Wednesday, April 6, 2016

SQL Search tools all developers and DBAs can use

If you work with SQL Server sooner or later you will be looking for a good sql search tool that allows you to search through all the objects and the code in a sql server database to find a certain stored procedure or a certain function or a trigger or a view or a table etc. We have two great tools that I use on a regular bases and that you should find very helpful too:

  1. xSQL Object Search 
    • a completely free sql search tool
    • a sql search tool that does not need to be installed - just a simple, stand alone executable that has no dependencies of any sort
    • a sql search tool that allows you to search in all databases in a sql server at once
    • a sql search tool that allows you to search for a given phrase in the name of the object, in the definition of the object or in both; 
    • a sql search tool that allows you to use matching criteria such as "contains", "exact match", "sql expression", "regular expression" etc.  
  2. xSQL Documenter - this one was not intended as a sql search tool but I find it very convenient to use for that purpose. Especially helpful are the color coded dependency graphs that are shown for each object and allow you to easily navigate through the dependency tree and locate the object you are after. 

How to move your SQL Server database to SQL Azure – easy as 1, 2, 3

Are you preparing to move your SQL Server databases to SQL Azure? In the words of one of our customers that just completed his transition "using xSQL's compare tools the process was as easy as 1,2,3": 
  1. Download and install the xSQL Comparison Bundle (1 minute)
  2. Run xSQL Schema Compare – add your SQL Server / Database to the workspace; Add your SQL Azure / Database to the workspace; Compare, Generate Sync Script, Execute (4-8 minutes*)
  3. Run xSQL Data Compare – add both servers/databases to the workspace; Compare, Generate Sync Script, Execute (5-20 minutes*)

All done, now your database is on SQL Azure. 

* time estimates for steps 2 and 3 depend on the database size and are ranges from this one customer's experience with about 12 databases that they transferred. 

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Schema Snapshots – how to preserve the history of database schema changes

What did my database schema look like a month ago, a year ago? What has changed between then and now? If you are a DBA, or even if your title does not say DBA but you are playing the DBA’s role, you have most likely run into those questions more than ones. In most cases such questions are not simply a matter of curiosity but rather critical compliance related questions. As a DBA you need a way to quickly and efficiently identify the changes that have happened to your database schema during a given time interval.

Of course, one option would be to restore the database at that point in time and compare that restored copy with the live copy. However, depending on the size of your database that may prove to be a much more challenging task that it sounds.

Our “Schema Snapshot” command line utility that comes with our Schema Compare tool makes your job very easy. Here is what you can do:
  1. Create a batch file that contains the following three commands:
    • CD R:\DBSchemaArchive (replace this path with the path where you will be storing the schema snapshots)
    • set d=%date:~7,2%-%date:~4,2%-%date:~10,4%  (get the current date from the machine and put it on a variable which I am calling “d”. 
    • "C:\Program Files (x86)\xSQL Software\SQL Server Comparison Bundle v7\xSQLSnapshot" /s:xSQLDemo2014 /d:AdventureWorks /sp:AdventureWorks_%d%.snpx  (in this statement you will need to replace the server name and the database name – you can also provide credentials if you need to)
  2. Schedule the above batch file to run daily and you are done. The Schema snapshots have a very small footprint and normally take very little time to complete. 
The Schema Compare tool allows you to then compare any two of those snapshots, or any of the snapshots with the live database and see what has changed. 

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Download and Win!

Download any of our tools from now until March 4, 2016 and you can win a SQL Server book of your choice from Amazon (up to $50) as well as 1 year Silver Subscription, a $249 value.

To be entered in the drawing you must type in the code DWIN16 into the “Comments” field of the download form.

Chances of winning are 1:100. Winner selection: random drawing. No purchase necessary.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Up to 80% off based on the country

When is it the best time to buy xSQL Software's tools in 2016? Depends on the country you are visiting from. For example, if you are visiting our website from Australia this week you will see the regular prices crossed out and new lower prices in effect. Depending on the country the discounts can be as high as 80% of the regular prices.

Check out the calendar for the first quarter of 2016 here: http://www.xsql.com/promotions/ and see when your country's week is. If you don't see your country on the list don't worry, we'll be updating the calendar throughout the year and all countries will be included.

