Code Leader: Using People, Tools, and Processes to Build Successful Software

6.5. Summary

Source code control plays a vital role in any development process, and particularly in a process following the Continuous Integration model. There are many different SCC platforms to choose from, and you should carefully describe your organization's requirements and expectations before choosing a source code control system that meets those requirements.

Once your SCC system is in place, take the maximum advantage of it by organizing your source code in ways that make it easier to use with source control, and by taking full advantage of branching. Branching can provide much-needed organization to your source control system. It can be used for separating work done on different versions or done to accomplish specific tasks, and isolate that work from the integration branch used by your Continuous Integration server. You can also use branching to provide additional semantic data that otherwise would not be represented in your source control system, such as links to external systems or relationships between different branches.

Because SCC plays such a vital role in a CI process, it is important that you and your team understand how to use the system properly and how to use it to best advantage to get your jobs done.