Tag: SQL Server Management Studio

Database

An Update to SQL Server Management Studio 18 is Available

on June 12, 2019

This week we see an update for SQL Server Management Studio, version 18.1. This release is the latest generation of SQL Server Management Studio and provides support for SQL Server 2017.

What’s New in this Release

  • Database diagrams – Database diagrams were added back into SSMS. If you did not know they removed this from the 18.0 release. For more details, see Database Diagrams.
  • SSBDIAGNOSE.EXE – The SQL Server Diagnose command line tool was added back into the SSMS package.
  • Integration Services (SSIS) – Support for scheduling SSIS package, located in SSIS Catalog in Azure or File System, in Azure. There are three entries for launching the New Schedule dialog, New Schedule… menu item shown when right-clicking the SSIS package in SSIS Catalog in Azure, Schedule SSIS Package in Azure menu item under Migrate to Azure menu item under Tools menu item and “Schedule SSIS in Azure” shown when right-clicking Jobs folder under SQL Server agent of Azure SQL Database Managed Instance.

For details about what’s new in this release, please see the SSMS release notes.

Getting the Update

Head over to https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssms/download-sql-server-management-studio-ssms and go to the Download SSMS 18.1 section.

Version Information

  • Release number: 18.1
  • Build number: 15.0.18131.0
  • Release date: June 11, 2019

NOTE: SSMS 18.1 is the latest general availability (GA) version of SSMS. If you have SSMS 18.0 (GA) installed, installing SSMS 18.1 upgrades it to 18.1. If you have an older preview version of SSMS 18.0 installed, you must uninstall it before installing SSMS 18.1.

Supported SQL Offerings

This version of SSMS works with all supported versions of SQL Server 2008 – SQL Server 2019 preview and provides the greatest level of support for working with the latest cloud features in Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Data Warehouse.

Additionally, SSMS 18.x can be installed side by side with SSMS 17.x, SSMS 16.x, or SQL Server 2014 SSMS and earlier.

Enjoy!

References

Download SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

SQL Server Management Studio – Changelog (SSMS)

DatabaseDeveloper

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 18.0 now Generally Available

on April 29, 2019

SQL Server Management Studio v18.0 is now generally available and is the latest version that provides support for almost all feature areas on SQL Server 2008 through to 2019 preview.

If you have a preview of SSMS 18.0 installed, you will need to uninstall before you can install SSMS 18.0 GA. SSMS 18.0 will also not replace an older version of SSMS but will run side by side with it.

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Release Highlights

Here is a brief list of is new in SSMS 18.0.

  • Support for SQL Server 2019. SSMS 18.0 is the first release to be fully aware of SQL Server 2019 (compatLevel 150).
  • SSMS 18.0 is based off the Visual Studio 2017 Isolated Shell.
  • Smaller download size.
  • Accessibility improvements.
  • Ability to install to a custom folder.
  • Requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or greater.
  • Support for High DPI (by default).
  • Added integration for Azure Data Studio.
  • Still no official support for Dark Mode. Please see my article on how to enable Dark Mode for SSMS.
  • Database Diagrams has been removed. Seriously it’s gone! You will need to install a previous version of SSMS (like 17.8.1) to get this functionality.

Summary

Dark mode is still not available and remains a feature you have to manually enable. It’s also weird that they dropped support for the Database Diagramming tool without any warning or guidance to replace it. This was a gem of a tool inside of SSMS and was simple to use for visualizing database relationships, and documentation. You will need to rely on an older version of SSMS or use another tool. Other than that it looks like a great update to SSMS.

For more details on what’s new, bug fixes and deprecations, please take a look at the detailed release notes.

To get started download SSMS 18.0 (GA) now.

Enjoy!

References

DatabaseProductivity

How to Enable Dark Theme for SQL Server Management Studio

on February 14, 2018

Updated Feb. 21, 2018 – Each time you install a newer version of SSMS, like 17.5 that released last week, you will need to go and update the configuration file and comment out the Dark theme references as described below.

If you’re like me and you like to use the Visual Studio Dark theme and wish you could use this theme for SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), unfortunately, there is no official support at this time (keep bugging Microsoft for this feature please). Currently SSMS 2016 and SSMS 17 support both the Blue and Light themes.

If you weren’t aware, SQL Server Management Studio is built on the Visual Studio shell, so it does support the Dark theme but it’s currently disabled due to “unfinished work” with various parts of the application like the Object Explorer and Output panes.

Here is my current SSMS 17 using the Light theme:

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To enable the Dark theme follow these simple steps

1. Close down all running instances of SSMS

2. Open Windows Explorer and browse to the following location to change the configuration file ssms.pkgundef

    • For SSMS 2016: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\130\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio
    • For SSMS 17: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio

3. Type the name of the file into the search box at the top right corner and then right click to edit this file. Note: You will need to edit this file with Administrative rights.

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4. Now search the file for the following line // Remove Dark Theme and then comment out each line in this section by using // at the start of each line in this section as shown below:

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5. Save the file and now re-launch SSMS. After restarting SSMS, go to Options you will see the Dark them listed. Select the Dark theme and then press the OK button.

