Using SQL Server Management Studio Express as a query editor

Category: How do I?
Date: 26 Jun 2009
Product: SQL Compare
If you have only SQL Server Management Studio Express installed on your machine and want to use it as an Query editor for SQL Compare kindly go through this KB.
In SQL Compare you have SQL Query Analyser,SQL Server 2005 Management Studio,SQL Server 2008 Management Studio and Custom option available as Query editor for you.
But in this case all the above three options will be disabled as SQL Compare cannot find the applications (SQL Query Analyser,SQL Server 2005 Management Studio,SQL Server 2008 Management Studio ) on your machine.
What executable and arguments will you specify in the custom window in such scenario?

Kindly follow following things to make SSMSE work with SQL Compare:

1. While selecting query editor as shown in the screenshot Fig 1 select 'Custom Program'
2. Browse the executable to path C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Binn\VSShell\Common7\IDE\ ans select the executable 'ssmsee.exe'
3. Change the 'Arguments' text box to exactly along with spaces depending on the authentication you are using with SQL Compare:
SQL Server Authentication: "%SF%" -S "%SN%" -d "%DN%" -U "%UN%" -P "%P%"
Windows Authentication: "%SF%" -S "%SN%" -d "%DN%" -E

Note: Kindly copy paste the text as it is in the Arguments textbox even a small space can generate error.

This should definitely fix the problem.

Document ID: KB200906000414 Keywords: SSMSE Query Editor

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