Blog Post

Things I Learned at Summit v20 - Visual Studio Code

,

Part of a series of posts on cool stuff I learned at PASS Summit v20 (2018) - in this post we'll look at a code editing tool that I hadn't seen before - Visual Studio Code.

--

When I attend a session at a technical event - Summit/SQL Saturday/etc. - the question inevitably comes:

ScaryDBA and current PASS President Grant Fritchey at SQL Saturday Iowa City 2018

I always answer that I'm a DBA, but really we're all Developers as well - it's just what language we use.

I have been developing in T-SQL for almost 20 years, and for much of that I have been using the ultimate editing tool...Microsoft Notepad.

Yup...Notepad.

In the early days I developed in Query Analyzer (Yes, I'm old) and then Management Studio, but over time most of the work I have done is now at client sites on client servers, so I don't run Management Studio on my laptop very often (pretty much just when I write blogs and work on presentations actually).

I write my code in Notepad and then copy-paste into the client window and execute...and it has worked for me for some time.

Sure there's no Intellisense, but I lived with it.  I have had times in the past (although I haven't re-tested in some time) where Management Studio became a resource hog - especially with multiple sessions open - and made my laptop unhappy, so running little tiny Notepad was the trade-off and it worked for me.

https://i.chzbgr.com/full/1300811520/h8F002C7D/

As a "TSQL Developer" I never had the need for full-on MS Visual Studio to justify the cost to myself or my employers.

--

In several sessions at Summit v20 I saw the presenters open a different tool; you could tell from the appearance that it wasn't commercial MS Visual Studio, but it wasn't Management Studio either.


The second time I saw it, I asked the speaker what they were running, and they gave a three minute demo of an open source tool called Visual Studio Code.
https://code.visualstudio.com/
It is an open-source tool...
https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/68516476/i-felt-a-great-disturbance-in-the-force-as-if-millions-of-voices-suddenly-cried-out-in-terror-and-we.jpg
Yes, yes...OPEN SOURCE!  #TheWaveOfTheFuture
As I was saying, it is an open-source tool, and because of that it can run on multiple operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
It turned out that was why the speakers I saw were running it - it was a tool they could run on the MacBooks they use to present.
(Not going to get into a philosophical MS vs Mac argument here, but the next time you are at a SQL Server event, watch how many high-end presenters are using Macs - it may surprise you!)
I have played with it some since I returned from Summit and it is growing on me - the first time I opened a TSQL file it prompted me to install a SQL extension, which wasn't an issue.
I can see how this tool will be useful to all DBA's, but especially those that also developer in some other language - Visual/Python/etc. - as well as those that like Mac or Linux.
--
Hope this helps!

Read 2,869 times
(24 in last 30 days)

Rate

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating

Share

Share

Rate

You rated this post out of 5. Change rating