SQLSourceSafe

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who will use SQLSourceSafe?
2. What can I achieve using SQLSourceSafe?
3. Do I need any other software to use SQLSourceSafe?
4. What is the system minimum requirement for using SQLSourceSafe?
5. What happens when someone ALTER SQL Server database items outside SQLSourceSafe (for example, using Enterprise Manager)?
6. What happens when I do a Get Latest operation to a table object? Are the records in the table got lost?
7. What I should do if I want to check out a table for modification but I do not want the current table get dropped?
8. How do I deploy the database items in SourceSafe to a SQL Server?
9. Why I need to run the Get Latest Version operation several times if I want to create a SQL Server database and all items from SourceSafe?
10. How do I compare the differences of the latest database item in SQL Server against the one in SourceSafe?
11. How do I compare the differences of a database item between different versions?
12. How do I label a database item in SQLSourceSafe?
13. How do I retrieve a labeled or versioned database item using SQLSourceSafe?
14. Other questions

1. Who will use SQLSourceSafe?

SQLSourceSafe is designed for software developers and database administrators who are working on database objects on SQL Server. SQLSourceSafe provides them the capability to manage all their database changes in a team environment.

2. What can I achieve using SQLSourceSafe?

Microsoft Visual SourceSafe helps you manage your project by saving them to a database repository. You can share files with your project team members. When you add a file to SourceSafe, the file is archived in Visual SourceSafe repository and made available to other people. You or your team members can check in or check out files to save the subsequent changes in Visual SourceSafe repository. Visual SourceSafe has made the version control task easy and intuitive. But it can only manage regular files. It can’t manage database items in SQL Server.

SQLSourceSafe brings the SourceSafe source management concepts to database items in SQL Server. With SQLSourceSafe, software developers and database administrators can manage database items in SQL Server as they manage files in Visual SourceSafe.

3. Do I need any other software to use SQLSourceSafe?

Yes. SQLSourceSafe works with Microsoft SQL Server 2000+ and Microsoft Visual Source Safe 6.0+. It uses Internet Explorer 5.01+. It runs under Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 that can be downloaded free from Microsoft web site.

Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 must be installed before installing SQLSourceSafe. Microsoft SQL Server 2000+, Microsoft Visual SourceSafe 6.0+, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01+ must be installed and present when running SQLSourceSafe.

4. What is the system minimum requirement for using SQLSourceSafe?

PC with Intel or compatible Pentium 166 MHz processor or higher;

64 MB RAM, 128MB or higher recommended;

5MB hard drive space;

VGA or higher resolution display;

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 family, or

Microsoft Windows 2000 (Professional, Server, or Advanced Server) with the latest Windows service pack and critical updates available from the Microsoft Security Web site, or

Microsoft Windows XP (Home or Professional), or

Microsoft Windows NT 4 (Workstation or Server) with Service Pack 6a, or

Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), or

Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition (SE).

5. What happens when someone ALTER SQL Server database items outside SQLSourceSafe (for example, using Enterprise Manager)?

If you want to use an external SQL editor, you should first check out the database item from SQLSourceSafe before editing it. You should also check it in after making changes to the database. Please note, that SQLSourceSafe checks in the most current version of the database item. Before checking in your changes, you shall use the SQLSourceSafe to compare the change and ensure all changes are in SQL Server. It is important to check out the database item first to prevent others from modifying it while you are working on it.

6. What happens when I do a Get Latest operation to a table object? Are the records in the table got lost?

When a Get Latest operation is performed on a table item, if there is a change in the table’s structure, a notification message box will prompt you dropping the table. If you click on Yes at the message box, the table in SQL Server will be dropped. A new table is created using the script in the SourceSafe. If you choose No at the message box, the operation is cancelled and the current table remains unchanged.

7. What I should do if I want to check out a table for modification but I do not want the current table get dropped?

When a Checkout operation is performed, a message box pops up with checkbox "Don’t update the database item on SQL Server". If you check the checkbox and click on the OK button, the database item is marked as checked out but the corresponding database item on SQL Server remains intact. This option is similar to "Don’t get local copy" in Visual SourceSafe.

8. How do I deploy the database items in SourceSafe to a SQL Server?

Create a connection using the SQLSourceSafe connection wizard. In the connection wizard, specifies the SQLSourceSafe connection name and Visual SourceSafe settings in the SourceSafe page, and the SQL Server settings in the next page. Click on Finish button, you will be taken to the SQLSourceSafe main window. If the SQL Server database does not exist at this moment, a message box will pop up asking “The database xxx does not exist. Do you want to create database xxx on SQL Server yyy?.” Click on the Yes button will create xxx database on the yyy server. On the SQLSourceSafe main window you will see all database items in SourceSafe at left pane of the window. Select SourceSafe\Get Latest Version from the main menu, it will create database items on the SQL Server using the database items in SourceSafe.

9. Why I need to run the Get Latest Version operation several times if I want to create a SQL Server database and all items from SourceSafe?

Some database items maintain dependency on other database items. So the depended database items shall be created before the dependent database items get created. However, SQLSourceSafe creates database items based on their listed order in the SourceSafe. Therefore, creating some database items will have some problems if their depending database items have not created yet. To get around this problem, you can issue the Get Latest Version operation several times to ensure all depending objects get created. It is recommended to clear the Message Pane before each Get Latest Version operation. When a Get Latest Version operation do not show any red color text message in the Message Panel. It means the create SQL Server database succeed.

10. How do I compare the differences of the latest database item in SQL Server against the one in SourceSafe?

Right click the database item on the SourceSafe pane. Select Show Differences from the context menu. The Show Differences window will come up to show the differences of the database item of latest version in SourceSafe and in SQL Server.

11. How do I compare the differences of a database item between different versions?

Right click the database item on the SourceSafe pane. Select Show History… from the context menu. The database item history window shows up with all history of the selection database item. Hold down the CTRL key and highlight two versions that you want to compare. Then click the Diff key.

12. How do I label a database item in SQLSourceSafe?

Highlight the database item(s) that you want to label on the SourceSafe Pane. Select File\Label from the main menu. At the Label Window, enter the label name and comments for this database item. Then click on the OK button.

13. How do I retrieve a labeled or versioned database item using SQLSourceSafe?

Highlight the database item(s) on the SourceSafe Pane. Select SourceSafe\Show History from the main menu. In the database item history window, select the versioned or labeled item in the history list. Click on the Get button will retrieve the specified version or labeled version to SQL Server.

14. Other questions

If you have other questions that are not listed here, please send your question by email to info@bestsofttool.com or support@bestsofttool.com .