The Problem

Developers often need to have a development database copy of the live production system you are using in able to allow them to test their code and to test new functionality and make schema changes to the database for this new functionality to work.

That’s normal and happens everywhere. A typical DBA task is to make a copy of the live system, sometimes to remove any confidential or sensitive information which perhaps the development database users should not be able to see, and then give them access to this development instance. The developers then “hack away”, changing their code and perhaps things in the database until they are ready to put these new changes into production when they then come along and discuss how to apply these changes into the live systems.

Once the development database has been created it soon becomes stale so often the developers want a new up to date copy …