Getting Started with Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals

Microsoft Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals can help you manage the development life cycle of your databases as an integral part of your application development. By managing database change, you can provide better communication and closer coordination between software and database developers.

This section provides basic information to help you get started. For the most recent information and downloads, see Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals.

In This Section

  • Overviews
    Introduces the features that you can use to manage your database as a part of your application.
  • Introductory Walkthroughs
    Provides high-level walkthroughs that introduce you to the features and capabilities of Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals.
  • Creating and Updating Version-controlled Database Schemas
    Describes how you can use database projects in combination with version control software to manage database change. This section includes overviews of how you can use database projects in a team environment, how database developers can set up isolated development environments in which to work, and how you can define, build, and deploy database objects.
  • Editing Database Scripts and Objects with the Transact-SQL Editor
    Describes how you can use the Transact-SQL (T-SQL) editor to modify database object definitions and to author and execute scripts. This section includes information about how to create an editor session, connect to a database, execute database scripts, and view the results.
  • Generating Data with Data Generators
    Describes how you can use Data Generator to create reproducible test data that does not contain sensitive information. When you use Data Generator in combination with database unit testing and a database project that is under version control, you can verify changes to the database before you share them with the rest of the team, reducing risk.
  • Comparing Databases
    Describes how you can use Data Compare to identify similarities and differences in the data that is contained in two databases. This section also describes how you can use Schema Compare to identify structural differences between databases or between a database and a database project. After you compare either data or schemas, you can then update the target to match the source.
  • Verifying Databases with Unit Tests
    Describes how you can use database unit testing to verify whether database objects, such as stored procedures and triggers, behave as you expect. When you perform unit tests in combination with using Data Generator, you can test for predictable results.
  • Refactoring Databases
    Describes how you can use database refactoring to rename database objects. Other objects that reference the renamed object are automatically updated with the new name.