Compare when Columns in different sequence

dsimpson

I've historically used other tools for comparing databases but recently started using SQL Compare. Right now I'm on SQL Compare 6.1.0.53

After my first couple of compares, it seems that SQL Compare has issues when comparing two tables with same column names but in different sequences.
In the result screen, SQL Compare is lining up and highlighting in dark orange a column called "Notes" to a column called "Invoice_Date". Even though "Notes" does exist in the second table, just in a different spot and "Invoice_Date" exists in the first table again just in a different spot.

For other columns that are in different order, SQL Compare highlights the column in first table then has empty space in second table (or vice versa). While this is ok, still rather difficult to read the results. For this comparison, I really do not care about the physical ordering of the columns

I cannot find an option to tell SQL Compare how to compare columns... column name versus column order. Is this possible? Since this seems like such a basic option, I'm hoping I'm just missing something. I've searched the help file on this but no luck.

Also,is there an option to display the comparison results with out displaying like a DDL statement? For this comparison, I would rather have the columns line up with the differences easily visible rather then see the CREATE TABLE command used to generate the table.

Any thoughts would be appreciated since this is causing a lot of extra work trying to wade through a bunch of false compare results.

Thanks
David

Michelle T

The Differences Pane that you see at the bottom of the SQL Compare window only performs a simple text-based comparison on the CREATE TABLE statements used for each table, which is why the columns aren't matched.

If you have left the option 'Force Column Order' unchecked, then the actual comparison (which determines whether objects show up in the main grid as equal or different) will match up columns by name and compare them against each other, but currently the Differences Pane will still show the column order differences.

We're working on improving the order of 'sub-objects' like columns in the Differences Pane for 6.2 (although we've mostly been concentrating on triggers, indexes, extended properties and constraints, as the order of these is never relevant whereas the order of columns is sometimes relevant), and I'll pass on your request to the developer.

dan@docusign

Well, if there is anything you could do to make the tool (SQL Compare) ignore the column order during comparison that would be very useful. In fact without that feature, I must say that the tool in not very practicle in my situation. I strongly need this feature, please add this feature in version 6.2