SSMS 22 Productivity Tips Video

Problem

I want to spend a few minutes showing you some of the features in SQL Server Management Studio that I use on a regular basis to make my work smooth. Another way to say it is to make my work more productive or efficient. I will be using SSMS 22 in the video.

Solution

Check out the video below.

Easily Access and Search Files

The first thing I want to show you is an easy way to access all your SQL files without opening each one, because no one has time to do that. For this to work, you need at least some organizational structure in place. Also, this isn’t anything new, I just find people don’t use it all that often. You’ll click view in the menu bar and then choose solution explorer. If you’re used to something like Visual Studio, you’ll recognize this window. Now, I generally don’t use database projects, at least for my personal endeavors, but I do like to have access to all my SQL files, so open a folder, click file in the menu bar, and then select folder. There’s also a keyboard shortcut, but I never remember it.

I have a folder here that I’m already on called appropriately MSSQLTips, so let’s click select the folder. Now, I have a ton of improvements I could make to my folder structure, but it works for me, most, if not all of these folders relate to articles I’ve written for MSSQLTips. What’s nice is that if you have a ton of levels in your folder structure, you can search to find something, let me type deadlock and then press enter, and it’s that easy.

Split Screen Option

Now, I’m going to open one of these files and show you my next tip. Using the split screen option, I often need to review long procedures, views, and scripts, and I scroll up and down to reference specific sections. SSMS has a really nice useful feature that lets you split the screen. If you hover the mouse over the top of the scroll bar, there’s a tiny area that becomes visible. If you want, you can double click it or click and drag down, which is what I usually do. This allows you to keep this screen static while scrolling in the other. To get rid of the split, just double click on the black bar. If you want, you can go to the menu bar, click window, and then click the split tab, and it pretty much does the same thing.

Along the same lines. You can split the screen with tabs. For example, imagine a deadlock demo where it’s really helpful to show two scripts side by side on the same screen. Let’s go ahead and open those two files. Now simply right click one of them and select the option labeled new tab group on the right. This way, you can display your Windows side by side for better effect.

Zoom Option

The next thing I want to show you is, I think it’s new to SSMS 22 maybe it works in 21 but it’s the ability to zoom in on results in the grid. Let’s open the window framing script. In this first part, I’m creating a small table and inserting rows, and after I run this, I really need to squint to see the font. In the past, what I would do is set the font size in the environment setting to something like 14, what you can do now is hold control on the keyboard and use the mouse wheel to zoom in. This can be super helpful when you’re demoing something and showing the results.

Line Numbers Option

The last thing I’ll mention is that if you’re sharing your screen with someone and showing them your query, please make sure your line numbers are on. It’s one of the first things I’ll say to someone. If you’re asking me about a query and I’m looking at the screen, I’ll interrupt and say, Hey, could you turn your line numbers on please? What’s even better now is how easy it is to do click tools in the menu bar. Then options. Now, you can search and type in line numbers, and there’s the line numbers option. Maybe you could search in older versions of SSMS, but I’ve been using 21 or 22 for so long. I honestly don’t remember.

Next Steps

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