Richie Lee has concerns with database deployments:
At any rate, the script is generated and maybe reviewed….. so then what? In SSDT there is no way to create and deploy script in one step; they are two distinct steps. And even if they were one step, this would still not resolve the issue that troubles me. So what is this issue?
The issue is that by creating a script, and then running the deploy, you cannot be sure that the database is in the exact same state that it was when the initial script was generated. If you don’t already know, SSDT runs a deploy entirely in memory, so as mentioned there is no script created. You have to explicitly create the script as part of the process. Or, if you have already created one, you have to re-create the script.
I’m on the fence here. In simpler environments, I think Richie has a good point. But in a complex environment, I wouldn’t even use auto-generated deployment scripts; when you’re changing hundreds of database objects (including adding and modifying columns, backfilling data, modifying indexes, etc.), that automated deployment script is almost guaranteed to fail. And if it does fail, it could leave you in a state of irreparable harm.