Utility like Beyond Compare for SQL Server

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Utility like Beyond Compare for SQL Server

Jack Konecker

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Points: 419
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November 11, 2011 at 11:36 am

#251711

Looking for a utility (or scripted TSQL routine) that will work inside of SQL Server 2008 to compare the values in two text columns and generate output that cleanly displays the differences. Functionality would be similar to reports that Beyond Compare software creates; show lines on one side, but not the other, show where text was modified in lines that were in the same location of the file. Output could be HTML.
We use Beyond Compare in our company, but we don't want to have to write a complicated process to export the two text values to files, run Beyond compare from the command line, then get the result back into SQL Server. Our PC application code will need to call the utility when a change is made to a text string in the database and write the difference between the old text and next text to another location in the database.

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Lowell SSC Guru Points: 323504 More actions · Answer 1

WinMerge has a great GUI, windiff can be called forma command line, they are for comparing two text files for differences...is that what you are after?

Lowell

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SQLRNNR SSC Guru Points: 281334 More actions · Answer 2

RedGate's SQL Data Compare does that.

Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
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Neal Sivley SSCommitted Points: 1766 More actions · Answer 3

Visual Studio 2010 has something similar built-in, but that is expensive if you don't already have it.

Jack Konecker SSC-Addicted Points: 419 More actions · Answer 4

The utility I am looking for should be 'integrated' with SQL Server or a seamless call can be made by a VB6 application when the user makes a change to data. I do not want to write out the 'before' and 'after' data to text files, shell out to Windows, transfer control to a stand-alone product, then import the results back into SQL Server. If that is my only option, I'll just stick with Beyond Compare because I know how it works.

elliecomputing Valued Member Points: 67 More actions · Answer 5

you could give a try to ECMerge component (this is an ActiveX) from Ellié Computing. you just have to create a document (FHAxMergeDocument) with your two texts as sources (FHAxMergeSource) and export a patch and get it as a string (using something like source.getValue() ). it is pretty straight forward. there is a VB.Net sample in the SDK, vb6 or c# would work as well.

TheSQLGuru SSC Guru Points: 134017 More actions · Answer 6

SQLRNNR (11/11/2011)
RedGate's SQL Data Compare does that.

And does it very nicely too - and it can generate sync scripts too, among other things.

Best,
Kevin G. Boles
SQL Server Consultant
SQL MVP 2007-2012
TheSQLGuru on googles mail service

Jack Konecker SSC-Addicted Points: 419 More actions · Answer 7

This one has possibilities. Especially the VB6 integration.