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.