saving snp to Visual source safe

Brian Donahue

Hi Alex,

That's right: there is a time stamp stored somewhere in the snapshot file. What would probably be more useful is to use a custom diff tool for snapshot files, or use the new command-line extensions. I'm not sure if VSS allows custom diff tools, but SourceGear does. Unfortunately they only support one diff tool at a time so you have to keep changing your settings. I don't know about Source Safe.

dwainew

Brian,

First off, SQLCompare is an excellent product and I use it almost every day.

However, there should be absolutely NO difference between snapshot files taken of the exact same server/DB/schema combination. putting in a timestamp seems unwise for the very reason Alex has pointed out. It defies logic why you've done it this way.

I'm really surprised at your response to Alex. Your comment "What would probably be more useful..." indicates a lack of concern for customers' needs or desires. He made a completely reasonable and logical REQUEST for a feature and you snubbed him. Why you haven't made the obvious and relatively simple step of integrating your product with VSS escapes me. VSS may not be as robust as SourceWorks, but it is THE most commonly used (and highest user-rated!?) source control system in the MS world! I've used it for over 5 years on dozens of multi-user projects WITHOUT FAIL, and that's saying a lot for a product that essentially comes for free! If you don't know how it works that's a real shame, your missing an entire potential market segment!!!

Brian Donahue

Sorry, I personally have no experience with VSS, so it's hard for me to make a comment. I'll get someone to have a look into integrating with source control, but for not it is not a feature or goal for the product and admittedly there are probably products on the market that are better suited to this sort of thing.

In my opinion, I think it would be better to say that than to string people along making promises about features that aren't even on the drawing board yet.

If I gave anybody the wrong idea, you've got my apologies. I certainly don't mean to be dismissive in any way.

dwainew

Thanks for the rapid and honest response.

I would appreciate your looking into VSS integration. PLEASE, at the very least, consider an option of "Source Control compatability" which would result in identical snapshots of identical schemas (i.e., NO timestamp!). This would, of course, transparently prevent checking in "identical" versions of snapshots, and allow accurate version comparisons and historical reporting of projects. This concept is CRITICAL for SCM systems.

Thanks for your consideration.

Brian Donahue

I think that Microsoft provide a source control API, so that if a piece of software supports it, any source control system (VSS, Vault, etc) would work just as well with software that supports it. So it should just be a matter of supporting one API to get support for all source control systems.