dbForge Studio for SQL Server Reviews & Product Details

It gives you all the differences between schemas and synchronize them along with analysis and customized reports. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I am disappointed not to have a mac version. Although everything works well for windows. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It's a complete solution. I don't need anything else. Data comparison feature is excellent. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There could be some improvements on high DPI outputs, like TVs in conference rooms. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

dbForge provides an easy to use interface for managing SQL Database connections. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Forced upgrades. My version of Dbforge is not compatible with the current version of SQL on our database. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I started getting frustrated with SSMS and its wonky IntelliSense/Server connections, so I started searching for alternatives to it. There were other sql editors to choose from, but I ended up ranking this one the best of the group. I’ll list what features I liked the most below.

Starting with opening up dbForge Studio for Sql Server (I’ll call it DBFS from now on), you are presented with an intuitive interface that has recently accessed files and a tabbed gui menu near the top of the start page that will help you to get to what you need to work on immediately.

As soon as you start typing a new query you will notice that the code completion works on sql keywords as well tables and columns. I found that most of the time the “suggestions” were exactly what I was looking for and near the top of the list. There are even checkboxes that you can click instead of manually typing out the columns needed if there are many. It also offer suggested columns to join if you are attempting to do that. DBFS also highlights query blocks which makes it easier to see where a query starts and ends.

Instead of creating queries manually, there is an option to use the graphical query builder. This feature allows you to build a query graphically by dragging tables onto it and performing joins, where conditions, group by, having, and order by with the gui, which may be helpful to newbies or for creating complex queries.

The output windows has additional functionality being able to sort columns by clicking on their name, filtering by a condition to show only those rows within the output results, show only certain columns, generate scripts from the results, export data, and even modify the table data right within the cell without having to write t-sql.

The export data feature is especially good as it allows you to export to every major file type (XML, JSON, CSV, Excel, HTML, PDF and more) right out of the box. You can also change what column to export along with changing the format of the data such as specific date time, float, and currency requirements. You can also specify what rows to export such as 5 to 50.

The output window will also show what data type the column is using (E.g. the DepartmentID is a smallint) which is handy when you are trying to work with it in a query and you don’t need to look it up in the Object Explorer.

Another feature I found very helpful was the ability to format the sql document. It moves around your code and code blocks to standardize things such as tabs, spaces, indents, case, and overall structure. I know as I start coding my queries can get kinda messy, but this feature solves that and makes the code look professional and uniform across the document. You can even setup a custom profile if your org has a different, but standard in-house of wanting it to look.

Perhaps the icing on the cake is the fact that DBFS has a dark theme. I don’t know why SSMS dosnt have this yet as users have been asking for it for years, but it is here and it is great. The dark theme allows your eyes to focus on the code you are writing (or debugging) rather than the background and saves you from having eye strain and a headache from the glaring white of the background.

All in all I could probably make this review go on forever with all the additional and improved features that this product offers, but it would be easier for you to just visit the dbForge website to see a complete list.

TLDR: This is a much better SQL editor that SSMS and I would recommend it to anyone who has to write T-SQL daily and is looking for a better tool. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Currently I am working with XML data and I do miss the collapsible code tags with XML data where SSMS has this built in. While not being the most expensive Sql Server editor I did find it was on the expensive side at full price, but it does offer better stability, ease of use, and more features than similar products. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

As a developer, dbForge Studio is really helpful for quickly checking data in our SQL databases. My favorite feature is code completion, which works much better than in SSMS. The ability to sort and filter results is really helpful. In edit mode, for columns containing a foreign key, you can select a value from the referenced table that is shown as a popup in the query result. Many data formats are also supported; you can format cell content as JSON, XML, or HTML. If it contains an image, you can view this image in the data viewer window. The professional and enterprise versions include a really helpful schema compare tool that can compare not only two databases but also backups and snapshots created by dbForge Studio. The table editor is also very good; it's much easier to modify a table than in SSMS. In the editor, you can find features such as an SQL script that generates the table and all related objects, and a tab with data that contains the table. Connections can be categorized by color and shape of the mark. One of my favorite features is also the schema diagram, which is much more readable than the one built into SSMS. For developers, a nice feature is also the data generator that can generate good data for test environments. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

DbForge Studio is not so good for most administration tasks; it contains only basic administration tools. One of the biggest issues for me is the lack of support for AD groups in the security manager. Graph databases are also not supported for now, and it would be really helpful to see this feature. When you have many connections, it would be easier to find something if there were the ability to organize everything in a tree view instead of a flat view with categories. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

it assists with query prediction, making queries and scripting more faster and efficiently reducing chances of returned queries Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

it only works where there is already an installed MS SQL server, it is very difficult to have it working as a standalone database Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The best features? There are so many, so where do I start? Robust - that's probably the number one feature, it's rock solid and very, very flexible. The exportation options are second to none, any one of multiple formats all respecting the data and formatting options (where applicable). Data editing is so easy and you are able to filter, sort and customise the visible columns. Changing the schema is as easy as editing data, quick and easy. For the analysts there's the Pivot Tables (Excels Dynamic Tables) that make analysing data very easy and very fast. Data Pump is much easier to use than others I seen, and synchronizing both data and schemas are available. There art also many more options I have yet to discover, as the product has many, many options. It's fully configurable and the LookAndFeel is configurable to meet the needs of the most demanding user. Finally, you can connect to multiple servers on just one screen - try that with other products! Basically, everything a serious developer would need! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There really aren't many features I don't like. I tend to find myself using Management Studio to restore databases as it just seems easier to me, maybe there is room for improvement here, but that's it! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Database compare tool is the best one in dbForge. I usually used to compare the 2 different database and move the tables, functions, Stored procedures structures. Data compare tool is also good tool to use it for moving large date from one table to another. Search tool is also used to find the procedure easily. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like all the features they have. I don't dislike anything in dbforge. It gives the script to moving the data it would be great to have the auto schedule to data transfer or Structure transfer from one db to another. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The ability to manipulate data with a simple interface. So many other interfaces are either still in the 90’s or so embedddd with options you would have take 2 weekends to learn it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

You know SQL is a basic programming language widely used in many places in the US. Building interfaces and filtering around that is great. In the end - I’m an Apple woman. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

By far the best tool for querying and working with results. Database import / export and comparison has saved hundreds of hours of work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Not having an automatic start transaction as a default is my biggest problem. The screen sometimes behaves weird, especially when moving from 1 monitor to 2 (or just laptop). And code completion is a bit wild, would be much more useful if more focused. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.