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Your SSMS should now be using the Dark theme, similar to what my SSMS looks like now after enabling this theme. Ah this is much better!

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For the most part its dark but where it fails is in the Object Explorer and Output panes as you can see here:

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There is a way to go into Options and tweak the colors for the Output pane (results grid and messages), but that is extremely tedious and not worth the effort in my opinion.

Alternate Solutions

Now I’m not sure why this is not fully supported yet, especially for the Object Explorer and the Output panes. People keep asking for this feature and release after release it’s still not properly supported.

Now if you look at Visual Studio, there is a SQL Server Object Explorer and when you run a query, the results window (text and grid) supprt support the dark theme as shown below. So this is an alternate method if you don’t want to change SSMS.

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For those of you that are not developers and use SSMS for interacting with your SQL Servers and want to use a dark theme editor, you can install a bare bones instance of Visual Studio 2017 with just the database tooling by selecting the Data storage and processing workload.

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Summary

Hopefully, a future update to SSMS will enable the Dark theme out of the box and until then this is a temporary solution that may or may not work for you. For me, I spend most of my time working with SQL queries that I don’t need Output or Object Explorer visible, so I just collapse them.

This method works for both SSMS 2016 and SSMS 17.

Enjoy!

References

https://www.sqlshack.com/setting-up-the-dark-theme-in-sql-server-management-studio/

Database

An Update to SQL Server Management Studio is Available

on August 9, 2017

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This week we see an update for SQL Server Management Studio, version 17.2. This release is the latest generation of SQL Server Management Studio and provides support for SQL Server 2017.

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What’s New in this Release

  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • The connection dialog box now supports the following 5 authentication methods:
    • Windows Authentication
    • SQL Server Authentication
    • Active Directory – Universal with MFA support
    • Active Directory – Password
    • Active Directory – Integrated
  • Database import/export for DacFx wizard can now use Universal Authentication with MFA
  • ADAL managed library used by Azure AD Universal Authentication with MFA was upgraded to version 3.13.9
  • A new CLI interface supporting Azure AD admin setting for SQL Database and SQL Data Warehouse
  • Output window has entries for queries run during expansion of Object Explorer nodes
  • Enabled View designer for Azure SQL Databases
  • Changes to the default scripting options for scripting objects from Object Explorer in SSMS
  • Added support for National Clouds in "Restore from URL"
  • QueryStoreUI reports now supports additional metrics (RowCount, DOP, CLR Time etc.) from sys.query_store_runtime_stats
  • IntelliSense is now supported for Azure SQL Database
  • Security: connection dialog will default to not trusting server certificates and to requesting encryption for Azure SQL Database connections
  • General improvements around support for SQL Server on Linux
  • Performance Dashboard server report now available as a default report
  • Showplan node search allows searching in plan properties. Easily look for any operator property such as table name

For the full list of changes, see SQL Server Management Studio – Changelog (SSMS).

Getting the Update

Head over to https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssms/download-sql-server-management-studio-ssms and you will find two links for installation. The first links downloads and installs SSMS 17.2 where as the second link will update an existing 17.x installation.

This update will not upgrade or replace SSMS versions 16.x or earlier. SSMS 17.x will install side by side with previous versions. If you have multiple SSMS versions installed than the latest is labeled as Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 17 and has the following icon:

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Starting the Installation

Installation is quick and easy…

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After the installation is complete, when you open up SSMS 17.2 and look at the About dialog you will see the following components updated:

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Sadly we still don’t have an official Dark theme for SQL Server Management Studio. I recall reading comments from the SQL team last year that they needed to do work on all the dialogs before releasing this theme. If the base SSMS IDE supports the Dark theme than just release it You can work on the dialogs as needed and provide them in future updates.

Enjoy!

References

Download SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

SQL Server Management Studio – Changelog (SSMS)

DatabaseDevelopment

SQL Server Management Studio 17.0

on May 8, 2017

There is a new release of SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) now available – version 17.0. It feels like yesterday when SSMS 16 was released (June 2016). I’m not going to complain as it’s refreshing to see such the constant updates to SSMS now that it’s not tied in with the database engine installer.

To get the latest version, head to the download page and install the web-installer. SSMS 17 will install side-by side with previous versions of SSMS.

This latest release includes a lot of new functionality, namely with support for connecting to SQL Server on Linux. Please see the full SSMS changelog for a complete listing of enhancements and bug fixes. Sadly this release still doesn’t support the Dark theme. Hopefully this is something they add in a future release.

Installing SSMS 17:

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Updated splash screen:

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SSMS 17 icons have been updated to be consistent with VS Shell provided icons and support High DPI resolutions:

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One of the nice additions to this release is the inclusion of “Presentation Mode”. There are 3 new tasks available via the Quick Launch (Ctr-Q):

  • PresentOn – Turns on presentation mode where the editor and environment fonts are larger
  • PresentEdit – Allows you to edit the presentation font sizes
  • RestoreDefaultFonts – Reverts back to the default settings

If you  are familiar with these commands in Visual Studio then you will  notice that there is currently no PresentOff command. Use RestoreDefaultFonts to turn off Presentation Mode.

