I made the decision today to start using SQL Server 2008 Management Studio at work to manage my 2000 and 2005 instances. Not sure why I didn’t think of it before. I’ve had the latest CTP on my work laptop since it was released and knew that it would work with previous releases, but I continued using the 2005 version.

So, what have I found so far?  A few things I really like, especially the IntelliSense. I get a dropdown list of tables, functions and columns as well as red squiggly lines under errors.  Another nice feature is the choice of returning 1000 read-only rows or 200 editable rows when right-clicking a table name.  The Query Window has collapsible sections. That might come in handy when working on a big stored procedure.

One thing I didn’t like was the error I received when trying to modify a table definition. Luckily, a search of the error text turned up the solution. There is an option for the Query Window that you have to turn off in order to modify tables that will cause the table to be recreated.

As I continue to work with the new tool, I see what else I can find that is new.