Executive Summary:
SQL Server database administrators (DBAs) and developers, as well as third-party SQL Server product vendors, have created numerous free SQL Server tools to solve specific SQL Server problems or to fill holes in SQL Server’s functionality.
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At SQL Server Magazine, we’re all about helping DBAs and developers do their jobs faster and more efficiently—especially now, when they’re being expected to do more with less staff and funding. That’s why, when we realized just how many free SQL Server tools are available, we decided to bring them to your attention. You might recognize some of these tools from Kevin Kline’s Tool Time or Michael Otey’s Back Page, and many of these tools can be found on Microsoft’s CodePlex website. These tools were created by in-the-trenches DBAs and developers, as well as third-party SQL Server product vendors, to solve specific SQL Server problems or to fill holes in SQL Server’s functionality. There are so many free SQL Server tools that we couldn’t test them all, so be sure to test them yourself before running them in production.
Administration
• AutoAudit—Dynamically create audit trail triggers using this set of T-SQL scripts. (www.sqlmag.com/article/sql-server/AutoAudit.aspx)
• Data Scripter Add-in for Management Studio—This add-in lets you script data for SQL Server tables through SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) (sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/seanprice/archive/2007/08/28/data-scripter-add-in-for-management-studio.aspx)
• Iometer—This tool measures and characterizes I/O subsystems in single and clustered servers (www.iometer.org)
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Upgrade Advisor—This tool analyzes your SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 7.0 instances to find features and configuration changes that could affect an upgrade to SQL Server 2005 (www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1470e86b-7e05-4322-a677-95ab44f12d75)
• mRemote—You can use this tool (which supports both RDP and VNC) to manage your remote server connections from a central GUI (www.mremote.org/wiki)
• MSSQL Blocks—This tool collects information from multiple SQL Server 2005 and 2000 instances about locked or blocked processes and stores this information in XML files for later analysis (sqlblocks.narod.ru)
• Optillect's SQL Decryptor—Use this tool to decrypt objects that you previously encrypted using the WITH ENCRYPTION option (www.optillect.com/products/sqldecryptor/overview.html)
• Orphan Finder—You can use Orphan Finder to find records in your SQL Server 2005 databases in which there are values in a foreign key column that aren’t in the parent table (http://www.spi.hr/EnglishaboutLC/tabid/470/Default.aspx)
• Partition Management—This tool uses the Sliding Window technique to remove data from one partition and place it into a staging table, and creates a staging table that’s used to load data into partitions (www.codeplex.com/SQLPartitionMgmt)
• Quest Software’s Toad for SQL Server Freeware—Toad for SQL Server Freeware offers a code and data editor, a data grid for modifying tables, and a database browser that lets you view and manage database objects graphically (www.toadsoft.com/toadsqlserver/toad_sqlserver.htm)
• Red Gate Software's SQL Search—Use this tool to easily find SQL Server databases, specific fragments of SQL text, and references to objects (www.red-gate.com/products/SQL_Search/)
• SortSQLFilesInProject—You can use this tool to sort the SQL files contained in an SSMS project or the packages in a SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) project (www.sqldbatips.com/showarticle.asp?ID=78)
• SP_WhoIsActive—Use this stored procedure to quickly retrieve information about users’ sessions and activities. (www.sqlmag.com/article/sql-server/SP_WhoIsActive.aspx)
• SQLS*Plus—This product is similar to Oracle, and can be used with Microsoft SQL Server 2000, 2005, and 2008. (http://www.memfix.com/)
• SQLDBSize 1.0—This tool graphically displays size information about your databases, tables, indexes, and more (www.sqldbtools.com/Tools.aspx?ProductId=3)
• SQL Management Studio Snapshot Add-In—This utility adds the Create Snapshot option to context menus in SSMS, enabling you to create a database snapshot (sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/seanprice/archive/2007/07/15/sql-management-studio-snapshot-add-in.aspx)
• SQLRecon—SQLRecon finds all of your SQL Server and Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) systems by performing active and passive scans on your network (www.specialopssecurity.com/labs/sqlrecon)
• SQL Server 2008 Extended Events Manager—This tool lets you create, delete, modify, start, and stop Extended Events sessions and metadata files in SQL Server 2008 (www.codeplex.com/ExtendedEventManager)
• SQL Server Automation Scripts—This tool provides SQL Server Agent jobs that you can use to perform automated maintenance tasks (download.microsoft.com/download/4/0/C/40CBAD9A-D990-450B-8785-F288CEBFB448/AITScripts.zip)
• SQL Server Database Copy Tool—With this utility, you can copy databases from one SQL Server system to another (dbcopytool.codeplex.com)
• SQL Server Express Utility—You can use this command-line utility to perform various SQL Server maintenance tasks (www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=fa87e828-173f-472e-a85c-27ed01cf6b02)
• SQL Server Health and History Tool (SQLH2) Performance Collector—This tool collects performance counter data from your SQL Server systems and stores it in a repository (www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=64983AF0-7902-427E-9B41-7C2E8FDCC140)
• SQL Server Health and History Tool (SQLH2) Reports—Prevent performance problems by using this tool to collect and store change and trending information (www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=A4B837C7-A1FA-4F25-840B-FEF15E917F18)
• YourSQLDba—You can use this T-SQL stored procedure to automate routine database maintenance tasks such as database and log backups and consistency checks (www.grics.qc.ca/YourSqlDba)
Backup and Recovery
• AppAssure's DocRetreiver Lite—This free tool lets you restore individual documents back to a SharePoint farm from a SQL Server backup (www.appassure.com/applications/free-tools/docretriever-lite-for-sharepoint/)
Best Practice and Compliance
• Best Practices Analyzer Tool for Microsoft SQL Server 2000 1.0—You can use this tool to verify whether your SQL Server 2000 systems are managed and operated according to Microsoft’s SQL Server best practices (www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b352eb1f-d3ca-44ee-893e-9e07339c1f22)
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Assessment Configuration Pack for Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)—This configuration pack audits SQL Server systems to see if they meet the SOX configuration requirements (www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=976df931-a3cf-40e3-802e-3281b1451835)
• SQL Server 2005 Best Practices Analyzer—This utility checks your databases for potential problems by using SQL Server 2005 best practices configurations (www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=DA0531E4-E94C-4991-82FA-F0E3FBD05E63)
• SQL Server FineBuild—FineBuild lets you install SQL Server 2008 and 2005 with one click, and provides best practice configurations as well (www.codeplex.com/SQLServerFineBuild)