The Ideal IDE

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the item The Ideal IDE

  • I do like SSMS and use it even with my MPP database, Azure Data Warehouse.

    However, given the choice, I would love to use DataGrip more simply because I use PyCharm so much. It would be awesome to combine them into one data service IDE tool that both allows for both Python and SQL combined as one elite data services IDE. PyCharm already features the data science aspects. Thus, it's just missing that full functionality with DataGrip and all the functionality SSMS provides to boot. Being both work on Linux. It would also be the ultimate cross-platform tool. It would be sick for me.

  • I got on fine with SSMS.  I disliked having to skip across to BIDS to do stuff.  I meant to use the Red-Gate SSMS plug-in project to see if I could write a plug-in that would allow me to use SSMS with other data platforms.  It's one of those side projects that I never got around to.

    Aquafold Data Studio does it so much better and fulfils many, but not all, of my needs. . It isn't without its foibles but if your needs encompass any combination of the the most common databases plus AWS RedShift, Google BigQuery, Cassandra, MongoDB, Vertica and a smattering of MPP platforms then I can't think of a better product.

    The issue I have with a lot of IDEs is a learning one.  They can do so much and I have only learned the basics.  I'm sure that they can do a lot more for me and every now and again I stumble across a feature that I wish I'd known about before.

    IDEs such as those from JetBrains propose a "Tip of the day".  I wish there was a facility to up-vote/down-vote these things and browse them at my leisure.  Presenting me with a modal dialogue box every time I start the app doesn't do it for me.

  • What would be nice in SSMS is session support.
    I use Notepad++ because of this. Saving all files - object-level scripts, build config files etc -  applicable to one release is convenient and tidy when it's saved and opened as one "session".

  • Like you, I do tend to stay with SSMS, just because I am used to it.  But I find myself using SOS more, probably about 50-50 right now.  Since I work on a Mac, running VS and SSMS in a Parallels VM, it is easier to bring up SOS on the Mac than SMSS in the VM.  And, as mentioned by others, I do like the dark theme (as I do on VS also), and having the autosaved query windows in SOS is helpful.



    Mark

  • I started using Visual Studio with DB Projects 6 years ago, once I got my head around using the project as my source of truth for code rather than the server I haven't looked back and with redgate sql prompt and MS productivity power tools I don't even have a reason to look for an alternative. The extensions and tools that can be added to VS are so valuable. For me it's not about the IDE but the tool set and extensibility and right now my favorite and the easiest for me is Visual Studio. However, server management can't be done through VS (easily anyway) so I have to switch back to SSMS for admin tasks, I'd like to see MS merge the two. My world blurs the line between dev and admin so often it can't be seen anymore so I'd like the tools to do the same; There's also some MySQL Workbench and Oracle SQL Developer features I'd like to see stol... ah hem... borrowed to SSMS (mainly Ctrl+Enter to execute current statement). So my preference would be to pack in all my tools into Visual Studio, but if I had gotten my work flows and comfortability in a different tool, I'd probably want all the functionality moved into that one.

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  • SSMS with SQL Prompt makes a pretty good editor, mix that with Explorer to navigate SP creation scripts and a home grown tool that lets me generate stored procedure creation scripts/permissions and I'm fairly satisfied.

    I use Visual Studio for the front end work, but my projects tend to be a 50/50 split (by line count) between .Net and T/SQL so a single IDE really isn't all that practical. I'd love to see T/SQL get replaced with some .Net dialect, perhaps Python in which case I'd switch to VS instead of SSMS in a heartbeat.

    I've used BIDS and I hate it, it's the worst of a visual programming tool mixed with horrifically bad error reporting and some weird scripting language.

    Yuck.

    Still, given the needs of the database engine and the emphasis on low level performance, mixed with a glacial interpreter, I guess we'll never see SQL Server get a decent coding language.

    Which is a real tragedy.

  • Jason- - Tuesday, August 7, 2018 6:21 AM

     There's also some MySQL Workbench and Oracle SQL Developer features I'd like to see stol... ah hem... borrowed to SSMS (mainly Ctrl+Enter to execute current statement). 

    Highlighting the statement and hitting Ctr+E does the trick in SSMS. I usually use Shift+arrow-keys or Ctrl+Shift+arrow-keys to highlight. Keeps both of my hands on the keyboard.

  • I've been using SSDT and SSDT-BI (dacpac deploys) within VS and VS-Code for development. SSMS for admin work.
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssdt/sql-server-data-tools?view=sql-server-2017
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssdt/download-sql-server-data-tools-ssdt?view=sql-server-2017
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/tools/overview-sql-tools?view=sql-server-2017
    I prefer VS-Code as it doesn't require .proj and .sln files and gives me better control on how files are laid out on the drive. Use VS for the ReSharper plug-in from JetBrains. If I could, I'd have all admin stuff in SSMS and ReSharper integrate into VS-Code. Then, I could do all my work within a single IDE.

  • Good old tried-and-true SSMS is my choice.  I spend most of my day with this open. I use the Template Explorer quite often.  I would love to see the Code Snippets enhanced to be more friendly.

  • qbrt - Tuesday, August 7, 2018 6:50 AM

    Jason- - Tuesday, August 7, 2018 6:21 AM

     There's also some MySQL Workbench and Oracle SQL Developer features I'd like to see stol... ah hem... borrowed to SSMS (mainly Ctrl+Enter to execute current statement). 

    Highlighting the statement and hitting Ctr+E does the trick in SSMS. I usually use Shift+arrow-keys or Ctrl+Shift+arrow-keys to highlight. Keeps both of my hands on the keyboard.

    Agreed, the extra step of highlighting is hardly a chore so just a nice to have.

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  • I simply loathe the idea of only one choice. The thing is that when others make additional choices, we all benefit as some of that will filter into other products.

    My real problem is that since most of my time is in code and much of it dealing with the database as seen by that code, I spend a considerable amount of time using LinqPad. Now if it could be extended to allow me to more easily modify the DDL I would likely use it more. All the same, this is not likely the choice of anyone not doing .NET development since it is focused a .NET language feature.

  • kiwood - Tuesday, August 7, 2018 7:37 AM

    I simply loathe the idea of only one choice. The thing is that when others make additional choices, we all benefit as some of that will filter into other products.

    I agree with this. During my career, I've always found that applications (IDE included) that try to do it all for everyone on every platform are NOT the applications I want to use. The small apps that have a single focus, for the specific platform, and do that very well are the ones I can learn quickly and use when needed. Hence, SSMS is still the IDE I bring up for SQL Server admin work. VS-Code to do PowerShell and other scripting work and VS for C# work. LinqPad is a great example of a tool that is focused and does it well. So many tools.....

  • I lean towards SSMS - especially when combined with SQL Prompt. I've used DBArtisan before and liked it but not enough to leave SSMS. Visual Studio Code has promise. I never liked working in BIDS / SQL Data Tools.

  • I just want one where intellisense actually works properly and consistently, not looking at you SSMS....

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