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> Also, SQL Server is awful at importing/exporting data directly. Almost all forms are broken in various ways and are a source of endless grief. The only reliab
by Pxtl 10y ago
> Also, SQL Server is awful at importing/exporting data directly. Almost all forms are broken in various ways and are a source of endless grief. The only reliable built-in way is to use SSIS which is like using a 200-ton tank for a paperweight.
So much this. BCP is inferior to 5 lines of C# code, the tools for importing and exporting data in SSMS are buggy and cumbersome, SSIS is a gigantic monster. Simple "Export the results of my query into an INSERT statement" is a moronically obvious workflow and is non-existent.
I've read that the tools division of MSSQL was running on a skeleton crew for a long time, and it shows.
- mistermann 10y agoDespite everyone saying SSMS is hands down the best database IDE, while this may be true it is also true that MSSQL tooling is a train wreck compared to what it could be. It almost seems Microsoft intends to keep it this way, perhaps because they'd have to finally admit to the decade of neglect? Who knows the exact reason, but it's a sad situation.
- infogulch 10y agoWhat kind of tooling are you speaking of? Honest question.
- Pxtl 10y agoSql Server Reporting Services is great but the server website was obviously mid-2000s until very recently, even containing markup that wouldnt render in Chrome. SSIS is a hellscape of unnecessary designers for an ETL framework, and generates ultra-brittle packages that crash if the slightest schema tweaks happen. SSDT stores your schema and publishes diffs for easy deployment, but will gobble up all your RAM for half an hour to compile... if it doesn't crash. And SSMS has the worst tabbed interface ever for managing queries.
- infogulch 10y agoI agree with you on all points. Products on the periphery of SQL Server have been severely neglected for years. There is a replacement for some of SSRS in PowerBI and SSAS, which is actually pretty nice. If I'm not mistaken, people serious about version control and deployment in SQL Server use redgate software. My question is how other databases fare in these areas. I'm not familiar with any solutions for Reporting UI, ETL, and Schema Version Control in MySQL or PostgreSQL. What built-in tools do other databases have that outperform SQL Server's (obviously crumbling) functionality?
- mistermann 10y agoThe general consensus is usually that this MS tooling, yes the one just described, is very good! Certainly far better than the competition. It boggles the mind.
- voltagex_ 10y agoI've never been able to match bcp's speed when importing large amounts of data, though.
- Pxtl 10y agoI've never had an import job where run time was a key concern... but the old ADO.Net Bulk Insert thingy has always been good enough when Entity Framework was too slow (which, for inserts, it generally is).
- flukus 10y agoHow large a job are you talking? Did you use a transaction? A transaction + being in a nearby location has been good enough for every import I've done (millions of rows).
- jetti 10y ago>Simple "Export the results of my query into an INSERT statement" is a moronically obvious workflow and is non-existent. I've only used SSIS for a few months now, but wouldn't this just be a simple Data Flow Task for that. Now, I'm not saying I would use SSIS for that (because I frankly hate SSIS) but it is a trivial thing to do.