Reviews

Review: msSQLed

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.