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Combine 2.0

New Features and Enhancements

Key new features in Combine 2.0 include scheduled execution of one or more code packages, support for Aldon Lifecycle Manager (LM) as a source code control (SCC) provider, performance optimizations in the Container Manager, as well as advanced detection of duplicate databases in Containers before package execution. Details regarding the new features are available below.

1. Scheduled Packages and Deployments

The main new feature in Combine 2.0 is the ability to schedule the execution of one or more code packages. Scheduled Tasks and Packages can now be defined and managed using the new tool under Tools → Scheduled Packages, which allows users to create, edit, delete, and manage scheduled packages and deployments. The new scheduling features use the Windows Scheduled Tasks together with the CpaExec command line utility to schedule and execute packages, respectively.

2. License Tracking Enhancements

Combine 2.0 tracks SQL Server instances for licensing purposes using the physical server name and instance name, instead of IP address and instance name as before.

3. Advanced Detection and Warning of Duplicate Databases in Containers

In previous versions of Combine a single database could (theoretically) be defined twice in the same Container, for both Static and Dynamic Containers. For example, the same server could be referenced multiple times – once through the server name, another through the server IP, another time using aliases, and so on. Combine 2.0 introduces new mechanisms to detect duplicates to make sure that one database (on the same server) is not referenced multiple times in a single Container. Duplicate databases are detected before scripts and packages are executed against Containers. If any duplicates are detected then the duplicate databases are marked with warning icons.

4. Container Manager – Performance Optimizations

Combine 2.0 contains several performance improvements for working with repositories in the Container Manager (i.e., to share Environments and Containers between users).

5. Source Control Support for Aldon Lifecycle Manager

Combine 2.0 supports Aldon Lifecycle Manager (LM) as an SCC provider. In addition, several custom options that are available for Aldon LM and are not available for other SCC systems were added in the Options dialog.