Cleaning Up Old Database Dirt with SQL Server 2012

I am about to venture into transitioning a 10 year old database that started with SQL Server 2000 which has surely some (a lot?) accumulated  ‘dirt’ in it that started way back in 2001. In the past (am sure it still is with 2012 edition), SQL Server has been very forgiving for all the sins of its handlers (DBAs, developers, users, & pretenders). It had allowed a lot of minor issues to creep into the database without constantly complaining and compromising its ability to run in production. In a perfect world, those issues could have been eradicated a long time ago.

The ‘dirt’ has accumulated as SQL Server hasn’t been pestering people that there is some cleaning up to do. In the real world, that is acceptable. We just can’t stop the show after someone spilt water on the stage floor. After 10 years,with better tools and ways to clean up dirt, it would be a worthwhile exercise so we can navigate easily through the challenges of modern times.

Enter SQL Server 2012, it packs with efficient and reliable tools to accomplish this tasks of cleaning things up. To start on the cleaning process though I need to see the mostly unseen ‘dirt’. SSDT comes in handy for this job.

Using SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) As Dirt Probe

Here is how to begin identifying what needs to be cleaned.

Then allow SSDT to scan your database for ‘dirt’. I am actually referring to ‘errors’ and ‘warnings’!

After scanning, go to the Error List tab and VOILA!!! now you see the ‘dirt’.

Armed with a long ugly list, you can now hire a cleaner to scrub off each and every dirt you have identified.

That is all for now for the cleaning up!

**************************************************
Toto Gamboa is a consultant specializing on databases, Microsoft SQL Server and software development operating in the Philippines. He is currently a member and one of the leaders of Philippine SQL Server Users Group, a Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) chapter and is one of Microsoft’s MVP for SQL Server in the Philippines. You may reach him by sending an email to totogamboa@gmail.com

Advertisement

SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) Lengthens Life of SQL Server 2005!

The arrival of SQL Server 2012 last week sparked a semblance of positivity among people who have been using version 2005 who also held off on upgrading and skipping two SQL Server 2008 releases. For a lot of folks like me though, SQL Server 2012 gave a lot of boost and now lengthens the lifespan of 2005 databases. Not that 2005 is dying, but the tool lend more than a helping hand to a lot of 2005’s inherent goodies that some might even consider sticking with the version a little bit longer. Enter SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), formerly aliased as “Juneau“, is the newest tool Microsoft has provided for its legion of SQL Server professionals.

Developing for SQL Server 2005

Though SQL Server 2012 has a lot to offer to anyone, SQL Server 2005 is very much a formidable data platform that would not go away anytime soon. My company still supports a lot of clients running SQL Server 2005 that might not be considering an upgrade anytime soon. And as a matter of strategy, we still very much believe that we have to pick the most common denominator among our target space. So here, just in time, SSDT gets to be initiated with a new project that would at least support SQL Server 2005.

Working Right Away

The last time I use SSDT was in SQL Server 2012 CTP3 and utilized it for some presentation/demo. I downloaded it earlier today and wasted no time and have it installed smoothly. No hiccups. It gets me so excited to play around a new tool with something that won’t be laid only to be forgotten after some tinkering. This time, SSDT gets to do real work right away with a small database.

Here are some of goodies SQL Server 2005 users from would get from a production release of SQL Server Data Tools:

• Stand Alone SSDT (No SQL Server 2012, No Visual Studio 2010 needed). I was glad Microsoft had a stand-alone distro for this tool. The last time I tried it, it was blended with SQL Server 2012 CTP3. Now, you need not have SQL Server 2012 and Visual Studio 2010. I mean, you don’t need to have an installation of SQL Server 2012 and Visual Studio 2010 to use SSDT. Without the two, your SSDT off the web installer installs the necessary SQL Server 2012 and Visual Studio 2010 / SP1 components so it can run standalone. I had installed on a bare Windows 7 machine with no SQL Server nor Visual Studio components prior and it just went with no hassles.
• SSDT Supports SQL Server 2005 as Target Platform. As I have tried before, SSDT fully supports development on SQL Server 2005 (lowest version allowed). You get all the bells and whistles of SSDT even if your target deployment platform is only SQL Server 2005. SSDT tunes itself to support 2005 so you are assured that every object you have in your SSDT project is fully supported by 2005’s engine and syntax.
• TSQL Code Analysis On Build. Most common coding malpractices are easily detected. There are around 14 coding rules that can be detected for any violations. It is all up to you to weed the problems as they appear as warnings (can be set to appear as errors if you wanted to tidy up your TSQL code.
• Catches TSQL Design/Compile Time Errors. For users who were contented to use just the SQL Server Management Studio, catching SQL compile time error isn’t a routine. Often, code errors are resolved only when executed against a database. For example, this following statement “SELECT col1, col2 FROM table1 ORDER BY col1, col3”, when parse or included in a stored procedure, produces no error upon the creation of the stored procedure. With SSDT, errors an be resolved at design/compile time.
• Import SQL Server 2005 databases. This tool comes very handy as I attempt to do some cleaning up of some old 2005 databases and probably copy some old stuff for the new project I am doing. I was able to import 2005 databases into SSDT projects with the goal of running some code analysis. As expected, I was able to detect a lot of areas that arent flagged by the old platform as potential cause of problems (e.g. unresolved references, data typing inconsistencies, possible points of data loses, etc). I was also able to copy easily old structures and stored procedures and have it copied to a new SSDT project I am working on.
• Offline Development. Unless I need to get some data in and out of a database while developing my SQL Server objects, I can completely do my development without needing to connect to a development or production database.
• It is FREE! Thank you Microsoft!

