Diff / Merge for Databases


You may already be familiar with the diff/merge functionality Altova DiffDog brings to working with source code, XML, and Word files – but did you know you can also connect to, compare, and merge database data and structures? DiffDog supports all major relational databases and includes a Connection Wizard that lets you quickly connect to one or more. As shown in the screenshot below, natively supported databases include Microsoft® Access™, SQL Server®, Oracle®, MySQL®, IBM® DB2®, Sybase®, and PostgreSQL. Altova DiffDog database connect wizard When you compare different database types, DiffDog even resolves datatype naming inconsistencies. This means you can compare the customers table in your SQL Server database with a backup copy, for example, or you can compare the contents of any tables or your entire database schema between IBM DB2 9 and Oracle 11g implementations. Note: Altova DatabaseSpy includes the same diff/merge capabilities described here.

Database Content Differencing

It’s easy to compare database content in DiffDog. Simply connect to the database(s) required, and select the tables to be compared. DiffDog displays the compared components side-by-side, and tables and columns are mapped automatically based on configurable options. You can also change or create mapping connections manually when needed. After you click the Start Comparison button, DiffDog displays results with informative icons. In the simple example below, the content in the database tables is not equal. Next, you can launch a detailed comparison of the unequal table to see the content of the compared columns side-by-side, with differences highlighted. Tool bar buttons let you merge changes in either direction.

 

Database Schema Differencing

It’s just as easy to compare database schemas in DiffDog to, for example, identify and merge differences between a development and production version of the same database. All database items (e.g., data types, constraints, keys, etc.) are displayed in the comparison components so that you are able to compare the structure of the tables within the database schema. You can merge the two schemas or selected items using Left and Right buttons on the tool bar, or access more merging options via the right-click menu. DiffDog-DB-schema-diff Database schema changes aren’t merged instantly – DiffDog always creates a SQL change script compatible with your target database type that you can review before committing the changes to the database. Altova DiffDog database schema compare merge options You can also save the SQL script to a file or open it for further editing in DatabaseSpy.   Learn more about the powerful database diff/merge functionality in DiffDog. You can also download a free trial to give it a test drive.

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