In SSMS, we have access to templates that provide building blocks for creating various types of query, common routines to create various schema objects, or to do common DBA tasks such as running backups. We can also use SSMS T-SQL code snippets to define the basic structure for a block of code or a T-SQL Read more
After we released SQL Prompt 8, our priority was to continue to support the new formatting engine by fixing any bugs and reviewing feedback from users. One of the recurring patterns we noticed in your feedback regarded parentheses formatting. Some of you told us you couldn’t format the parentheses exactly the way you wanted to. Read more
You’ve got SQL Prompt, but are you aware of all the things it can do and how to get Prompt to do it? In this article, Phil Factor provides a handy table to make it obvious. As soon as you open SQL Prompt and start typing, its IntelliSense suggestion window will pop up, offering context-specific Read more
By default, SQL Prompt shows code auto-completion suggestions automatically, and continuously. In practice, when writing code, this means that the suggestion box pops up whenever SQL Prompt thinks it can make a useful suggestion, which is at virtually every keystroke. That isn’t the way that many of us want it to work. Sometimes, as programmers, Read more
Usually, when coding SQL, you will want to go along with the coding style of the team you are working with. In my previous articles on SQL Prompt, I explained why a team of programmers might want to adopt a T-SQL coding standard, how SQL Prompt could make this easier, and then how to use Read more
My previous article in this series explained why it’s important for a development team to adopt a common standard for formatting SQL code. It also gave a broad overview of the styles and actions within SQL Prompt that can help define and implement that standard. Unfortunately, many teams avoid the topic of a standard code Read more
With ten programmers working on the same project, how do you agree on a standard style for formatting SQL code, and then implement it consistently? One way is through draconian rules, meeting after meeting, and the occasional sacrifice of a programmer to put the fear in those who remain. If that doesn’t sound like fun, Read more
To what extent should a team attempt to impose a uniform SQL coding format? It can sometimes seem like a futile task. All programmers have a preferred formatting style, to which they profess an unwavering attachment. Check the code of ten programmers, though, and you will likely discover at least 15 different formats, since few Read more
When you’re hard at work, it’s all too easy to make a mistake as you rush to get a job done. Say, for example, you have a QA database you need to get rid of. You run a query to drop it and then… oh no! You’ve accidentally run it in Production. Your day just Read more
You may not have heard about it yet, but three helpful features were recently added to SQL Prompt that are activated when you right-click on the Results Grid in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). 1. Copy as IN clause This feature is available when you have values from a single column selected. You can select Read more
