How I Choose To Use Data Dude

Data Dude was the old name for Microsoft Visual Studio Database Professional Edition, now also known as the GDR version. It allows you to add Server and Database projects to your Solution, which help synchronize your various environments. It can be tricky to get your head around. Here’s how I choose to use it.

1. I make my database modifications using the visual designers as much as possible, because I’m lazy and like it that way. So, I maintain a local copy of my new database, with edits.
2. I run a schema compare between my local database and the Solution’s database project. This generates all necessary CREATE scripts.
3. I maintain a Post Deployment script which populates the newly dropped and recreated tables.
4. I deploy the database updates from the Database project to the DEV (and/or TEST) server.

This has the added benefit of not-dropping and recreating my local database copy, so I don’t keep losing my lovely Database Diagram!