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Toad for SQL Server Freeware:

- Product Features
- Release Notes
- FAQ
- Beta Program

Downloads:

- Download Freeware
- Download Trial
- Buy Now
- SQL Optimizer for Visual Studio

Resources:

- Toad Yahoo! Group
- SQL Server Pedia
- Quest SQL Server Pipeline

Toad™ for SQL Server Freeware Features

Introduction

Toad for SQL Server is an application development tool built around a single integrated SQL, T-SQL, and Procedure Editor. Using Toad, developers can build and test T-SQL code and can use the Browser to quickly access, create and edit database objects. Toad lets you view tables, indexes, stored procedures and more - all through a multi-tabbed browser.

One of the most frequent requests from Toad for Oracle customers is to extend Toad to cover additional database technologies. Toad for SQL Server, Toad for DB2, and Toad for MySQL are several new versions of Toad, which address this need in the Database Technology market.

This freeware version of Toad for SQL Server is a limited functionality version of the commercial Toad for SQL Server. To have an impact on new functionality and report bugs and other issues in the freeware, please join the Yahoo! TOADSS Group. To see Toad for SQL Server commercial features above and beyond the freeware, click here.

If you know Toad...

When beginning to use Toad for SQL Server, you will immediately notice several similarities with Toad for Oracle. This is not an accident. The best things about Toad have been incorporated into Toad for SQL Server. This includes the FREEWARE program and the Yahoo! Discussion Group along with the SQL Editor and Browser (known as the Schema Browser in the Oracle version).

For example, to the right is a partial screenshot of the Browser. Notice that some of the icons available are identical to their counterparts in Toad for Oracle. This allows you to quickly identify the 'Truncate' and 'Compile Dependencies' technology offered in the Browser. Toad for SQL Server incorporates as many icons from Toad for Oracle as possible to allow for the smallest learning curve possible.

The commonality between the versions of Toad continues with the Shortcut Keys. In the Editor, F9 executes a statement and F5 executes a script. As more functionality is introduced in Toad for SQL Server, the number of shared keyboard shortcuts will also increase.

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Getting Started

Software Requirements Minimum Hardware Requirements

  • PC with 300 MHz or higher recommended; 233 MHz minimum
  • 82 MB of disk space for installation
  • 512 MB RAM minimum, 768MB recommended
  • VGA monitor with a minimum resolution of 800x600, 1024x768 recommended
  • Mouse pointing device
Minimum Software Requirements
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, and XP Professional client
  • Microsoft .NET Framework version 2.0
  • Internet Explorer 5.01 or later
  • Client connectivity and configuration for each database (pre-requisite for connecting)
  • SQL-DMO version 8.0 (included if client connectivity is installed)
Toad for SQL Server will not run on Linux, Unix, OS2, or Macintosh

Supported SQL Server version
  • 2000
  • 2005 (basic support)
  • SQL Server Debugging - SQL Server 2005, and SQL Server 2000 with sp3

     

To get started, Download the Toad for SQL Server freeware.

Once you have installed and opened Toad, you will need to connect to a database. Read the 'Create New Connections' Help topic for detailed instructions...but, Toad for SQL Server can handle SQL Server-authenticated or Windows-authenticated connections. As with Toad for Oracle, Toad for SQL Server can store multiple connection strings. You can also configure Toad to auto-connect to specific instances and save your passwords.

Once you are connected, you are ready to start interacting with your SQL Server Database. The two primary windows are the:

 
Editor
Database Browser .


Using the Editor

A developer will spend at least half of their time in the Editor window. The Editor window consists of two sections: an upper text edit window and a lower data grid. The text edit window supports standard windows editing commands and keystrokes.

Below we have a snapshot of the Editor window with a query and its output. You can split the Editor window horizontally and/or vertically so you can scroll different areas within the same file. If you have more than one Editor window open and want to switch between them, click and drag one of the Editor tabs to another location in the window. The SQL Editor supports multiple tabs or scratch spaces. This allows you to have multiple files or scripts open at a given time. Once you have a file loaded or a query entered, it's time to run it. This is accomplished by either pressing F9 or clicking on the Green Arrow button in the Toad editor toolbar. The upper text edit section also has a left-panel window that shows you the contents of your editor. You can use this to easily navigate between your different editor statements.

The result set displays in the grid component in the lower panel of the screen. You have 2 output choices 'Grid View' and 'Card View'. Grid is default; you can toggle by right-clicking on the output panel. The Editor can handle multiple result sets from multiple query runs. You also have access to the Script Output (a sequential log of executed commands displays in the Script Output tab), and Explain Plans for each statement you have executed.

The Editor toolbar contains a Database Dropdown control that you can use to select a default database for your queries to run against. This allows queries to run without prefixing the database name for the queried objects.

Database Dropdown

Database Browser vs. Enterprise Manager

Toad's Database Browser is its most powerful feature. The Database Browser is comprised of a left and a right panel. The left panel contains the Object Types you can work with in the Database Browser. The Database Browser lets you view objects and related information in an easy tabbed interface. In the left panel is a list of objects of the selected type. The right (object) panel consists of information about the selected object (or objects, if multiple objects are selected on the left).

Enterprise Manager

Click here to see a screenshot of MS SQL Server's Enterprise Manager. To work with databases and their objects, a Tree control is presented for navigation. This can lead to lots of clicking, collapsing/expanding, etc.

But perhaps most frustrating, is the need to access all of the functionality available for a given node via right-mouse click. For example, if a user wants to view the data of a given table, they must

  • Choose the Server Group
  • Choose the Server
  • Choose the Database
  • Choose the Object Type (in this case 'Tables')
  • Choose the Table on the RHS
  • Right-click on the table and choose Open Table > Return all Rows

Toad Database Browser

In Toad's Database Browser, the process is less involved. There is a Database Dropdown control to choose which database to browse. This is set to your login's default database. The database objects are available via Tab Controls. All of the information for each object is immediately available on the right hand side of the browser. Click here to see a screenshot.

There is also a control on the browser to control the number of records returned. Finally, the dataset can be easily modified. Rows can be updated, inserted, or deleted on-the-fly.

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Tips and Tricks

  • Object list in the Object Palette

      The Object Palette is a tool window that contains only the LHS list of objects found in the Database Browser. This allows for easy lookup of objects while coding in the Editor.


  • TOADSS Yahoo! Group

      Join and interact with this group! This is the primary source for guiding new development in Toad for SQL Server. This is also a place for fellow SQL Server developers to interact.

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For questions or comments on this site: webmaster@toadsoft.com
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