SQL Server Magazine

Call me crazy, but I’ve always preferred using the native tools that ship with SQL Server. With SQL Server 2000, Enterprise Manager always served my needs from an administrator’s perspective (even though I still shriek if I see someone trying to edit code with it), and I’ve always been extremely happy both as an admin and a developer with Query Analyzer as a T-SQL editor. Likewise, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) serves me quite well with SQL Server 2005, even though as an avid .NET developer I’m crushed that it wasn’t able to deliver on the Intellisense and collapsible code regions promised back in the early days (when SSMS was called “SQL Workbench”).

I’ve tried using third-party editors and management solutions in the past, but they’ve never really held my attention. If it weren’t for the fact that I was so eager to make the transition to SQL Server 2005, I’d have to wonder if I’m not too set in my ways because I show very little inclination toward learning how to use third-party tools. I think my major issue is that I like SQL Server so much that I’m particularly reluctant to let any non-native tool take focus away from my constant thirst to learn more about it. My hunch, however, is that I’m in good company, and I’m confident that many other T-SQL developers (and pro-scripting DBAs) prefer using native tools themselves.

In this article, therefore, I’ve looked at each of the T-SQL editors under review with a very critical eye. Prior to evaluating each of these solutions, I decided that although I’d likely be wowed by various features and points of functionality, the most important criterion I’d be using to judge each editor, after learning how it worked, was the degree to which I’d consider using it rather than the native SQL Server tools. You’ll find additional information about features for all three products in Table 1.

Embarcadero Technologies Rapid SQL 7.4
I’ve used previous versions of Rapid SQL, although I was usually too busy to give the tool much of a chance. During the course of this review I was glad to note a number of changes to the Rapid SQL interface, and I was also happy to realize that many of my perceptions about the tool needed to be seriously amended.

Embarcadero makes downloading and testing Rapid SQL 7.4 a painless process by providing a fully functional 14-day trial version of the product on its Web site. Installation went without a hitch, and I was easily able to connect to my servers and begin writing code. Upon connecting to one of my servers, I took immediate note of the ways in which Rapid SQL’s Object Explorer outshines the functionality provided by SQL Server and SSMS (as well as the other two products reviewed in this article). Unlike other Object Explorers, which are merely hierarchical in nature, Rapid SQL provides the same hierarchical approach but also groups objects by types that are more easily and readily accessible—a nice feature, as Figure 1, shows.

Although I found the UI intuitive, I wasn’t happy with having to click between tabs to toggle between my SQL statements and result-sets. The manual for Rapid SQL weighs in at a hefty 940-plus pages (9.5MB as a .pdf file), but I wasn’t able to easily find a way to “toggle” my results into the primary tab I was working in. Despite this small inconvenience, Rapid SQL performed admirably and was consistently quick and responsive.

Rapid SQL’s main strength is in providing a solid development IDE for heterogeneous database platforms. As a T-SQL editor, Rapid SQL provides decent syntax highlighting and even offers collapsible code regions and autoformatting functionality—both big wins. However, despite all of the strengths that Rapid SQL has to offer, especially in heterogeneous environments, I don’t think I’d use it in place of a dedicated T-SQL editor in a purely SQL Server environment. I can’t really explain why, mostly because (from this perspective only) Rapid SQL doesn’t really provide anything that would compel me to ditch all of the time and energy I’ve invested in mastering the native SQL Server tools that I already use.

   Prev. page   [1] 2     next page