• Overview
• Change history
• Credits
• Installation
• Operation
• Usage
• Configuration
• Download

SQLScripter is a 32 bit windows application designed as a tool that automatically generates SQL schema scripts for Microsoft SQL Server databases, and stores them in file system or under Microsoft SourceSafe version control. Although recent versions of MS SQL Server support version control on stored procedures through Visual SourceSafe integration, the procedure requires modifications to be done exclusively from within a MS Visual Studio interface, and does not apply to other schema information such as table or view scripts. SQLScripter proposes a solution (Schema Change History) where all development work is done as before on the real server, and all database schema objects are scripted into SourceSafe at predefined intervals. Interested parties are notified of changes by automatic e-mails where created, altered or dropped objects are reported. This tool can also be used as a change and configuration management for SQL Server.

The individual database programmer may benefit from SQLScripter in keeping a personal history of versions. However the real value of SQLScripter comes out in collaboration, where a possibly multi-site group of programmers are working on related databases. If the volume of shared development is very high, a project may indeed call for a disciplined old-fashioned check-out-check-in mode of database operations to avoid collisions. Otherwise, which is the case for most mature projects in maintenance, this may be overkill. A daily run of SQLScripter may be enough to make everyone aware of any changes, and still be able roll back if necessary.

• 2006/09/27 v2.0.4
  • Minor bug fixes and some improvements
  • Content scripting function added. (Data Scripting as insert statements) Sample content script output
  • Configuration section bug fixed.
• 2006/01/22 v2.0.3
  • Strip Constraint Name functions added. Sample schema script output
  • Strip Collation functions added.
• 2006/01/06 v2.0.2
  • Some minor bug fixes
  • Improved Error handling
  • Now It can compare script files without using Microsoft Visual Sourcesafe.
• 2005/10/20 v2.0.1
  • Some minor bug fixes
  • Logo image added to setup pack
• 2005/09/27 v2.0.0 released.
  • Logic changed, and most of the code is rewritten.
• 2004/01/23 v1.0.0 released.

Idea Inspired from Zafer Barutcuoglu
Some portions coded, edited by Emre Ongun, Fulya Isik
Mostly rewritten and utilized by Serkan Subasi

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The latest release setup package of SQLScripter can be downloaded from here.
This application uses Microsoft SourceSafe Type Library and Microsoft SQL-DMO Type Library, which are installed by setup.

The program processes the configuration file in sequence. For each each matching object in SQL Server, it first generates the object's SQL script into its temporary files directory specified in the configuration. It then compares this file to the version in SourceSafe, internally noting the the file as changed, unchanged or new. Then the SourceSafe version is checked-out (without getting a local copy) and the scripted version is checked in. When all objects are processed like this, the program recurses in SourceSafe to find files that match the configuration but have not been scripted in this run. These files are assumed to have been dropped, and are renamed with the prefix __DROPPED_ , and go into the notification e-mails as dropped. Finally, notification mails are sent and the program terminates.

For the first run, since no objects yet exist in SourceSafe, all objects will be noted as new and according to database e-mail recipients may receive huge reports. To prevent this, see the Noreport setting in the SQL Server section section, which disables the notification e-mails as well as cross-checking for dropped objects.

The log file contains entries for the program start, termination, summary info and any error messages.
Currently this application is limited to 3 database and 100 objects to script. If you like this application and want to script more objects contact me  

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SQLScripter is a batch tool, primarily intended for scheduled use. Based on a configuration file, it starts scripting as soon as it is run. The configuration file is in INI format and needs to be edited manually. See the next section for details. The program can be run without parameters:

In this case it looks for the configuration file SQL2SS.INI in the same directory as the executable (not in the working folder).

Otherwise a configuration file can be specified manually:

SQL2SS.exe sample.ini

If there is an error in loading the configuration file, an error log will be created in the executable directory. Provided that the configuration is normally loaded and it specifies a valid log file location, any other errors are logged to that file without visual prompting. Note that the notification e-mails also contain the error entries written to the log file.

Typical usage is scheduling SQLScripter as a nightly or hourly job. If scripting multiple servers in sequence takes too long, the batch job can be divided into multiple configuration files (e.g. one for each SQL Server) and scheduled as independent jobs to run in parallel. In that case, be sure to specify different log files and temporary directories to avoid concurrency conflicts.

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ItemFormat=%ObjType% <A href="http://www.abc.com/ss2web/ss2web.asp?p=%Spec%">%DB%.%OwnerExc%.%Name2Show%</A>

ItemFormat=%InRowNo% %OwnerExc%.%Name2Show%