Enjoy!

References

Download SSMS
Download SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)
SSMS Changelog
SSMS Release Notes

DatabaseDevelopment

SQL Server Management Studio 2016: Quick Overview

on July 27, 2016

It’s been almost two months since SQL Server 2016 was released and today I’ll provide a quick overview of some of the benefits new with SQL Server Management Studio 2016 or also known as SSMS 2016.

New Installer

One of the first things I noticed when I installed SQL Server 2016 is that SSMS is no longer listed in the features for installation. This is because SQL Server Management Studio 2016 has become its own stand-alone installer that can easily be downloaded from the web. There is also a link in the SQL Server engine management tools which takes you to the web to download the separate installer for SSMS 2016.

By decoupling SSMS from the roughly two-year release cycle of the core product, the SSMS team is able to provide quicker releases for SSMS. In the two months since it’s released we’ve already seen two updates. From what I’ve read it looks like they’re on a monthly cadence – which is awesome!

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Visual Studio Awesomeness

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SSMS 2016 is now built upon the Visual Studio 2015 shell and unlike SSMS 2012 and SSMS 2014 that were based on Visual Studio 2010 this brings a number of improvements:

Performance

Now that SSMS 2016 is build upon the Visual Studio 2015 shell, it gets all the performance optimizations that came in versions of Visual Studio since Visual Studio  2010. This is something you’ll notice immediately when running SSMS 2016.

I don’t know why SSMS 2012 and SSMS 2014 weren’t updated to be based on the latest Visual Studio at the time. I guess timing was a factor and priority was probably put on the database engine and not the editor. Hopefully now that SSMS is decoupled from the database engine release cycle we will see SSMS be updated and based on newer versions of Visual Studio as they become available. 

Support for High-Resolution Displays

Anyone that is using a Microsoft Surface Pro or Surface Book will know the DPI issues that plagued previous versions of SSMS. SSMS 2016 finally provides first-class support for high-resolution displays. 

Removed dependency on .NET Framework 3.5

It’s always good to let go of dependencies on older frameworks like .NET Framework 3.5.

Automatic Updates

SSMS 2016 now automatically checks for updates on start-up and also provides a toast notifications within SSMS when a new release becomes available.

You also have the chance to manually check for updates rom the Tools menu as shown here:

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Support for Themes

SSMS 2016 now comes with an additional them called Light. Any developer of Visual Studio will already recognize this theme and it’s a welcome addition. From what I’ve read online, the SSMS team is working on bringing a Dark theme to SSMS. Not sure when a Dark theme will be released but lets hope sooner than later. Everything just seems to run and look better in the Dark them.

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New Quick Launch and Find Dialogs

Another feature that comes with the Visual Studio 2015 shell is the new quick find dialog located in the upper right corner of the editor. SSMS 2016 also has the Quick Launch which is in the upper right corner of the window and allows you to quickly search for options, etc.

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SSMS Azure Integration

The Table Designer is enabled for supporting Azure for SQL Database v12. The Database and Properties dialogs also work with Azure SQL Database v12.

Import and Export wizards also support Azure Database service tiers.

Next Steps

Download SSMS 2016: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt238290.aspx
Download SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt204009.aspx
Download new World-Wide Importers sample database

DatabaseDevelopment

SQL Server Management Studio 2012 –Tips and Tricks

on April 24, 2012

One of the biggest changes to SQL Server 2012 is that is now uses the Visual Studio 2010 Shell. Knowing that now, here are a few tips and tricks for SQL Server Management Studio 2012

Blocked Selection

Sometimes you may only want to select and copy a column of text as opposed to the normal text selection done by holding down the Shift Key. To do Block selection, you can do SHIFT+ALT and drag your mouse to only select certain areas of your text in column fashion.

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Cycle through Query Windows

I’ve known about ALT+TAB to cycle through programs (Windows). I’ve also known about CTRL+TAB to cycle through components within a given application. For example in Excel you could use CTRL+TAB to move between worksheets. I’ve never tried it in Management Studio, but it allows you to cycle through the Query Windows.

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Also, CTRL + F6 will cycle through the actual tabs without the graphic switching display.

Status Bar

Most people should be familiar with the Status Bar at the bottom of the query window, but did you know you can customize it?

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If you look under Tools –> Options –> Text Editor –> Editor Tab and Status Bar you will see a number of options that you can change.

Grouped Connections

You can go to View and select to show Registered Servers. Within Registered Servers you can create a group of SQL Servers. This then allows you to start a query that will be run against all of the servers within the group. This is where the Group Connection Color for the status bar comes into play.

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This could be really handy if you need to execute items across multiple servers. The color of the status bar is there to help you realize that that query is a group query as opposed to a single server connection.

Keyboard Shortcuts

There are a ton of Keyboard shortcuts that you can use within Visual Studio. The default settings are based on Visual Studio 2010. Here is a list of those shortcuts. SQL Server Management Studio Keyboard Shortcuts

You can get to these through Tools -> Options -> Environment/Keyboard

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I hope these are useful to you.