Intellisense in SSMS at last

The Yukon Beta program lasted over 2 years, culminating in the release of SQL Server 2005 Nov 7th 2005. I remember the date because I ran a training class that week using the production release of the software in the hands-on labs. Just-in-time training! Hit the ground running! How did we do it? Well, we had already offered "early adopter" training using the CTP releases from earlier in the Beta program. These proved popular for those who wanted to know what was coming down the pike. One feature we were all looking forward to was "Intellisense" within the SQL Query Editor...that would be cool...Visual Studio already had it, so SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) would have it too, surely...

We updated our lab book as each CTP came out and we made sure that Lab 1 was "Install SQL Server 2005". Task 1 was "Copy Install Files from instructor machine". All I had to do on release day, was make sure the RTM version was copied to the shared folder on my machine. We actually had the RTM a couple weeks before the official release (it pays to be a Gold Microsoft Partner!), so I made sure to go through all the labs to identify any "gotchas" but since we had already used the latest CTP, things were pretty close. One last minute "spanner in the works" was the removal of support for the Database Mirroring feature. We had already developed a lab for this feature- the single most popular lab in the Beta class. In the lab, we walked through setup, automatic failover, manual failover, the works, all using VMWare to run multiple virtual machines (sorry partner - VirtualServer was in its infancy). We definitely didn't want to remove this lab from the official launch class. Thankfully Books Online gave us the TraceFlag to set at startup so that we could test this feature out even though it was not officially supported. And it worked. So in our training center in Morristown, NJ we were using the official SQL Server 2005 in sophisticated lab-work on the very day of release. I had the idea of tapping into the official launch webcast during the class but the students were more interested in using the actual bits.

One thing we were told during the Beta was that the new SQL management tools would be written using the .NET Framework producing a Visual Studio style IDE. The rumor was that we would have Intellisense in our SQL Editor. This is the VS feature that gives you interactive help as you type, giving you options dynamically thereby reducing typing and subsequent errors. That would be cool. However, this was another feature that missed the boat. There was a compromise called Dynamic Help under the Help menu which would produce links from Books Online on statements that you were typing. Not bad. But it wasn't Intellisense. So it was left to a third party to produce this add-in feature. Yes, Redgate produced SQLPrompt which did the job. Now you could select object names as you typed SQL commands, saving lots of time and errors. And at first it was free, now it's $195. Well, now it's included officially in SSMS 2008. Having tested it using the February CTP, you can code a SELECT * FROM statement and it will prompt you with a list of schemas followed by table or view names. Then you can return to the SELECT list and it will show you the columns available in that table. Very nice. It will show syntax errors via the red squiggly line and hovering the cursor will get you more information on the exact problem. It will also tell you if an object already exists, when coding a CREATE statement, for instance. You also have a visual matching of parentheses (I need that!) and "outline statements" which allows you to hide/show sections of your scripts. So at last, we have Intellisense for our SQL Editor. Now I know many DBA's class this type of feature in the same category as "drag and drop" - more flash than substance, so yes, you can turn this feature off. Just go to Tools/Options/Text Editor/Transact-SQL/Advanced.

But since we've been waiting so long, that would be a shame, wouldn't it?
Have fun,
Brian

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