Future of command line /argfile switch

loomalinx

We use SQL Compare and SQL Data Compare from the command line and configure options, exclusions and inclusions in xml files which we pass in using the /argfile switch. Comparisons and deployments are all automated which is why we use the command line. I have been investigating how we could introduce more sophisticated data comparisons using WHERE clauses and have noted from other forum posts that this is not available via the command line unless the WHERE clauses are saved in a project file and passed in using the /project switch. I have also noted, however, that the Project options in a saved project are ignored if passed in via /project switch. Also, in the SQL Compare documentation somewhere I noticed that the use of filters are suggested above the use of Inclusions or Exclusions configured in an argument file. My question is really about the direction that Redgate is taking for future releases of SQL Compare and SQL Data Compare. It seems to be implied that the use of XML argument files for the command line is not Redgate's preference. Does this mean that project files and filters are the future and that argument files and other command line switches will eventually become obsolete? If so, is there a plan to fix the fact that project options are ignored if using the /project switch?

Allen LeVan

Hello,

Here is some information on the command line features in SQL Compare/Data Compare.

There have been no major changes to the way the command line features work through many versions of the tools and no plans to make any major changes. So the way they work now will continue into the foreseeable feature.

Let me know if you have any other questions, thanks.

loomalinx

Is there a plan to fix the fact that project options are ignored if using the /project switch from the command line? With the /project switch one can no longer use the /argfile switch so there doesn't seem to be any way to save and reuse the same options. And the /project switch is necessary because of needing to specify WHERE clauses for the data comparisons.

fpdave100

I too am looking for a consistent way to repeatably use saved options from the cmd line

The options (tables to include/exclude, PKs, columns to include/exclue, etc) will be specific to a database of a particular schema type (and we have 5 or 6 such schema)

It sounds like I cant do this with projects as I would have to create a project per database (and we have many dbs of the same schema), and argfiles have to be set up by hand, which is a shame.

options I have seem to be:
* convert a project to an argfile (eg an XSLT)
* use a project, but somehow override tfs and specific db connection info from the cmd line (string replace!)
* use an argfile, and just face that I must manually create the argfile for each db schema type.

Any suggestions as to which is the best approach, or any other approaches

sam.blackburn

Hi all,

Project options seem to be loaded correctly by the SC and SDC command lines (e.g. check "treat empty strings as NULL" in the UI, save project, re-run the command line and the differences are gone). Are you seeing a more subtle problem with loading project options, or is our documentation misleading?