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SQL Server Data Tools 17.0 RC, and SSDT in VS2017

It's been a busy few months for SSDT with multiple Release Candidate releases of the 17.0 major release, and Visual Studio 2017 shipping this week. Here's a quick update on the latest & greatest database tools updates you can try out.

SQL Server Data Tools 17.0 RC3

Today we're announcing SSDT 17.0 RC3 release for Visual Studio 2015. SSDT 17.0 is a major update with support for SQL Server vNext and the latest Azure SQL DB features built in. We've released multiple RCs and are well on our way towards a GA release that's supported against production instances.

Download the latest release candidate here.

New in SSDT 17.0 RC3:  Ignore Column Order when publishing Database Projects

One of the most requested features for database project publishing is now finally here. If you've ever had to deal with accidental data motion when putting a column in the middle of a table definition, you'll know how hard this can be to spot and manage. In this release you can now check the "Ignore Column Order" option in the Advanced Publish Options. This will append new columns to the end of an existing table rather than altering the table structure to add the column in its listed position.

For a full list of features for all project types see the release notes on the SSDT 17.0 Release Candidate download page.

Visual Studio 2017

Visual Studio 2017 includes SSDT relational DB support: Database Projects, Schema Compare, Data Compare, SQL Server Object Explorer and more. The Data Storage and Processing workload is optimized for DB developers, but SSDT is a recommended option in most other workloads including ASP.Net and Web Development. We encourage you to try out the new, more lightweight Visual Studio today!

Support for Analysis Services and Reporting Services BI project types is available in the VS2017 Gallery on launch day. 

To download Visual Studio 2017 and learn more about the exciting new features in this release, see www.visualstudio.com.

FAQ

When will all BI Projects be supported in VS2017?

Support for Analysis Services and Reporting Services BI project types is available in the VS2017 Gallery on launch day.  Support for Integration Services for Visual Studio 2017 is in progress, but is not yet available on launch day. For now we recommend using SSDT for VS2015 if you need to use all of the BI project types together in a solution, but stay tuned to this blog for updates on this.

When will SQL Server vNext & other SSDT 17.0 features be supported in VS2017?

We're focused on bringing SSDT 17.0 to GA quality in the coming months. After this happens, we'll work to ship this updated code into a future Visual Studio 2017 update. Please note that Visual Studio 2017, database project updates are shipped via the built-in updater instead of a separate setup executable. This makes install & management much easier, but does mean that releases align with the Visual Studio release schedule rather than shipping on an ad-hoc basis. With this change, SSDT updates for Visual Studio 2017 will generally ship after updates to SSMS and other tools.

Will there be additional feature updates to SSDT in Visual Studio 2013?

No. SSDT supports the most recent 2 versions of Visual Studio, with our features shipping in both versions wherever possible. With the release of Visual Studio 2017, we are ceasing to ship feature updates to Visual Studio 2013. This release will continue to be supported via the Microsoft support lifecycle, meaning any vital security fixes and similar important fixes will be released. We recommend updating to the latest version of Visual Studio to keep getting our most up to date features.

What tools does Visual Studio 2017 have for database development?

Visual Studio 2017 has several features specific to database development to keep developers more productive, while ensuring that application’s data and schemas are part of the DevOps best practices (automatic deployment, continuous integration). Developers can leverage SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) included in all Visual Studio editions. Additionally on Visual Studio 2017, developers can leverage Redgate Data Tools. SQL Search is available in all editions, and SQL Prompt Core and ReadyRoll Core are available for VS 2017 Enterprise subscribers.

  • SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) turns Visual Studio into a powerful development environment for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Data Warehouse. With SSDT, developers can visually design, build, debug, test, maintain, refactor, deploy, source control and enable continuous integration & continuous deployment for their databases with a declarative model that spans all the phases of database development. Developers can work offline with a database project, or directly with a connected database instance in Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, and SQL Server running on Windows, Linux, Docker and in Azure or any cloud.
  • With ReadyRoll Core, users can develop, source control, and safely automate deployments of database changes, alongside application changes. This means the same tools used for application development can be utilized for database development and deployment, and ensures a single source of truth for both application and database changes. ReadyRoll’s migrations-based approach gives developers more control over the end database deployment script and can be easily integrated into DevOps processes, such as continuous integration and continuous delivery.
  • With SQL Prompt Core users can increase productivity with advanced IntelliSense-style code completion in Visual Studio.
  • SQL Search allows users to quickly search for SQL objects across databases. Together, Redgate Data Tools help to ensure database development is not the bottleneck to continuously delivering value to end users.

Can these tools help me with continuous integration & continuous deployment scenarios?

Yes, both SSDT Database Projects and ReadyRoll can be used to include the database in your CI and CD processes. ReadyRoll is an alternative to SSDT Database Projects that allows developers to have more control over the end database deployment script.

