SQL Server Database Comparison

I am currently in the process of making changes to an application using
a SQL Server database and have made changes to a development copy of the
live database which includes changing and adding columns to tables and
updating stored procedures.

I was wondering if anyone knew of any free software that could produce
at least a list of the changes between the databases and possibly a
script to allow for easy updating of the live database.


*** Sent via Developersdex http://www.droptable.com ***

Don't get me started on free software. There is of course no such thing.

Red-Gate SQL Compare is one product that does what you want. It's free to
download on trial.
http://www.red-gate.com/SQL_Compare.htm

--
David Portas
SQL Server MVP
--

Pity that a free product does not exist :(

Is this the best one to use or are better products available?

Stuart


*** Sent via Developersdex http://www.droptable.com ***

> I am currently in the process of making changes to an application  using

> a SQL Server database and have made changes to a development copy of the
> live database which includes changing and adding columns to tables and
> updating stored procedures.
>
> I was wondering if anyone knew of any free software that could produce
> at least a list of the changes between the databases and possibly a
> script to allow for easy updating of the live database.

It's not free, but our tool, Database Workbench, includes a Schema
Compare tool as well: www.upscene.com/products/dbw/


--
With regards,

Martijn Tonies
Database Workbench - tool for InterBase, Firebird, MySQL, Oracle & MS SQL
Server
Upscene Productions
http://www.upscene.com

Hi Stuart,

What is better depends on your needs/goals and, as far as comparing and
upgrading databases goes, a matter of testing products for yourself.
My company has a tool called DB Ghost (www.dbghost.com) that can not
only compare and synchronise databases (which it does very well) but
can build them from a full set of drop/create scripts (that describe
every object) held in your source control system.

What this means is that you can use check out/check in to modify, say,
a table create script.  If you wanted to add a column you simply
include it in the create statement.  This, in turn, means that your
'source' database becomes the set of drop/create scripts which allows
you to baseline and release your code directly from source control.
This is an amazingly powerful concept that, currently, no one else
provides.

DB Ghost builds a brand new database from the drop/create scripts and
then uses that as the source for a compare and upgrade of your real
target database.  This gives you a target database that EXACTLY matches
a set of audited and baselined scripts in your source control system.

As a developer you simply use the source control system for database
code changes in the same manner that you would for any other
application code change.  A simple process is one that is more likely
to be followed and the DB Ghost Process is simple, powerful and
guaranteed to give you a full audit trail of your changes, who, when,
why and what.

Regs,

Malc

It's not really free, but if you have access to Visual SourceSafe, you
can script your databases out to a project (using the SQL-DMO object
model) and do diff files that way. We do this at our office, since we
don't have a large budget for SQL development/administration.

Other solutions are probably better, but this works.

Stu