My initial feedback on SSDT is that it is a very helpful and very promising tool. For the first release, there is so much goodies that can alleviate some tasks that used to be very tedious before. For the few hours of tinkering, I was able to fashion out a database with ease.

There is a lot more to discover from SSDT. So far, only a few hours of playing time was spent and I felt my productivity has been tremendously boosted.

Indeed, SQL Server 2012 is now the flagship product of Microsoft when it comes to handling data … but with SSDT’s help, SQL Server 2005 is here to stay for a bit more.

For more information about SSDT, check out the links below:

• Download SSDT! It is FREE!
• SSDT Frequently Asked Questions

 

The Philippine Eagle-Owl. The largest of all owls endemic to the Philippines. It stands almost 20 inches and preys on small mammals like rodents and snakes.

Juneau That You Are On Steroids With Denali?

Supporting multiple versions of SQL Server for a single application typically means headache. And that is what I have been in since I started making commercial applications (banking mostly on the benefits provided by T-SQL). We have not abstracted our databases with non-TSQL objects in the mid-tier for very valid and interesting reasons. In my current situation, I am dealing with SQL Server 2005, 2008, 2008/R2 supporting bits of features from each version. Thank heavens all our clients have upgraded already from version 2000. My world though is still 80% SQL Server 2005, and being still a very formidable version, I don’t think I will be able to part ways with this build anytime soon. Case in point, clients cannot just easily upgrade to higher versions every time one comes out.

As a result, I am mired in managing our SQL Server development assets using various tools. Anything that can help tract and manage everything. Ever since, I had always wished for a tool that will address most of my SQL Server development concerns if not all. All these years, I have heavily relied on SSMS and supported by various other tools. When Database Projects arrive with Visual Studio, it got me interested but it tanks out every time I load it up with what I have. The last one was with Visual Studio 2010. With the sheer number of objects that we have, capacity and performance was always the issue and each time, I had to resort back to SSMS without exploring further those tools.

When Juneau, now officially called SQL Server Developer Tools, or SSDT, was announced as one of the touted tool in the next version of SQL Server  codenamed “Denali”, I was pretty excited about the possibilities it will bring to my situation. After getting my hands on it with Denali CTP3, I say it really got me excited. Though I haven’t tried steroids, based on the effects that I have seen, SSDT (sounds like drug testing haha) gets my nod despite some issues that I have encountered. I am aware that what I got is preview build and for sure Microsoft will eventually iron out those. The benefits far outweigh the quirks that I have seen. It would be worth to upgrade even with SSDT alone.

So what is in SQL Server Developer Tools?

I barely scraped the surface yet but here is what I have found that will a big impact with my situation:

• It is a unified environment/tool for SQL Server, Business Intelligence, SSIS. Everything I need is provided for within the SSDT shell. I dont have to switch back and forth between Visual Studio, SSMS, and BIDS. Creation of new reports and SQL Server objects such as tables, views, stored procedures, file groups, full text catalogs, indexes … all can be done within SSDT. Existing ones can be added too. When I had the chance to explore MySQL Workbench, I find it cool to have objects that I create scripted first before it is created physically. This capability is now available in SSDT.
• “Intellisense support for TSQL” for SQL Server 2005. With SSDT, it has not actually upgraded SQL Server 2005 then gave it TSQL Intellisense. TSQL Intellisense is outright available within SSDT regardless of your targetted SQL Server platform. With SSDT, you model your database schema/objects without the tool actually being connected to a targetted version 2005 live database.  This way, you work with your TSQL with Intellisense provided by SSDT, and you can publish your project to an SQL Server 2005 database by choosing 2005 as your target platform. Build/error checks are done prior to the publishing of the database project.
• SQL Server Platform Targetting. SSDT supports versions 2005, 2008, 2008 R2, Denali and SQL Azure. You do your thing and just select your target platform when you are done. During the build, you will be prompted for platform violations.
• Refactoring (Rename, wildcard expansion, Fully qualified naming). While in TSQL writing mode, you can rename a field and SSDT does the rest to all affected objects (tables, stored procedures, etc). Neat. No more 3rd party stuff to achieve this. 🙂
• Supports Incremental Project Publishing. You can keep a development version of your database and upgrade your live version incrementally either via script or while connected to the database. It can even prompt you when your changes/upgrades causes a data loss. Very cool.
• SSDT detects changes done outside of SSDT. It prompts you during publishing of a database project when it detects objects created outside of the tool. This is necessary so you know if somebody is messing up with your databases. I do wish though that SSDT would have the capability to reverse engineer these detected objects when it is determined to be legit as sometimes, you get to tweak directly the database using other tools like SSMS.
• Importing of Existing Database Schema (from 2005 to Denali) into a database development project. One need not start from an empty project, existing databases can be dealt with.
• Scalability. I am glad SSDT successfully imported the more than 20,000 objects in our current database. The previous attempts I had using Visual Studios’ Database Project (both 2008 and 2010) just hanged midstream after hours of importing all the objects. Took SSDT more than 20 minutes to import our database using a lowly test Denali test machine.

This is all for now folks! Regardless of some unwanted quirks I have encountered when using SSDT, I can still say, it is worth looking at. I am just waiting for some decent Denali machine to use so I get to load up my projects in SSDT and take the next level from there.

**************************************************
Toto Gamboa is a consultant specializing on databases, Microsoft SQL Server and software development operating in the Philippines. He is currently a member and one of the leaders of Philippine SQL Server Users Group (PHISSUG), a Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) chapter and is one of Microsoft’s MVP for SQL Server in the Philippines. You may reach him by sending an email to totogamboa@gmail.com