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AI agent for database administrators

Patch and Upgrade Rehearsal Agent

A patch that is proven on a realistic copy, with known issues and timings before production

Risk managementQuality controlIT and developmentOperations
See how it worksGet access
Patch and Upgrade Rehearsal Agent: what goes in, what the agent does and what you get

What it does

Upgrades fail in production because they were never tested on realistic copies. This agent restores a recent backup to a test server, applies the patch and runs your standard queries and jobs. It compares results and timings with a baseline run from before the patch. If a check fails, it records the error and tries the documented fix. If that does not work, it reports the failure with the evidence. The administrator approves the production window. Edge case: a stored procedure behaves differently after the patch, so the agent shows the two outputs side by side.

How it works

Follow the arrows from top to bottom. The orange dashed arrow is the loop: when a check fails, the agent goes back and tries again.

Start and resultWhat it doesA check on its own workWaits for your OKGoes back and retries
Yes, continueYes, continueApprovedNoNo 1 STARTS WHEN Patch is planned 2 USES A TOOL Restore a recent backup to the test server 3 USES A TOOL Run the baseline queries and jobs 4 USES A TOOL Apply the patch 5 USES A TOOL Run the same queries and jobs again 6 CHECKS THE RESULT Do results match and timings stay within the limit? If not: record the error, try the documented fix andrerun. Back to step 5. 7 DOES Write the rehearsal report with timings and issues 8 CHECKS THE RESULT Did the restore and patch finish within the plannedwindow? If not: adjust the steps and run again. Back to step 2. 9 YOU APPROVE Administrator approves the production window 10 RESULT Rehearsal report and go or no-go note
Read the steps as a list
  1. Patch is planned
  2. Restore a recent backup to the test server
  3. Run the baseline queries and jobs
  4. Apply the patch
  5. Run the same queries and jobs again
  6. Do results match and timings stay within the limit?If not: record the error, try the documented fix and rerun. Back to step 5.
  7. Write the rehearsal report with timings and issues
  8. Did the restore and patch finish within the planned window?If not: adjust the steps and run again. Back to step 2.
  9. Administrator approves the production windowThe agent waits here for your OK.
  10. Rehearsal report and go or no-go note

How it decides

A rehearsal passes when the restore works, results match the baseline and timings stay within the limit.

  • Pass only if results match the baseline
  • Allow a timing slowdown up to the limit
  • Run each documented fix once
  • Report any issue without a fix

Make it yours

Every agent is a starting point. You choose these settings for your own situation.

  • Slowdown limit (default: 10%)
  • Query and job suite
  • Test server size
  • Backup to use

What keeps you in control

It always asks you first

  • Administrator approves the production window

Hard limits

  • Never runs in production
  • Never uses a backup with live personal data without masking where required

It stops when

  • Done: the rehearsal passes and the window is approved
  • Stop: the fix fails, so the patch is held

Set it up

We guide you through the set-up, step by step

Members get the full set-up guide for this agent. No technical skills needed: you copy, paste and upload.

10 minto set it up in your AI
5 AIsChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, Grok
  • One set of instructions to paste into your AI, with the clicks for ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Gemini and Grok
  • The agent then walks you through connecting your own data, one source at a time
  • A downloadable copy with the flow chart, the rules and the full guide
Get access to this agent

An example run

What happensThe agent restored last night's 420 GB backup in 2 hours 10 minutes and applied a minor version patch. The query suite showed one report returned a different row order and ran 35% slower, so the check failed. The documented fix was an updated statistics step. After the rerun, results matched and timings were within 4%. The administrator approved Saturday.

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