Why is my clone so small?

How is it possible that the cloned databases could be so small and lightweight, and yet behave exactly like any normal database, complete with all the data? It sounds like magic, but it's not. It simply makes clever use of native Windows virtualization technology. Read more

Backup and restore of a SQL Clone

What if you now do development work on a clone, but you to continue working on you own local clone while ‘disconnected’, such as when travelling? One simple option if the original database contains no private data, or the image has been masked, is to performance a normal backup and restore operations the clone, although you'll now be working with a normal, full-sized database. Read more

SQL Prompt

How to implement a T-SQL code formatting standard using SQL Prompt

To what extent should a team attempt to impose a uniform SQL coding format? It can sometimes seem like a futile task. All programmers have a preferred formatting style, to which they profess an unwavering attachment. Check the code of ten programmers, though, and you will likely discover at least 15 different formats, since few Read more

Automating database deployments to and from source control using SQL Compare and PowerShell

How to use SQL Compare Pro command line with PowerShell to automate the processes of getting a new database into source control, updating the source with the latest database changes, creating a new build script for a database version, and creating a deployment script to synchronize an existing database with source. Read more

Automatically keeping ‘hotfix’ and production database schemas in sync

How to use the SQL Compare Pro command line to automatically compare the schema of two versions of the same database, and then subsequently deploy to the target database any differences detected in the source database. Read more

SQL Prompt to the rescue with tab coloring

When you’re hard at work, it’s all too easy to make a mistake as you rush to get a job done. Say, for example, you have a QA database you need to get rid of. You run a query to drop it and then… oh no! You’ve accidentally run it in Production. Your day just Read more

How to use custom filters in SQL Compare

How to use filters in SQL Compare, when you don’t work with all the objects in a database. Read more

3 Results Grid features SQL Prompt brings to SSMS

You may not have heard about it yet, but three helpful features were recently added to SQL Prompt that are activated when you right-click on the Results Grid in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). 1. Copy as IN clause This feature is available when you have values from a single column selected. You can select Read more

How to build-and-fill multiple development databases using PowerShell and SQL Data Generator

This article offers a build-and-fill method for development databases, where each developer will subsequently want to alter the data or metadata in his or her copy of the database. Read more