Where does this SSMS context menu option to script data come from? - ssms

The image below shows the context menu I'm asking about. I've had it in SSMS 2008 R2 for so long I thought it was a feature of SSMS. Today I'm working with two other developers and it turns out they do not have this nice little feature, in fact they've never seen it. So now we are wondering where it came from. Is it an add-in? Is it turned on by some obscure feature?

That is a feature not supported by Microsoft. It is an Addin for SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio).

Related

VS style snippets in SSMS 2012. Do they exist?

I am trying to setup a simple snippet in SQL Server management studio. When I heard the word "snippet", I assume that they would work like they do in Visual Studio. By that I mean that there are variables that get filled in, etc... I am not seeing that.
Can someone tell me whether SSMS 2012 supports Visual Studio style snippets. If so, can you provide an example of a snippet that supports variable replacement.
This might be close to what your looking for. Under View->Template explorer is a list of a whole bunch of structures that you regularly use when working with, building, developing databases. You can also get to it using Ctrl+Alt+T. There are literally hundreds in there. Everything from building a view to setting up a trigger to creating XML schemas.
The really nice thing with templates is you can build your own structures that you regularly use. I have built quite of few of my own templates to hold snippets that I have acquired from the likes of Brent Ozars blitz scripts and others like the improved SP_WHO from Adam Machanic and such.
While maybe not as fancy (read interactive) as the ones you'll find in the Visual Studio projects I find them very handy.
If you use these templates there is another little feature that can be very handy. If you press Ctrl-Shift-M (or use the toolbar button that shows an A->B) you get a dialog that lets you easily replace the template parameters with your own values.
Update post research into SSMS2012
I just recently started using SSMS 2012 and see there is a new feature that I wasn't aware of. When right clicking you do in fact see the 'Insert Snippet' drop down. I understand your question better now. Apparently however, these are pretty much the same as what I posted above.

Visual Studio 2010's SQL Schema & Data Compare - Can it be accesed from code?

The other day I tried out VS2010's SQL compare tools and thought they were awesome.
I am wondering if there is any way to harness these tools in code written in VS 2010.
Here is a MSDN forum thread about this. The answer points to this post which outlines how to use this via DTE. It is targeted at 2008 but I would think it is still applicable.

is there a SQL Prompt like plugin for VS 2008

I like to use the SQL Tools in VS but I would like to have some intellisense for SQL, with sql manager I can get the Redgate SQL prompt but I would like to stay in VS, any Ideas?
Edit:
is there anything other then Redgate SQL prompt? that dose error checking like the way R# or dev express?
Red-Gate SQL Prompt (at least more recent versions, I believe 3.x and up) also works inside Visual Studio. I don't think you need another extra tool, really.
See the Red-Gate SQL Prompt feature page
It says clearly:
Integrates with SSMS, SSMS Express, Query Analyzer and Visual Studio
Marc
With Red Gate SQL Prompt you also will stay in VS and this product supports now just VS 2008.
SQL Prompt web page
If you don't like it I can propose you to try SQL Assist or SQL Complete. I use this tool and as for me it's really reliable one.
Apart from tools mentioned above there is a pretty neat tool from ApexSQL called “Complete”. I think this article can explain further http://blog.apexsql.com/ssms-intellisense-add-in-and-ssms-intellisense/
And the tool itself
Yes, SQL Prompt 3.x and 4.x beta for sure work with Visual Studio 2005/2008
You can download the 4.x beta to play with, and visit their forum if you have any question/problem. Red Gate people are very nice and helpful
http://www.red-gate.com/MessageBoard/viewforum.php?f=98

Visual Studio syntax highlighting

Is it possible to get the same level of syntax highlighting in Visual Studio 2008, that SQL Server Management Studio has? This is regarding T-SQL.
For example SSMS has separate highlighting options for operands, system functions etc, while Visual Studio 2008 only seems to have one 'keyword' for T-SQL.
Not sure if this is what you're looking for but someone did come up with an app that will take your VS color settings and convert them over to ones that will work in SQL Server Management Studio. You can find the post about it here.
See this: related question
To get a better level of control you will have to write an addin and a parser, both of which are very tricky.
VS 2010 will have MEF and WPF which means that writing addins which change the visuals will be significantly simpler.
If you are looking for a simpler framework to write this kind of stuff in VS 2008 have a look at DXCore.
I use SQL 2008 and VS 2008 DB Pro edition. And what I often do is writing SQL in SSMS and copy & paste to VS.

Is there any trick that allows to use Management Studio's (ver. 2008) IntelliSense feature with earlier versions of SQL Server?

New version of Management Studio (i.e. the one that ships with SQL Server 2008) finally has a Transact-SQL IntelliSense feature. However, out-of-the-box it only works with SQL Server 2008 instances.
Is there some workaround for this?
There's no known trick 'in the wild' for getting around this, other than using CTP-6 of SQL Server 2008 (in favour of the RTM).
the reasons for removing backward compatability (and a lot more discussion besides) are provided at the relevant feedback in microsoft connect.
edit: sorry i don't know where this ctp is available, if at all
Has anyone tried either patching SSMS not to check the version (perhaps try looking at the binary differences between CTP 6 and RTM?), or patching SS 2005 to pretend to be 2008?
Unclean, I know, but I don't see any other way.