This book uses a real-world case-study project to teach you how to
manage software configuration efficiently using Visual SourceSafe 2005,
Microsoft's Software Configuration Management (SCM) solution for
independent developers and for developers working in small- and
medium-sized teams. It also provides a best-practices reference on using
SourceSafe 2005 to manage the software development lifecycle. Why is
Software Configuration Management important? Software Configuration
Management (SCM) is the discipline of managing the building and
modification of software through techniques including source-code
control, revision control, object-build tracking, and release
construction. SCM involves identifying the configuration of the software
at given points in time, systematically controlling changes to the
configuration, and maintaining the integrity and traceability of the
configuration throughout the software development lifecycle. Software
Configuration Management is one of the first skills a serious developer
should master, after becoming proficient with his or her development
tools of choice. Unfortunately, this does not always happen because the
subject of SCM is not commonly taught in either academic or company
training. When developing software, you need to have a manageable team
development effort, track and maintain the history of your projects,
sustain parallel development on multiple product versions, fix bugs, and
release service packs while further developing the application. This is
where the concepts of Software Configuration Management come into play;
SCM is about getting the job done safer, faster, and better. Visual
SourceSafe has a long history behind it. The previous versions were
either loved for their ease of use and integration with other Microsoft
products, or hated because the headaches caused by using them
improperly. This book will help you to avoid such problems. After
introducing the fundamental principles of SCM and the benefits of using
SCM to manage the software development lifecycle this book uses a
real-world case-study project to build a Service-Oriented Application
named Orbital Hotel. You will learn the team cooperation features in
Visual SourceSafe with the help of John and Mary, two fictional team
members assigned to implement various project components. You can visit
Orbital Hotel online and you can download its source code. The
appendices deal with SourceSafe administration tasks: database creation
and management, how to secure the database and how to assign users and
user rights, how to manage projects and project settings, and how to
customize SourceSafe to best suit your development style. This book is
for .NET developers, testers and configuration managers who: . Use
Visual Studio .NET 2005 for building software . Want to use software
configuration to manage their products in day-to-day activities . Want
to improve their efficiency by learning to use the best practices with
SourceSafe . Want to install, manage, and configure Visual SourceSafe
2005 for optimal operation The book does not assume previous knowledge
of Software Configuration Management or Visual SourceSafe. It takes the
reader from the ground up and is a great resource for people starting to
learn about this subject. Readers with previous SourceSafe experience
will benefit by discovering the improved and new features in Visual
SourceSafe 2005. TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY 1 Controlling the Evolution
of Software Products 2 The SourceSafe 2005 Architecture 3 Creating a
Service-Oriented Application 4 Adding Solutions to the SourceSafe
Database 5 Developing Solutions under Source Control 6 Working from
Remote Locations 7 Managing the Software Development Lifecycle A
Installing Visual SourceSafe 2005 B Creating and Configuring SourceSafe
Databases C Database Maintenance
