Internet Testing Systems Case Study

Online testing software and services firm Internet Testing Systems (ITS) improves its process of deploying SQL scripts and objects through the use of JNetDirect’s Combine development tool.

ITS provides a wide range of computer-based testing software to a variety of industries, including education, government, healthcare and IT.

ITS needed the ability to distribute SQL database objects and scripts across multiple databases and environments.

ITS sped up the deployment of database objects and scripts with JNetDirect's Combine. The software also provided greater automation and reduced errors in the process

• Ease of use
• Improved deployment process
• Automated maintenance and administration reduced errors
• Ability to automatically deploy SQL scripts to multiple databases simultaneously

Information Technology

Internet Testing Systems (ITS) provides computer-based services for companies and organizations that deliver tests in an online environment. This can range from a standardized test at the K-12 education level to a board exam for professional fields such as medicine and information technology.

ITS hosts the databases and web sites needed for each client testing environment. The company creates the software and mechanism for test delivery; alternatively, customers may also create tests themselves in a self-service environment using ITS’ tools. With customers ranging from Google, Microsoft and Autodesk to the National Board of Medical Examiners and Educational Testing Services, ITS needs to be able to make sure all database objects and scripts needed in various testing environments are accurate and can be accessed quickly.

ITS has to distribute its database objects and scripts across the dozens of databases required for a single testing scenario. To do this, the company created a separate database for each test to make sure that all objects were in one place and easily accessible. This was a largely manual process, which sometimes resulted in human error and delays.

ITS looked for a solution that primarily offered ease-of-use for its 25-person development team, as well as support for security measures so it could enforce who has access to what, thereby improving accuracy and the speed of database object and script deployment.

ITS was impressed with JNetDirect Combine’s feature set and price point and was especially interested in its ability to deploy to multiple databases simultaneously. The company was also drawn to the product’s administration and security functions, which allow ITS to control who is allowed in what areas and what they are able to do, which increases the integrity of each deployment.

JNetDirect Combine helped ITS greatly improve its process of deploying database objects and scripts. Rather than having to create separate objects and scripts, the automated nature of the product has allowed ITS to create them once and ensure they get executed on all relevant databases, thereby greatly improving consistency and deployment speed. This is especially useful in situations where there might be 100 scripts that have to be applied across dozens of databases.

In fact, since 2007, ITS has created more than 3,000 Combine deployment packages, each consisting of one or more SQL scripts that could run on up to 45 databases simultaneously. The 3,000 packages contain more than 13,000 scripts, and without JNetDirect Combine each of those scripts would have to be manually deployed to each of the 45 databases. The product also provides management of logging and error notification.

ITS would like to continue improving automation within its environment, eventually adding the ability to automatically schedule and execute scripts, which today has to be done manually. But in the meantime, JNetDirect Combine has given ITS a stable, reliable platform to distribute database objects and scripts across multiple SQL Server databases and environments.