Red Gate Software’s SQL Compare 6.10

Red Gate Software, a leader in SQL Server tools for .NET
professionals recently released SQL Compare 6.10. In short, the tool allows you
to compare and synchronize all database objects, including tables, stored
procedures, views, user-defined functions, XML schema collections, and CLR
assemblies.

This tool is very simple to use and it basically looks for
information about your company’s structure or schema and then scripts out the
entire database. It goes on to compare both databases and identifies the differences
allowing you to synchronize the database in any given direction. All
dependencies and referential integrity are maintained during this process.

John Allman, senior DBA with United Health Group, states,
"I just wanted to say a few words about SQL Compare. It is probably the
best value in software that I’ve ever gotten in my life. For what you pay for
that and the utility you get out of it, I just can’t understand why everybody
doesn’t have it.”

As a DBA consultant in the trenches, I can’t tell you how
valuable it is to have a set of tools that allows me to compare my production
database to a live backup. In the past, I had to restore the data to a
temporary database and this could take many hours depending on the size of the
database.

With this tool, you have the ability to compare a live SQL
Server database with its backup without having to restore the backup, which is
time consuming, or copy from your SANNAS to the local disk. Can you imagine
how much time your are saving?

With SQL Compare you have the ability to compare and
synchronize databases, compare backups, SQL Server 2005 support, compare
primary keys and unique indexes, custom comparisons, indexed views support,
pivot-view navigation, and compare large databases that could contain gigabytes
of data. SQL Compare is so powerful; you can synchronize a row, table, and/or
an entire database. It is so easy to use, practically simplistic, but very
powerful.

Furthermore, "If you develop
on a live database, you can now use SQL Compare 6 to update a set of SQL script
files that represent the database schema," says Andras Belokosztolszki,
the architect of the last three versions of SQL Compare. He goes on to say,
"This opens the door to placing source control at the heart of the development
process, providing a way to control and track database design changes in a
detailed and meticulous manner."

Many database administrators have a variety of tools in
their repertoire. This is just one tool that needs to be handy in case the need
arises to rebuild databases or just compare databases quickly and efficiently.
In a world where most IT people must hybrid themselves by being a database
administrator and an Engineer, having tools that save time becomes a must. We
live in a world, “Can you get this done by end of business (eob), today.”

Jasper Smith, SQL Server MVP states, “It’s very intuitive.
The interface is clean and it’s obvious what everything is there for. I was
pleasantly surprised by the speed. I usually hand-code SQL queries when moving
databases between environments and doing synchronization and replication
checking. With SQL Data Compare, I can save up to several hours on each
database.” He goes on to say, “SQL Data Compare is simple, quick and it saves
time. Simply put, it does what it sets out to do.”

In order to use this tool, you must have SQL Server 2000 or
SQL Server 2005 installed. SQL Compare also requires the following Operating
Systems in order to function properly:

  • Windows 2000
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows 2003 Server
  • Windows XP
  • Microsoft.NET Framework 2.0
  • MDAC 2.8
  • 128 MB RAM
  • 25 MB of disk space required for installation

As far as cost in concerned, a standard license of SQL Data
Compare will run you about $395.00. The Professional Edition runs $595.00,
which includes access to the command line interface as well as the Compare
to Backups
feature.

According to Peter Daniels, DBA of InComm, “One of the key
draws for Red Gate tools has always been the price point and the rapid return
on investment (ROI). The SQL Bundle has been a standard for my toolbox since
2000, across 4 jobs.”

You can take advantage of their 14 day-day free trial by
simply downloading the product. After you download SQL Compare for 14 days, you have a
fully functioning product for 14 days.

About Red Gate Software

“Red Gate Software makes
ingeniously simple tools for Microsoft technology developers and database
administrators. Since 1999, Red Gate Software has been developing ingeniously
simple tools that simplify the business of working with SQL Server and .NET.
Our tools, which include SQL Compare, SQL Backup and ANTS Profiler, have become
industry standards for developers and DBA’s worldwide.

We count Microsoft, HP, Sage, Bank
of America, AT&T, The US Treasury, and over 95,000 other leading
organizations as customers, and there are over 200,000 Microsoft technology
professionals currently using Red Gate products.”

For more information of RedGate products, visit http://www.red-gate.com/index.htm.

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See All Articles by Columnist
Steven S. Warren

Steven Warren
Steven Warren
Steven S. Warren is a popular author residing in Winter Haven, Florida with his wife Danna and 2 children: Catie-Charlotte and Dain. As a columnist on such well-known IT web sites as Techrepublic.com, CNET, and ZDNET, Steven has published numerous articles. Additionally, Steven holds the following certifications: MCDBA, MCSE, MCSA, CCA, CIW-SA, CIW-MA, Network+, and I-Net+. As a Senior Technical Consultant for The Ultimate Software Group, Steven has become an expert at administering Microsoft networks including Microsoft SQL Server. He is also a computer hardware and troubleshooting expert, and is constantly seeking out new technologies and certifications. Additionally, Microsoft recently awarded him the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for his outstanding achievements. Steven resides in Winter Haven, Fl.

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