Another great feature is the “Find Unused Variables and Parameters”. For example, how do you format your T-SQL query? SQL Prompt can do that for you with a few mouse clicks, or if you press the hotkey combination.
This shows you another set of useful tools and functions. The last feature I want to show you is the menu of SQL Prompt. This makes it a lot easier to see the contents of a Stored Procedure or View, and change it when needed. This will generate an alter script for the object you selected. Just right-click an object you referenced in your query, and choose the “Script Object as ALTER” option:
With SQL Prompt, you can also use the mouse context menu to script objects. Whenever you need to script an object, or want to see the contents of for example a Stored Procedure, you need to navigate to the object in your object explorer. If you click on the popup, you’ll get another popup window with the creation script (by default), or a summary of the object: SQL Prompt allows you to hover your mouse over an object, and see some extra information: In SSMS you need to navigate the object explorer to the object (let’s say a table), and generate a create script, or click on the table to get to the column list. Whenever you’re working in a database, and you’re writing your queries, there comes a point that you can’t remember a column name or datatype. The join suggestion based on keys can be recognized by the little key symbol in front of it: This means that it scans column names, and traces primary- and foreign key relationships on the tables you are joining. When you installed SQL Prompt, it gives you suggestions when you write a JOIN clause.
If you install SQL Prompt, you get IntelliSense 2.0, or IntelliSense on steroids if you like. One of the companies that created a tool to fix that is Red Gate. For example, the fact that SSMS IntelliSense doesn’t take relations between objects into account, is one of the biggest shortcomings. SSMS ships with a default intelliSense, but this isn’t an implementation that I would like to see. So let’s talk about some other features that SSMS misses in my opinion, and let’s see how SQL Prompt can fill that gap.
It’s now the tool for working with Data Quality Services (DQS) and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). So why doesn’t SSMS have a schema compare option, like Visual Studio has? Visual Studio is no longer the environment that is used only by developers that work with ASP.NET and C#, but it evolved to much more the last few years. And remember, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is actually a Visual Studio instance with a different layout (just check the )… If you take a look at Visual Studio as an example, that studio contains more options that helps developers do their job. But that’s not the only thing that it should do in my opinion. It’s nicely designed (even though I’ve heard other opinions), it’s stable, and it does what it should do: it allows you to administer your servers. The tool that Microsoft provides you with when you install SQL Server is pretty nice.
This post is a part of a series of post, in which I try to explain and show you why the tools of Red Gate are so loved by the community. I’m proud to announce that I’m part of the 2014 FORG selection. NET MVPs who are experts in their respective fields, to be part of the Friends of Red Gate (FORG) program. The philosophy of Red Gate is to design highly usable, reliable tools that solve the problems of DBAs and developers.Įvery year Red Gate selects a number of active and influential community members (such as popular blog writers and community site owners) as well as SQL and. From their HQ in Cambridge UK, they create a number of great tools for MS SQL Server.
Since 1999, Red Gate Software has produced ingeniously simple and effective tools for over 500,000 technology professionals worldwide.