Monday, October 26, 2015

xSQL Compare Tools with Azure support released

We just released version 7 of our SQL Server Schema and Data Compare tools with full support for SQL Azure v11 and SQL Azure v12. You can now compare and synchronize SQL Azure databases with on premise or on the cloud SQL Server databases. Platform differences are handled automatically and are transparent to the end user. Details of the new release are listed here http://www.xsql.com/products/sql_server_comparison_bundle/release_notes/v7/

Download the new version now: http://www.xsql.com/download/sql_server_comparison_bundle/

Monday, June 1, 2015

To push or not to push, that is the question? Comments and suggestions will be rewarded.

For the last 11 years we have chosen to not push our users to pay for our tools. In fact, the “edict” was to focus on providing value and avoid any sales gimmicks. The thinking was that happy users will convert to paying customers on their own volition. Well, looking at our stats we have come to realize that there is something not quite right with that approach. The results of an informal study we conducted recently show that the users will only consider paying when they “hit a wall” and even then, when the cost of “switching” is negligible as it is in the case of the type of tools we sell, the value that the user may have received from using your tools for years, does not factor positively in the purchasing decision. In fact, a hypothesis was made that it may actually negatively impact your chances of being selected since the user has a hard time reconciling the additional functionality with the additional cost. Case in point: a user has been utilizing the lite edition of our SQL Server Schema and Data Compare tools for years at a cost of $0. Now he/she runs into a case that the lite edition does not cover and therefore the purchase of a license at a cost of $499 is required – all of a sudden a price that can be easily justified considering the hours saved (in fact the user in question has likely saved 10 times that amount by utilizing the lite edition of the tools) appears to be ridiculously high! “I have used those tools a thousand times for free and now you want me to pay $499 for just this one project!” We were not able to prove or disprove the hypothesis but there is empirical evidence that supports it.

We are considering a significant shift in our approach but are of course worried of the reaction of our users and hence we are seeking feedback before making any big changes. The basic idea is:

  • Raise more “walls” so that the user will likely hit one much earlier. We still want the users to be able to try the tools until they are 100% satisfied with them before paying, but not to the point where it may start to feel like the tools should always be free. 
  • “sprinkle” the free version with a bit of “annoying” seasoning – right now the user experience with the free lite edition of the tools is exactly the same as that of the paid edition. A bit of annoyance may provide an added incentive for the user purchase a license. 

We are currently experimenting with our Script Executor – what we did there is fairly subtle, it does not interrupt the flow and we don’t think it is annoying but we will see what the users think.

Tell us what you think – any comments / suggestions would be greatly appreciated and will be rewarded with a free 6 months Silver Subscription (only if you send your comments/suggestions before June 8, 2015). Either post your comments here or email us at sales@xsql.com.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Can you solve this little "puzzle"

Visit the page of each of the 5 products listed under the Silver Subscription in the order they are listed there. From each product's page pick the first letter from the "Features" section. Perform a Left Circular Shift on the binary ASCII values of each of the letters you picked; now, divide each number by 2 and get the corresponding CHAR value - the five new letters you get form the code that you can use to get a 1 year Silver Subscription at a 75% discount. The code is valid until May 17, 2015. Enjoy finding the code and let us know if you have any questions or comments.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Script Executor is now FREE for personal use

Script Executor is now free for personal use (fully functional) - no credit card required, just download, install and enjoy. Script Executor allows you to organize your t-sql scripts into containers, organize your servers/databases into groups, map script containers to database groups and deploy with one click. At the end of the deployment it generates a clear report showing the results of the execution of each script on each target - a great tool that every database administrator and developer should have on his/her arsenal.

Script Executor supports SQL Server, MySQL and DB2.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Prove us wrong - schema compare challenge

You want a free license for our Schema Compare tool - prove us wrong!

We believe in our tools so much that we are willing to challenge you. We invite you to compare the schemas of any two SQL Server databases (from SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2014) and guarantee you that our Schema Compare tool will successfully identify the differences and synchronize the schemas every time, no matter how complex your schemas might be (replicated tables are not compare/synchronized as synchronizing them would potentially break the replication). If you can identify a scenario in which our tool either fails or generates incorrect results you are entitled to a free 1 year Silver Subscription which includes 5 of our tools.

If you believe you have found an error please email us at support@xsql.com so that we can verify the error and send you the complimentary Silver Subscription license.

The challenge will be open until April 1, 2015.