Jumat, 28 Januari 2011

SQL Server Management Studio: Dynamic Folders

One of the problem with SQL Server Management Studio is it shows the objects in one list. For example, see the list of stored procedures for the BizTalkMsgBoxDb database, one of the BizTalk database.

It is a huge list. Smart developers are trying to make this list useful and searchable and use suffixes and prefixes to group the objects together.


See prefixes “adm_†and “bts_†. Following this practice we have got the nested compound prefixes. See the subgroups after the “bts_†prefix.

It is completely and absolutely awful view. We have to scroll down and up this list to find out the right object.

The same lists are for others SQL objects.

But it can be much better with small change.

Let’s create the virtual dynamic folders.


Now the list is short, easy searchable and easy observable. Moreover, the long awful names are folded to something readable. Yes, now the names are readable.

All we can do to this beauty is to set up the parameters for these virtual dynamic folders.

Right-click the “Stored Procedures†folder and choose Properties / Dynamic Folders…

There are only few parameters to set up:

·        Objects to fold, more than X (auto by default)

·        Characters to fold, more than X (auto by default

·        Show full name (unchecked by default)

Folders are smart enough to fold with good taste and intellect. But sometimes it helps to fold objects with unusual name conventions.

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