SQL Server Comparison Tools

Problem

There is often the need to compare both data and database structures from two databases either on the same server or on different servers.  Most text editors have a built-in process to allow you to do a diff and identify any differences between the two files, but comparing data is not quite that easy.  Using this diff process is great if you only want to compare a few files, but what if you need to scan your entire database to look for differences?

As with anything you can always create your own application to automate the comparison process.  You could cursor through all of the tables read the T-SQL from one server, get the T-SQL for the same object from the other server and do a comparison.   To compare the data you can write scripts that read row by row and do a comparison of the data.  But why bother when there are so many products out there already.

Solution

Luckily a lot of products already exist.  These products allow you to compare database objects, data, DTS scripts, servers, etc…  In addition, these products are not all that expensive either.  Some of the products are under $100 US and I also found a company that offers a free version, see below.

Following is a list of the various products that allow you to do comparisons:

Object Comparison

• AlfaAlfa Software – SQL Server Comparison Tool
• Devart – dbForge Schema Compare for SQL Server
• Navicat for SQL Server
• Red Gate – SQL Compare
• TASC – SQL Delta
• TulsaSoft – SQL Examiner
• xSQL Software – Schema Compare

Data Comparison

• Aqua Data Studio
• Devart – dbForge Data Compare for SQL Server
• JUXTAPPOSE
• Navicat for SQL Server
• Red Gate – SQL Data Compare
• TASC – SQL Delta
• TulsaSoft – SQL Data Examiner
• xSQL Software – xSQL DataCompare

If there are other products out there send an email to tips@mssqltips.com and we will update this list.

Next Steps

• Next time you need to compare your database objects don’t waste your time doing it manually.  Purchase one of these products or download the free version and give it a try.  Most if not all of these vendors offer free trial versions.
• Determine what needs to be compared and how frequently.  Look at the different options that allow you to compare objects, data, dts packages and even servers.
• We provided the list of products, so take this list and find the product that is right for you.

Greg Robidoux

Greg Robidoux has been working with databases for 35+ years with extensive hands on SQL Server experience from version 6.5 to 2025. He has authored over 250 technical articles and delivered several presentations online and at various conventions. Greg is also the President and founder of Edgewood Solutions, a technology services company delivering services and solutions for Microsoft SQL Server.