Using the Lightweight Tools

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Using the Lightweight Tools

Steve Jones - SSC Editor

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December 13, 2019 at 12:00 am

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Comments posted to this topic are about the item Using the Lightweight Tools

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David Machanick SSC Enthusiast Points: 127 More actions · Answer 1

I use VS Code for coding and Visual Studio for RDLC - report design. My coding is primarily in AL which is the "new" language for programming extensions in Microsoft's Business Central product. With extensions to VS Code, it also supports PowerShell and Docker support which I also use.

ed.elliott SSC Rookie Points: 43 More actions · Answer 2

I use a mixture of Visual Studio, vscode, ssms, Azure Data Studio, PyCharm, Jetbrains Rider and IntelliJ 🙂

If you are developing .net code on a windows machine then you can't really beat visual studio (especially with resharper), the debugger is top of the range and if you have enough memory and the solution isn't too big then it is great.

.net development in vs code is ok but not great so for x-plat I prefer Jetbrains Rider for c#.

Powershell I use vscode and things like web development (typescript support is great), for python i'm leaning more towards pycharm than vscode but if I just want to write a quick script then will probably default to vscode.

I think it is important to try new tools and see what is available, then be flexible.

I don't often write t-sql now but when I do i'll either use ssms or azure data studio, probably more likely azure data studio more and more.

roger.plowman SSChampion Points: 10265 More actions · Answer 3

I use both SSMS and Visual Studio w/ Resharper, but then I do exactly zero cloud development (a security nightmare if there ever was one). And while Notepad++ is my editor of choice for anything not .NET or SQL I can't imagine using it for heavy-duty development, it just isn't up to the task. Nor, as editors go is it particularly light-weight.

The old Unix approach of small single-purpose tools always struck me as a work-around. Simple tools for a simple environment. Today's environments are anything but simple. Besides, if you already keep SSMS and Visual Studio open all the time, where's the pain of using them instead of 50 lightweight replacements?

Scripting, powershell, even batch files have their place, don't get me wrong. But that place is glue, not factory construction. If I need heavy lifting scripts I prefer Python rather than PS--I hate C-like syntax. 🙂

Eric M Russell SSC Guru Points: 125562 More actions · Answer 4

I understand why data analysts and power users would prefer ADS. However, I still prefer SSMS, because my database development work involves more than just SQL query writing. I'm typically doing a combination of table/index creation, SQL coding, data loading, performance tuning, backing up my dev database, etc.

"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

Rod at work SSC-Dedicated Points: 34017 More actions · Answer 5

For me the answers to those questions is complicated. I use both Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code (Code). I favor Visual Studio, perhaps because I've used it for so many years. Also I write both Windows and Web applications, because of that Code is simply not appropriate for Windows application development. But I do use Code more often now for web development.

Concerning SSMS vs ADS, its also a mixed bag. Like you, Steve, I've been using SSMS for a long time and Enterprise Manager before that. What I really love about SSMS is the greater detail it gives me when I open up a table's columns, quick access to SQL Jobs and the ability to script out a table, view, SP, etc. What I don't like about SSMS is the T-SQL editing. Yes, there's SQL Prompt, but since I'm a developer my employer isn't going to spend any money for me to get me SQL Prompt. So for editing T-SQL I always turn to ADS, and I love how good ADS is at editing T-SQL.

This reply was modified 5 years ago by Rod at work.

Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.

sknox SSChampion Points: 12388 More actions · Answer 6

I've been dipping my toes into ADS on and off for a few years now. Each time I use it, I'm impressed by the new features and the improvements. I also like how lightweight it is.

But each time, I've had to go back to SSMS for specific tasks I do often (scripting objects, imports [that don't use the crappy "AI" import wizard], et al.)

Now with the early access release of SQL Prompt, I've started playing with ADS again, and I haven't yet found something I need that it can't do. I hope I don't because I do prefer the cleanness of the ADS UI, but we shall see...

kiwood Ten Centuries Points: 1074 More actions · Answer 7

A couple of observations on the tools. First, the developers I know using Visual Studio Code are using it to develop using typescript and HTML. I personally wouldn't want to use it to develop a full featured app. But... VS Code without some of the plug ins wouldn't be as handy anyway.

Something I would love to see (and depending on price point be willing to pay for) would be plugin tooling for Azure Data Studio to help with DDL. While I can write it from scratch, I mostly don't because the tooling is quite handy in SSMS. One thing about this is that to be most useful the plugins need to be cross platform. At home I am doing quite a bit of C# development on my Mac. Though honestly I prefer JetBrains Rider to Visual Studio.

roger.plowman SSChampion Points: 10265 More actions · Answer 8

kiwood wrote:

A couple of observations on the tools. First, the developers I know using Visual Studio Code are using it to develop using typescript and HTML. I personally wouldn't want to use it to develop a full featured app. But... VS Code without some of the plug ins wouldn't be as handy anyway.
Something I would love to see (and depending on price point be willing to pay for) would be plugin tooling for Azure Data Studio to help with DDL. While I can write it from scratch, I mostly don't because the tooling is quite handy in SSMS. One thing about this is that to be most useful the plugins need to be cross platform. At home I am doing quite a bit of C# development on my Mac. Though honestly I prefer JetBrains Rider to Visual Studio.

About writing DDL, you might want to look at ModelRight, it's an ERD modeler which does DDL creation, but in fact does data dictionary as well, along with pretty much everything you need to create and alter a database semi-visually.

Only available in Windows, and not cheap, but worth every single penny.

Robin Wilson SSCertifiable Points: 5017 More actions · Answer 9

I've kept trying ADS but each time I do after a few hours of using it, it starts messing up and when I execute a query it sometimes shows me the previous execution and it also crashes a fair bit too.

SSMS still has its share of bugs too such as showing the content from one tab when I switch to another so I must unmaximise it and maximise again for it to refresh the screen.

I do a lot of .NET / C# development and VS Code does not seem to have all the tools for compiling and testing but maybe I have not installed the right optional extensions. At the moment I am sticking to SSMS and Visual Studio but do always ensure these are up to date on each machine I use.

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736479 More actions · Answer 10

Thanks for the response. I agree SSMS isn't great, but I know where the sharp edges are and it works well. ADS feels limited to me, and semi-functional. It works well until it doesn't, at which point I tend to retreat to SSMS.