Page 54 - MSDN Magazine, December 15, 2017

D ATA
SQL Operations Studio:
Cross-Platform SQL
Server Management
Julie Lerman
Have you ever been setting up a new Windows machine and dreaded having to download and install database tools that are several gigabytes in size? Or, on the other hand, wanted to do some work on your SQL Server database from a Mac and wished you had SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)? Maybe you’ve been using Visual Studio Code (VS Code) and have thought, “Gee, it would be so cool if there could be a version of SSMS like this! Cross-platform, lightweight, extensible and free!” A nerd has her dreams, I guess.
Well, friends, dreams do sometimes come true. I’ve already had a lot of fun working with the mssql extension for VS Code, but that extension is mostly for executing SQL, though it also has some great features for visualizing query results. And it made me wish for more, such as, “If only I could browse through my data- base schema with an explorer like the one in SSMS or SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) in Visual Studio.” Or, “If only I didn’t have to go look up the TSQL to do a database backup."
The realization of these dreams comes via the new Microsoft SQL Operations Studio. It seems that with the mssql extension for VS Code, the SQL Server Tools team was just getting warmed up. This team is very focused on having its upcoming tools be not
This article discusses:
• Microsoft SQL Operations Studio IDE
• Make your first server connection
• Easy access to stats and management tasks with the dashboard • Interacting with data
• Customizing the dashboard
Technologies discussed:
SQL Operations Studio, mssql Extension for Visual Studio Code
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Figure 1 The SQL Operations Studio UI