Read more about the differences between these in the “Which tool should I use” question.

Where do I get these database development tools from?

You can find both SQL Server Data Tools and Redgate’s SQL Search on all Visual Studio 2017 editions. Additionally, Visual Studio 2017 Enterprise subscribers have access to Redgate SQL Prompt Core and ReadyRoll Core as part of their installation, in the Data storage and processing workload.

Which tool should I use: SSDT or ReadyRoll?  

ReadyRoll is an alternative to SSDT Database Projects that allows developers to have more control over the end database deployment script. It can be used alongside other great features in SSDT like the Table Designer and ability to View and Edit Data.

SSDT and ReadyRoll Core take two different approaches to database development. SSDT takes a state-based approach, while ReadyRoll Core takes a migrations-based approach. The short version: for example, consider this analogy for baking a cake:

  • With SSDT database projects, you are given a list of ingredients and a picture of what the end cake will look like; the beginning and end state. How you get there is derived.
  • With ReadyRoll Core, you are given the recipe telling you what to do each step of the way to turn the ingredients into a cake.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    March 10, 2017
    Two broken links in the continuous integration and continuous deployment section. They should be:For SSDT, learn more about CI/CD at https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/ssdt/2016/04/06/sqldb-cicd-intro/For ReadyRoll, learn more about CI/CD at https://documentation.red-gate.com/display/RR1/Continuous+Integration+and+Deployment
    • Anonymous
      March 13, 2017
      Thanks for catching this Brian - now fixed.
  • Anonymous
    March 13, 2017
    I am REALLY curious if the cake analogy was accidental or purposeful. When was the last time you were successful in baking a cake when you were given a list of ingredients and a picture? This might work for an extremely simple cake, but most cakes are not. There is not even a question in my mind what I would pick (the recipe). Analogies are great to help people understand, but analogies have their limitations. With that in mind, the question I have is how closely this analogy translate to whether we should pick state-based or migration-based approach to database change process...
    • Anonymous
      March 14, 2017
      The comment has been removed
      • Anonymous
        March 17, 2017
        Jeff, yes, I think your tweak to the first part of the analogy (ordering a cake from a professional by pointing at the picture of the cake vs. being given a picture of the cake and baking it yourself) fixes the analogy, thank you. Maybe the analogy could simply be: ordering the food at the restaurant (which has picture menus) vs. cooking at home. For those who want to dig deeper into the subject of state-based vs. migration-based approach, the pros and cons of each and when you might want to use each approach, there is a Pluralsight course called "Database Delivery Best Practices" by Vladimir Khorikov, which talks about these things. Note: I am not in any way affiliated with the author, and I did watch the course.
  • Anonymous
    March 13, 2017
    Is there a reason why a VS2017 version of SSDT is not being released that just allows developers to work on the SSIS packages built from 2015? That would work until you are ready to release the new stuff.It is not like the VS2017 release was a surprise, so I am really curious as to what the overriding reason for this decision is. It makes it maintaining a solution with both code and SSIS more time consuming (and therefor more costly) if a dev wants to use VS2017, and thus slows its adoption.
    • Anonymous
      March 13, 2017
      SSIS has a dependency on Visual Studio Tools for Applications (VSTA). This is not shipped day-and-date with VS in this release (or indeed previous VS versions). This is the principal blocker, though there are some other complexities. We definitely understand that this can hold up adoption of VS2017, which is why we've moved to get more of the SQL tools (SSAS and SSRS) out day 1 for the first time.We'll do our best to get SSIS available as soon as we can.
      • Anonymous
        March 23, 2017
        Thank you for the reply! At least now I can go nag someone else :P.
        • Anonymous
          March 28, 2017
          I'm also looking forward to SSIS for VS2017 :-)
          • Anonymous
            April 23, 2017
            me too
          • Anonymous
            May 10, 2017
            Me too!
          • Anonymous
            May 15, 2017
            ditto!
      • Anonymous
        June 26, 2017
        Any update?
  • Anonymous
    March 14, 2017
    Could you please clarify this? "For now we recommend using SSDT for VS2015 if you need to use all of the BI project types together in a solution, but stay tuned to this blog for updates on this."Do you mean use the SSDT for VS2015 tools in VS2017, or use VS2015 with SSDT for VS2015 until the SSIS pieces for VS2017 are released? We're a bit unclear if you mean "SSDT for VS2015 is compatible with VS2017"
    • Anonymous
      March 15, 2017
      The comment has been removed
    • Anonymous
      March 17, 2017
      The comment has been removed
      • Anonymous
        March 30, 2017
