Reviews
Review: msSQLed
- By Mike Gunderloy
- March 10, 2004
msSQLed 1.0.40
$15
www.mssqled.com
There are certainly a batch of editors and developer utilities for
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 out there (not to mention some pretty good
tools built right into the product). But for $15, msSQLed packs quite a
few innovations into their package. I think this could be one to watch
as it matures.
What you'll find here is an editor with a modern IDE with color-coding
and IntelliSense. Or at least, that's what you'll find here for
starters. Here are a few of the other features to like in msSQLed:
- Instant integration with SQL Server Reporting Services and Visual
SourceSafe (though not yet with other source code control systems)
- FOR XML result sets displayed using IE's XML stylesheet rather than
plain text
- Configurable drill down and quick info options that let you go from
values in a result set to other information elsewhere in the database
- Stored queries that can have their own runtime parameters
- Object notes that help you keep a running development log
- The ability to show images from binary fields (and how many times have
you wished for THAT?)
- Customizable "pretty-print" SQL formatting
- Customizable expansions to save you typing time
- Exporting and formatting in a variety of formats
There's more, but I'll let you download a trial copy to dig in. What's
missing? Help files, at the moment; for a rundown on what the product
does, you'll need to visit the Web site. You'll also find support forums
there, as well as quickly-revised builds; this is clearly still a
product in active development. Combining the existing features with the
wishlist, I like what I see here.
About the Author
Mike Gunderloy has been developing software for a quarter-century now, and writing about it for nearly as long. He walked away from a .NET development career in 2006 and has been a happy Rails user ever since. Mike blogs at A Fresh Cup.