SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) is a set of tools and services that integrate with Visual Studio to enable developers to work with SQL Server and SQL Azure databases directly from within Visual Studio. SSDT allows developers to manage database development lifecycles through features like schema comparison, data synchronization, edition and version targeting, and refactoring. SSDT uses DACPAC and BACPAC files to package and deploy database schemas and data between environments.

1. Using SSDT
SQL Server Data Tools
@Gomesnayagam
Credit- @lynnlangit, Peter Schott,ch9

2. What is SSDT?
SSDT
• SQL Server Data
Services
• Part of Visual Studio
2010/2012
Set of services
• SDLC
• New “BIDS”
• More
Integrated
• Into Visual Studio
• Intro SSMS
• Into Azure

3. Can reduce common „pains‟ for SDLC
• “will it work with
SQL 2008?”
• “will it work with
SQL Azure?”
• “if I change the
table name what
will break in the
code?”
• “why are the
report results
are incorrect
here?”
• “why doesn‟t it
work on
production?”
Schema
synchronization
Data
synchronization
Edition &
Version
targeting
Refactoring
3

4. SSDT Architecture

5. About SQL Server Data Tools
Work with and on SQL Server and SQL Azure databases
from within Visual Studio using activities and techniques
familiar to developers

6. Getting SQL Server Data Tools

7. About DACPAC and BACPAC
Versioned container for database schema & more
To include data use a BACPAC
Designed to work with SQL Azure
7

8. Details about DACfx
• Component for application lifecycle services for SQL Server and
Windows Azure SQL Databases
• Supports deployment and management scenarios
• Extracting/Exporting live database to DAC
• Deploying DAC to new or existing database
• Migrating from on-premise SQL Server to Windows Azure
• Includes command line SqlPackage.exe to create .dacpac and
.bacpac
• Requires Visual Studio 2010/2012
• Download both x86 and x64 versions if using x64 machine
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9. Demo
Using SSDT with SQL Server

10. SSDT in Visual Studio
New Explorer View in VS
SQL Server Object Explorer
• Connect to SQL Azure
• Connect to SQL Server
• LocalDB
Can work online or offline

11. New – Table Designer in Visual Studio

12. Offline Projects – Visual Studio
New Project Type
--Set Source connection
--Set Target project
--Set Import settings
--Creates Off-line Project

13. Add Database Reference

14. SSDT Schema Compare

15. Refactoring
• Find All Dependencies
• Rename with Preview
• Intellisense

16. Code Analysis Settings

17. Publishing

18. Version Targeting

19. Pattern and Practice
1. reference
Add your other database project here, most importantly
you may need master db reference if you use sysobjects
etc.,
2. DBCompare
Create a schema comparison between dev | staging | prod
DB vs your project. Ensure you have your project at right
hand side for safty, coz comparison window has "Update"
command which will by default update "right side" which
target one.
Also you can choose which objects are required to compare
for better visibility, i personally don't choose "User","Role"
etc., Keep only relevant content here.
Developer can use this compare on daily basis to quickly
check he is align with target database, that means, if
somebody modified directly into the database without sql
project you would get to know.
You can keep one compare file for each environment here.

20. Pattern and Practice
3.Publishprofiles
Most important folder, as you can keep various deployment
profiles for each environment. This location also will be
referred later in tools section scripts for Continuous
Integration.
4.Script
You can keep any adhoc custom sql script here and that can
be referred in postdepoyment script using :r switch. Folks
often use for seed data and other post deployment
preparation.
5.Security
One of the important folder, personally i don't use the
existing security folder when you import database or create
project from DB. The reason is, it will pull all the rols,
permission and user creation script here which will not be
useful in real time scenario in most of the cases. Every
environment will have different user id and permission. But
i keep here only for schema reference, so if you have any
custom schema being used.
6.Snapshots
As we know it is vital to take snapshot prior to push the
changes to production or any other environment, so i
prefer to keep all the snapshots over here with versioning
support.

21. Pattern and Practice
7.Tools
Most important folder for automation, especially for
continuous integration. This folder have .txt files which has
command line argument for sqlpackage.exe tool for various
operation like "Extract","Deployreport","Script","Publish"
and "PublishProfile".
All you need is to change the appropriate value at run time
and keep going.
8.Script.PostDeployment.sql
For any post deployment activity, e.g. seed data
preparation, clean up etc., This also have variable to check
for new DB deployment or incremental deployment using
sqlcmd variable.

22. Try it out
Hands on lab video -
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/Europe/2012/DBI311
Developer blog for lesson learned -
http://schottsql.blogspot.in/2012/11/ssdt-publishing-your-project.html
Try out DACPACs from boilerplate
Try out Connected DB development for debugging sp.
Read the SSDT team blog

23. Reference
http://www.slideshare.net/lynnlangit/using-sql?from_search=6#
http://vimeo.com/56031322
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/Europe/2012/DBI311
http://schottsql.blogspot.in/2012/10/ssdt-creating-new-sql-
project.html
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/tools.aspx
https://github.com/GomesNayagam/SSDT-Boilerplate