        Thanks Kevin, very clear and concise. Looks like we'll move to VS 2015 for now then and revisit 2017 next year.
      • Anonymous
        April 17, 2017
        The previous poster (Alex V) mentioned "for the next 12 months". I know you are waiting for VSTA, but is it really going to take a year to get VS ready for SSIS?
  • Anonymous
    March 15, 2017
    Small feature request that will improve productivity using sql data tools: Automatically connect to server and database (Using the main conn string in the project/a configuration/whatever) when we open a .sql file in Visual Studio
  • Anonymous
    March 16, 2017
    I would like to know when to release SSIS, I need it, here only Analysis Services andReporting Services, but I did not need Integration Services, which made me very depressed
  • Anonymous
    March 16, 2017
    Any plans to address the ability to specify target deployment folders for individual reports in SSRS? As requested in this feedback post from 2009: https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/487106/allow-sub-folders-in-ssrs-projects
  • Anonymous
    March 20, 2017
    Grats. Great approach. Usability for slim build agents - ZERO. Because while you come with Visual Studio now - you totally ignore to come with VIsual Studio Build Tools. And the MSBuild data tools nuget package is totally against the nuget philosophy and requires installation on the agent (not the project) and multiple manual steps after.Any chance you either get a nuget package that is slim enough to make sense and installs into the .sqlproj projects? Or at least become part of the visual studio build tools so I do not need full vissual studio on build agents JUST FOR YOU?
    • Anonymous
      March 20, 2017
      Hi Thomas. You can pull down the MSBuild data tools nuget package as part of the pre-install steps for your build as needed. It doesn't make sense for this to be a .sqlproj dependency - it's more similar to the .Net Core SDK which also isnt' referenced in that way. However it's now possible to easily customize installation, for example in pre-build steps in your VSTS build configuration. The nuget package is ~30MB and has just the required dependencies so should be a good thing to get started with.
  • Anonymous
    March 25, 2017
    Will ReadyRoll replace SSDT in the future (it seems like ReadyRoll is preferred over SSDT)? If yes, then I assume ReadyRoll will be included for all VS2017 versions.
  • Anonymous
    April 17, 2017
    Like this previous link from you:https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/ssdt/2014/01/30/ssdt-and-visual-studio-versions/It would be great to have confirmation of which versions of Visual Studio are compatible with which versions of SQL Server with SSDT.I'm using VS 2012, on project properties I can see that it goes until SQL Server 2014 and I suspect it won't connect to SQL Server 2016 (because I try to compare schema and it throws me an error "Unable to determine the database platform type"), but I need confirmation to understand if there will be any update of it we really need to move on to a new version of Visual Studio and if so, which version should we use.
    • Anonymous
      April 20, 2017
      Thanks for your suggestion - we'll definitely consider a SQL Server Visual Studio supported version matrix in a future blog post. As mentioned in the FAQ section, - We no longer update Visual Studio 2012 or 2013 with new features. - We shipped support for SQL Server 2016 in VS2013 and VS2015. - VS2012 has support up to SQL Server 2014, but no higher
  • Anonymous
    April 21, 2017
    Hi,So far my experience with VS2017 has been very good. I work just on VB/C# WinForms projects and have not experience any crashes. I do understand that VS now supports may flavors of languages and development scenarios and I am sure the team will fix all reported issues faster than with any other previous version of VS.I know and understand the frustrations of the users experiencing these crashes and by no mean I am trying to disregard your issues, just to ask you to report them with details, so they can fix them faster.
  • Anonymous
    April 21, 2017
    One question about SSIS projects in VS 2017.When we will be able to open previous Integration Services projects (SSIS) with VS2017?Thanks!
  • Anonymous
    May 12, 2017
    Hi, on occasion I see a 503 website error when I browse this page. Just a heads up, cheers
  • Anonymous
    May 17, 2017
    Any guess when SSDT for Visual Studio 2017 be released?
  • Anonymous
    May 30, 2017
    What about SSIS projects in Visual Studio 2017? When will that project type be released?
  • Anonymous
    June 07, 2017
    Any release date for SSIS support in VS2017?
  • Anonymous
    June 20, 2017
    I'm tired of having to keep two versions of VS (2015 & 2017) on my computer. When will IS projects be supported in 2017?
    • Anonymous
      June 28, 2017
      Based on what they've said here and elsewhere, I'm guessing you won't see SSIS support in VS2017 until Q1 2018. But who knows, maybe they'll surprise us with an early Christmas present!
  • Anonymous
    July 13, 2017
    I’m also looking forward to SSIS for VS2017.
  • Anonymous
    January 12, 2018
    When will SSDT for VS2015 stop changing the version of rdls in SSRS? This was supposed to be fixed several releases ago, yet I just downloaded the newest version and my rdl is changing to SQL Server 2016 any time I change it.