the tool is meant to be used. The rest of it gets into the details of Initializing objects into the Version Control project from Dev and then Promoting them from there into Test and Production.

Vince's advice about 'play' projects for practicing is excellent.

Thank you for providing details of the version control process

A previous developer has already created the VERSION project (on the development server) - The head developer would prefer at this time that I did not install version control even on to the development server

Searching the DataStage release 7.0 disk I can not find the PDF that you are talking about

Would appreciate being directed to the version control pdf

Thanking you all in advance

I have now installed the Version control client so I am now on my way to understanding the DataStage version control tool

I have tracked down the required PDF - and had a quick look at the help sections

Many thanks for everyone's help

Is the DS version control still the suggestable to use? I am told by some one that its better to use other version control tools like CVS..
I am just curios to know which is the better option..


thanks

Well, 'better' is a pretty subjective (and relative) term. Some organizations may feel it's better to use other existing tools, but Version Control is bundled with DataStage and is well integrated into the suite. It sure beats the heck out of the original process of 'releasing' and 'packaging' jobs.

Did you have any specific concerns?

Parts of version control have been superceded in recent releases. One of the main benefits used to be the ability to deliver jobs as readonly to test and production environments. Now there is the "Protected Project" option that does this through a single check box. There is the ability to open older versions of a job directly from the version control repository, now you can generate release documentation into a HTML format with a job bitmap so you can look at old jobs in a browser instead of having to open them in Designer. Command line import and export options have made 3rd party tools easier to integrate with.

Version Control remains a good way to gather together and document a release as multiple developers can upload components as they are ready. It has the dependent component options that no 3rd party tool has, it places comments directly into job description fields and it is a fast way to move things between projects. 3rd party tools are always going to need some type of interaction via import and export of jobs and you will never be able to view a job directly in the VC tool unless you generate the HTML job reporting to go with the job.

I'd expect to see it overhauled in the Hawk release.

I was ju curious, Thanks for the info....

I need to install VC tool separtly ? Why I dont see the pdf in On-line documantation ?

Because you haven't installed it yet. It (Version Control) automatically installs into the same directory your client software is installed in and then the docs show up on the same menu as well after that.

I can do release job . Isn't it version contrl . But how I can to define naming way of new copies job creating . I want to create the copy with the same name but in different project

To 'create a copy with the same name in different project' you have two choices, basically. One is Export/Import and the other is Version Control.

snassimr wrote:I can do release job . Isn't it version contrl.

No 'Releasing' a job is something old school and totally different. All you end up moving when you do that is the job's executable and you need to create 'packages' of jobs and use the 'Package Installer' to get them into the new project. [shudder] Put that out of your head.

Stick your client cdrom back in your pc and install Version Control. If it's not right there on the autorun menu, then exit out and browse for it. It should take all of two minutes.

If any way not to add jobs with ^1_1 strange end . I want three projects with the same names . And why jobs are added int DS Designer ? Can I block this ?

snassimr wrote:If any way not to add jobs with ^1_1 strange end. I want three projects with the same names.

Nothing strange, those are the Major and Minor version numbers for a particular job and only exist in the Version Control repository. When you 'promote' jobs to other projects that information is stripped off, so yes - they will all have 'the same names'.

snassimr also wrote:And why jobs are added int DS Designer ? Can I block this ?

I have absolutely no idea what you are asking here.