SQL Prompt 3.8 RC First Impressions

MikeONeill

No one seems to have started a discussion topic on the Release Candidate so here goes

As ever well done , some very nice enhancements to an already superb product

I have had absolutley no issues in over a week , which speaks to the absence of any comments on the forum.

I particularly like the extra intellisense bits like funtion parameter tool tips , especially in more obscure functions saves a trip to the help files to confirm syntax. Plus the identifcation of types in variables by hovering , particluarly useful in big scripts where all your delarations are at the top.

The schema list improvments showing both the Create Script and the Data Grid view is superb , I have used it to create temp tables from the schema and to copy field lists from the data grid view , a nice add on.

The Layout add in is superb , I thought initially we had lost some of the layout options of Refactor but I can't actually name one , I suspect the options screens are fuller. I believe this is the right product for this function as it falls more into a development tool than a DBA tool that SQL Refactor is.

Probably the single biggest bonus to me is the ability to layout queries in VS 2005 / 2008 . I love the facility in SQL Reafactor but got painful transferring stuff between SSMS and VS 2008 just to reformat text.

The only one snag I saw was when I was using the Evaluation Team Suite 2008 while my Pro 2008 was being delivered , the "Data Dude" query window which behaves like SSMS didn't work , I used Tab as a completion key and that was all it did "Tab". Being selfish , I am now on VS 2008 Pro so I don't mind .

All in all , I am sure I have missed some other bits , I am well pleased and have settled into using the enhancements.

Cheers
Mike

tanya

Hi Mike,

Glad to see that you liked SQL Prompt v3.8 RC.
The completion key issue somehow managed to slip through our tests. But thank you very much for bringing it to our notice and we will be fixing this issue for the final SQL Prompt v3.8 release.
Thanks again for taking the time to write your thoughts on the RC.

Regards,
Tanya

bill.wehnert

One thing that happened to me when I installed 3.8 RC was that the cache I had for all of my servers went away. Including all of my connections to each of the servers.

I was able to add the connections and have it rebuild the cache(s), but it was odd that they just disappeared.

Another thing that I noticed (and I don't remember if it behaved this way prior to 3.8) is that if I do an "execute sp_help "- I am not prompted with a list of tables. I get sprocs/functions, but not tables.

bill.wehnert

When I click on a tooltip for a sproc/view/etc, the window that opens does not respond to the scroll wheel, instead - the main query window rolls up and down.

I hate to say I'm a creature of habit, but ever since that wheel has been introduced, I'd have to say that now I use it to move up and down in a page more than anything else. So I find myself scrolling faster and faster trying to figure out why the window isn't moving.

I tried clicking within the window just in case, or highlighting some of the text, but no dice. If that could be made to work, it would be GREAT!

shadowbob

I strongly second the request for scroll wheel functionality in the schema window, if this is at all possible. Also - when I select text from this window and press Ctrl-C, it doesn't seem to copy. Any way around that? I realize that this window is an overlay and probably can't respond to events properly as a result -- but it'd help.