Version Snapshots

You can create snapshots of database schema objects and/or ONCONFIG settings in Sentinel Version Snapshots Repository. These snapshots can be used for multiple purposes:

Development Version Control System
Streamlining database change management procedures by capturing periodic database schema snapshots, detecting changes from a baseline, and enabling easy roll-back, roll-out and recovery of lost or damaged database objects.
Leveraging powerful functionality of Server Studio DB Difference Analyzer to compare and synchronize schema snapshots and live database schema for QA and Production deployments

Configuring Version Snapshots

To use Version Snapshots, you need to start Sentinel server on a workstation that will serve as your Version Control server and to which all developers and DBAs have an access. Choose a type of Version Control Repository on Sentinel. Version Snapshot Repository maintains catalog of database object attributes similar to Informix internal catalogs providing large flexibility in comparing different versions of schema, generating schema synchronization scripts, showing object dependencies and object security permissions. Once the repository is selected, you can create schema snapshots. The VC repository is Cloudscape database embedded into Sentinel server installation.Default location of a repository database for Version Snapshots is \userdata\senetinel\stores\vcs\active on a host where Sentinel server resides.

Creating Version Snapshots

You can create snapshots for:

Single database
Single database object, such as table or stored procedure
Group of databases

To create snapshot for a single database:

Select a database in the Object Explorer tree and choose Version Snapshots -> Create New Snapshot from popup menu. You will be prompted to enter a label and optional description for a snapshot. Enter a label – this is a text that will identify your snapshot in the list of snapshots – for example, QA2. Optionally enter a description text that provides additional information about a snapshot’s content. Press OK button to create a snapshot. The snapshot is created by Sentinel server. If it takes a long to time to create a snapshot, you can press Background button to close the dialog box. You will receive an alert from Sentinel server when snapshot is created.

To create a snapshot for individual database object

Select a database object, such as stored procedure or table, in the Object Explorer tree and choose Version Snapshots -> Create New Snapshot from popup menu. You will be prompted to enter a label and optional description for a snapshot. Enter a label – this is a text that will identify your snapshot in the list of snapshots – for example, QA2. Optionally enter a description text that provides additional information about a snapshot’s content. Press OK button to create a snapshot. The snapshot is created by Sentinel server.

To create a snapshot for a group of databases

Select Version Snapshots folder under Informix server node in the Object Explorer tree and choose Create New Snapshot from popup menu. You will be prompted to check list of database for which you want to create a snapshot and enter a label and optional description for a snapshot. Enter a label – this is a text that will identify your snapshot in the list of snapshots – for example, QA2. Optionally enter a description text that provides additional information about a snapshot’s content. Press OK button to create a snapshot. The snapshot is created by Sentinel server. If it takes a long to time to create a snapshot, you can press Background button to close the dialog box. You will receive an alert from Sentinel server when snapshot is created.

Using Snapshots

To access a created snapshot for a database or individual database object, select it in the Object Explorer and choose Versions Snapshots -> Show History from a popup menu. Snapshot History dialog box, which displays all available snapshots for a database or an object will open. You can use this dialog box to view snapshot content, generate SQL script file for a snapshot or compare snapshot to a current object state (or compare two selected snapshots).

Viewing Snapshot Content

To view snapshot content, select a snapshot and press View button. Snapshot viewer will open in Properties window. For a database snapshot it will show a list of all objects in this snapshot. Select an individual object and choose Properties from the popup menu or double-click on the object to view its details. You can use Back button located on the main toolbar afterwards to return to the list of objects in a snapshot.

Generating SQL script based on a snapshot

To generate SQL schema script based on a snapshot, select a snapshot and press Get button. Snapshot viewer will open in new SQL Editor document.

Comparing Snapshot with a current database state.

To compare a snapshot with a current database state, check a snapshot and 'Current State' item in a grid and press Diff button.

Comparing Snapshot with another snapshot

To compare a snapshot with another snapshot, check two snapshots in a grid and press Diff button.