I wonder how management studio generates the change table scripts each time i change a table, especially when i change the datatype from 'text' to 'varchar(max)'.
Peace,
Ice
Update: Concerning the already given Answers i want to precise my question, after say thank you for your posts.
Now, it is like already said, ssms generates the scripts on demand but i want to write a script to identify all the tables in a given database with datatype [text] and change them to [varchar(max)]. So the easy part is to scan the dictionary to find the tables and columns, the harder part is to generate the mentioned scripts which copies all the rows into the new structur.
--> Yes i can work manually thru the list of tables and click in ssms to get the scripts, but there are almost 200 tables... better a computer do that work, isn't it?
If what you're asking is "Given a table, is there an easy way to get the DML used to create that table?" then I don't believe you can just run a system SP and get it. You'd need write something that selected from the system tables to get columns and datatypes, indexes, and everything else.
I wish there was an easy way to generate the same scripts SSMS does (like right-click -> "Modify" on a stored procedure), but it doesn't seem to be that easy.
When you change a table using the Management Studio table designer, the script is already prepared in the background, and you can simply click on the "Generate change script" icon to view it (and copy it if you like).
In SQL 2008, the "Generate change script" option is in the "Table Designer" menu.
If you're asking what it does, it's quite simple: SQL will create a new table with the new structure, copy all the data from the old table, drop the old one and rename the new one. If you open the script as described above, you'd see that.
Related
Our project is moving from MySQL to MS SQL and after a long time working with MySQL Workbench I really miss some features in SQL Server Management studio (2014).
Do you know whether they exist in SSMS or there is an alternative/replacement application for SSMS to work with database?
Functions are listed below:
Generate update data script to review and to be able to copy-paste it. Do not update data when I move to another row when the table is opened for editing.
Some changes are still made in database in our project, and sometimes it's easier to add some rows manually in 5 tables, get the script, test it and run the script at production environment. I don't want to write a script for each update and I don't want to make a mistake when copying data to production server using edit table option.
Review update table script BEFORE the changes were made, not after (I am talking about Tools - Options - Designer - Auto generate change scripts).
Upload a file using select file dialog into a binary field.
Again, I know about using OPENROWSET function, just interested how to do it as I used to.
Ability to view large text fields in a convenient way in SSMS. Now I have to copy data from a field and paste it into notepad. (For example, error message with a long trace log)
Save a few tabs with some useful scripts and open all of them when I open SSMS.
Is there any way to organize tabs to be able to work with 10+ tabs more effectively? Now only 6 of them can be shown on the screen (compate it to 15 tabs in MySQL WB).
Simple 'search field' (like Ctrl+F in Excel) to be able to search data in all fields displayed on the screen.
I would appreciate any ideas.
Thank you.
I have just started an internship in I've had to learn a lot on my own. I'm learning MS SQL Server, but having a strange problem. I have a DB that has four small tables. Each one has a script to drop the table, recreate the table (I've avoided FK dependencies for the time being), and execute a demo query.
Problem 1: When I first started SQL Server Managmenent Studio would execute the script, but one table didn't show up in the Object Explorer. If I tried to execute a demo query from the same .sql file, it executed with no problem. If I tried to access it from another .sql, the table didn't exist. After many times of successfully executing the script, it finally just showed up.
Problem 2: Similar problem. When I updated one table, the changes wouldn't be reflected in queries.
Problem 3: Queries will fail, but if I click execute again with no changes being made, it will usually work correctly.
Problem 4: When I use an alias for a field name, sometimes the alias is recognized and sometimes it isn't. I've literally had single query in which the alias would work in one place, but not work in another and I had to use a fully qualified name.
I've tried the refresh and refresh local cache, but those seem to have no effect. If I exit Management Studio, that seems to usually fix the first two problems.
Am I going nuts or am I just in the dark about some weird specifics of SQL Server?
First of all, when you make a schema change you need to right-click on the "Tables" node for the database in management studio and hit refresh.
If you change a column or something in a table, right-click the table and refresh.
The refresh local cache only updates the intellisense stuff, and the refresh only updates the GUI. If you modify a table with SQL and do not refresh it in the UI, the query can still use the updated table.
If you query fails, you either have a bad query or it's not pointed at the database or connection you think it is.
For aliases, there are places where they will not work (update statements, for example) but if you don't post queries where they don't work we cannot read your mind and tell you what's wrong.
If you have specific queries that are failing, post them.
I'm trying to determine the best way of creating a blank copy of a SQL Server 2012 database, renaming it & placing it on the same server instance. I could restore/rename a backup copy, and then delete all the data, but there are quite a few tables/views, stored procedures, triggers, etc.
Are there any drawbacks with the "generate scripts for database objects" wizard? Just trying to figure out the most efficient way to create a blank copy & would appreciate anyone's experience/wisdom on the topic.
