Red Gate unveils SQL Compare 8

CAMBRIDGE, UK: Red Gate Software has released SQL Compare 8 with fine-grain filtering of database objects for faster database comparison and synchronization.

“DBAs are under constant pressure to do more in less time,” says András Belokosztolszki, Red Gate’s project manager for SQL Compare 8. “The new filtering feature and UI are in direct response to the increasing demands DBAs face.”

The value of filtering

Filtering in SQL Compare 8 is especially valuable for users with large databases containing thousands of tables, views, stored procedures and other objects. The new feature allows users to build rules to filter out objects with a specific schema or a particular prefix. Once set up, filters can be saved for repeated use.

“I’m impressed with the new filtering feature and think it’s a great step forward,” says Stuart Ainsworth, a senior database architect who processes more than 100 million rows of data per month. “Being able to filter objects by name should save me a huge amount of time between developing and staging.

“I also love the new UI, it’s clean and reveals some SQL Compare capabilities I haven’t considered in the past that might be well worth trying.”

Other new capabilities

In addition to filtering and the new UI, extensive usability testing and research have led to the following new capabilities in SQL Compare 8:

* a project selection and saving methodology that makes project files easier to locate and share;
* detailed error reporting for script folders;
* the ability to quickly generate change scripts between any two versions of database schema when the target schema is a set of creation scripts;
* automatic database backup before synchronization.