Re: It'll keep happening....
I'm beginning to suspect this is because of modern development methodologies
I hadn't spent a long time considering that. You may be right, but I manage 2 weeks sprints while deploying variously to Oracle or SQL Server. I just have a local instance of SQL Server for the "dick[ing] with it till it's right", and prepare proper release scripts for the bi-weekly migration to uat / prod.
Had you said it was because of POORLY EXECUTED modern development methodologies, I suspect we'd have been in complete agreement.
Migrating large amounts of data can be a pig, but our DBAs are more than up to the task if they're given sufficient notice to prepare, and as you rightly say, upfront design can mitigate a lot of the problems (and it can do so without knackering properly implemented agile projects).
Biting the hand that feeds IT
