It is always interesting to explore a case where dbForge tools are used in a collaborative process. Take dbForge SQL Complete, for instance. It was created to make individual SQL developers exceptionally productive and help them write error-free code much faster with the integrated autocompletion, debugging, and refactoring. Yet it was also designed with teamwork in mind—and things like shareable templates, code snippets, and formatting profiles are rather vital when it comes to building up team productivity.
One of our clients (who preferred to stay anonymous), a seasoned Lead Developer at a Finnish tech company, quickly noted that collaborative potential. The primary database toolset adopted by the client and his colleagues was SQL Server Management Studio—a proven solution for sure, but with room for improvement as well. For instance, here are a few obstacles that became evident over time:
- It became necessary to give a boost to the overall performance of the development teams by speeding up their routine SQL coding. At the same time, they wanted to do less manual work and keep a sharp focus on what they were doing.
- The default functionality of SSMS wasn’t quite enough to expand the capabilities of developers and make them more flexible in daily work.
- There was a need to establish unified code formatting standards for all projects, so that any developer switching to another project would be able to delve into its code as fast as possible.
It is also worth noting that the client didn’t want to employ some alternative toolset; instead, he was looking for something to properly enhance SSMS with. After a research, he found the solution in our flagship SSMS add-in, SQL Complete. This is what he told us during an interview:
“I act as a lead developer on multiple projects, and I’ve been working with databases quite a bit. And at first, I just looked for a plugin to use myself. I pretty much just googled the best plugin for SSMS and went through the results. I went through people’s opinions on different plugins, compared them, and saw what could be achieved with their features. Then I decided that you had the best match, exactly what I was looking for. And when I tested SQL Complete, I pretty much figured out that it could be used by a much broader team at our company.”
Eventually, the client presented the solution to his colleagues, and it didn’t take long until SQL Complete was employed by two different development teams, which comprise 10 people in total. Needless to say that the expected performance growth didn’t keep them waiting.
The following features were noted by the client as especially valuable.
Context-aware code completion and debugging
Probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of SQL Complete is its selection of coding assistance tools: IntelliSense-like code completion; an integrated Debugger for scripts, functions, triggers, and procedures; and, of course, smart refactoring with auto-correction of references to renamed objects.
Customizable SQL formatting
The built-in SQL formatting features help beautify the code and improve its readability. A rich set of configurations let users effectively set up and apply formatting standards, edit the available templates, or create custom ones. It is also possible to format an entire script or its particular parts only.
Predefined and custom SQL snippets
Another feature that often turns out to be quite helpful for teamwork is the collection of predefined snippets that can be quickly modified, applied, and shared with fellow developers. And of course, it can be further expanded with custom snippets—the user is in full control here.
Get dbForge SQL Complete for a free 14-day trial today!
This is where our story ends—yet this is where yours is about to begin. You can easily try it all out yourself; simply download SQL Complete for a free trial and see all of its capabilities in action.
