5. Building Database Diagrams
The Database Diagram tool takes the Table Designer up a notch by adding custom table design views (see Figure 3) and a multitable view of the foreign-key relationships. The Database Diagram tool has its own node under each database. Each database may contain multiple diagrams, which makes working with large databases easier because each module, or schema, of the database may be represented by a diagram.
Figure 3 The AdventureWorks database relationships viewed with the Database Diagram tool.
Sometimes the Database Diagram tool is useful to visually explore the schemas of large databases. Unfortunately, the Database Diagram tool suffers from a few clumsy issues.
- It makes sense to create a separate diagram for each section of a large database, and databases can be organized by schemas (as AdventureWorks is).
- Previous versions of the Database Diagram tool were not schema aware, however, the SQL Server 2012 version is and now displays the table schema in parentheses after the table name.
- There’s no way to select all the tables of a schema and add them to the diagram as a set from the Object Explorer tree. The Object Explorer does not permit selecting multiple tables. The Object Explorer Details page enables multiple table selection but does not permit dragging the tables to the design. Even worse, the Add Table dialog box in the Database Diagram tool does not sort by the table’s schema.
- The Add Related Tables option on the table’s context menu helps solve this problem.
- Relationship lines have the frustrating tendency to become pretzels when tables or lines are moved.
6.The Query Designer
The Query Designer is a popular tool for data retrieval and modification, even though it’s not the easiest tool to find within Management Studio. You can open it three ways:
- Using the Object Explorer, select a table. Using the context menu, choose Edit Top 200 Rows. This opens the Query Designer, showing the return from a select top (200) query in the results pane. You can now open the other panes using the Query Designer menu or the toolbar.
- When using the Query Editor, use the Query Designer button on the toolbar, use the Query ? Design Query in Editor menu command, or use the Query Editor’s own context menu.
- When you open the Query Designer from the Query Editor, it’s a modal dialog box, and the results pane is disabled.
Unlike other query tools that alternate between a graphic view, a SQL text view, and the query results, Management Studio’s Query Designer simultaneously displays multiple panes (see Figure 4), as selected with the view buttons in the toolbar:
- Diagram pane: You can add multiple tables or views to the query and join them together in this graphic representation of the SELECT statement’s FROM clause.
- Grid pane: Lists the columns displayed, filtered, or sorted.
- SQL pane: You can enter or edit the raw SQL SELECT statement in this pane.
- Results pane: When the query is executed with the Run button (!), the results are captured in the results pane. If the results are left untouched for too long, Management Studio requests permission to close the connection.
Figure 4 Object Explorer’s Query Designer.
The Query Designer can perform Data Manipulation Language (DML) queries — (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) besides SELECT. The Change Type drop-down list in the Query Designer toolbar offers to change the query from a default select query to an Insert Results, Insert Values, Update, Delete, or Make Table query.
However, the Query Designer is no substitute for the Query Editor. Unlike Query Editor, it cannot perform batches or non-DML commands. Nor can it execute SQL statements using F5. Table and column names can’t be dragged from the Object Explorer to the SQL pane.
You can use the Query Designer to edit data directly in the results pane — a quick-and-dirty way to correct or mock up data.
7. Object Explorer Reports
No section on Object Explorer would be complete without mentioning the dozens of great reports hidden within, one of which is shown in Figure 5. You can find these reports in the context menus of server, database, and security ? login nodes. While all reports aren’t listed here, they’re an excellent resource and one of the most underused features of Management Studio.
Figure 5 The server or database standard reports are a great way to quickly investigate your SQL Server.
You can install custom reports in any Object Explorer node by placing the report definition file in the following directory:
...\Documents and Settings\{user}\Documents\SQL Server Management
Studio\Custom Reports
SQL Server 2012 : SQL Server Management and Development Tools – Object Explorer (part 1)