I am running a SQL Server 2012 Enterprise edition. We have a database that our colleagues like, so we are planning to create a copy & populate with their data instead of our data.
Go to Object Explorer ,Right Click the database you want to create a blank copy of.
Right Click --> Tasks --> Generate Scripts
Select the entire Database, you also have the option to select specific objects, In advance option select schema only.
I would prefer this method over any other, as Restoring a Copy of database and then deleting data means doing a lot of work which was never required to begin with. Backing up data that was never required, restoring unwanted data and then finally making sql server to delete it, a lot of unnecessary work.
Another reason why scripts are better over other options, These scripts will use fresh pages to write all of this data. Imagine you having to write something on a brand new note book as compare to a note book where you had to erase first and then use it to write data on it.
Does anyone know of a way of scripting the data changes made via SSMS, e.g. update a table row and it shows the update SQL for that change, likewise for inserts & deletes?
I'm aware of being able to script out the entire changes using publishing wizard or using redgate software & I know you can switch on scripting for schema changes. However, I'm looking for something along the lines of: I do something in SSMS and I get a instant SQL statement telling me what I've done. I remember SQLYog doing something like this for MYSQL.
I was just looking for the same thing on SO with no luck, so clicked a few buttons in SSMS and found this:
"Generate Change Script" can be clicked after you've made changes in the SSMS designer. Upon clicking this button, a dialog appears that lets you view the SQL required to be run on your database for those changes.
If you check "Automatically generate change script on every save", then the same dialog will appear each time you click the save button.
You'll note that sometimes SSMS generates some ridiculously long SQL statements for seemingly simple changes. Unfortunately, even simple things like reordering/renaming columns cannot be expressed in standard SQL DDL statement - all SSMS can do is drop and recreate the table.
This question already has answers here:
What is the best way to auto-generate INSERT statements for a SQL Server table?
(24 answers)
Closed 6 years ago.
I'm looking for a way to do something analogous to the MySQL dump from SQL Server. I need to be able to pick the tables and export the schema and the data (or I can export the schema via SQL Server Management Studio and export the data separately somehow).
I need this data to be able to turn around and go back into SQL Server so it needs to maintain GUIDs/uniqueidentifiers and other column types.
Does anyone know of a good tool for this?
From the SQL Server Management Studio you can right click on your database and select:
Tasks -> Generate Scripts
Then simply proceed through the wizard. Make sure to set 'Script Data' to TRUE when prompted to choose the script options.
SQL Server 2008 R2
Further reading:
Robert Burke: SQL Server 2005 - Scripting your Database
SQL Server Management Studio
This is your best tool for performing this task. You can generate a script that will build whichever tables you wish from a database as well as insert the data in those tables (as far as I know you have to export all of the data in the selected tables however).
To do this follow these steps:
Right-click on your database and select Tasks > Generate Scripts
In the Generate and Publish Scripts wizard, select the "Select specific database objects" option
Expand the "Tables" tree and select all of the tables you wish to export the scheme and data for, then click Next
In the next screen choose how you wish to save the script (the Output Type must remain set as "Save scripts to a specific location"), then click the Advanced button in the top right corner
In the newly opened window, under the General section is a setting called "Types of data to script", set this to "Scheme and data" and click OK
Click Next, review the export summary and click Next again. This will generate the script to your selected destination.
To restore your database, simply create a new database and change the first line of your generated script to USE [Your.New.Database.Name], then execute. Your new database will now have all of the tables and data you selected from the original database.
I had a hell of a time finding this option in SQL Management Studio 2012, but I finally found it. The option is hiding in the Advanced button in the screen below.
I always assumed this contained just assumed advanced options for File generation, since that's what it's next to, but it turns out someone at MS is just really bad at UI design in this case. HTH somebody who comes to this thread like I did.
If you want to script all table rows then
Go with Generate Scripts as described by Daniel Vassallo. You can’t go wrong here
Else
Use third party tools such as ApexSQL Script or SSMS Toolpack for more advanced scripting that includes some preprocessing, selective scripting and more.
Check out SSMS Tool Pack. It works in Management Studio 2005 and 2008. There is an option to generate insert statements which I've found helpful moving small amounts of data from one system to another.
With this option you will have to script out the DDL separately.
SqlPubWiz.exe (for me, it's in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Publishing\1.2>)
Run it with no arguments for a wizard. Give it arguments to run on commandline.
SqlPubWiz.exe script -C "<ConnectionString>" <OutputFile>
BCP can dump your data to a file and in SQL Server Management Studio, right click on the table, and select "script table as" then "create to", then "file..." and it will produce a complete table script.
BCP info
https://web.archive.org/web/1/http://blogs.techrepublic%2ecom%2ecom/datacenter/?p=319
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa174646%28SQL.80%29.aspx
I know this has been answered already, but I am here to offer a word of warning.
We recently received a database from a client that has a cyclical foreign key reference. The SQL Server script generator refuses to generate the data for databases with cyclical references.