Which Tool Is Better for Code Completion — Azure Data Studio or dbForge SQL Complete?
We decided to compare Devart's dbForge SQL Complete's code completion features with Microsoft's Azure Data Studio, key solutions for SQL developers.
Join the DZone community and get the full member experience.
Join For FreeIf you have SQL code completion tools, you can increase your daily productivity by about 2-4 times.
With context-sensitive suggestions, advanced code formatting, and productivity tools, you can streamline your daily routine and focus on the things that really matter.
After all, it’s better to work optimally and enjoy it, right?
That's why we decided to compare Devart's dbForge SQL Complete's code completion features with Microsoft's Azure Data Studio, key solutions for SQL developers. After studying the article, you will find out which solution is better if it is important to speed up database development and increase user efficiency. First of all, consider the general description and capabilities of the tools.
A Brief Overview of the SQL Complete Tool
dbForge SQL Complete is a high-tech add-in that seamlessly integrates into SQL Server Management Studio and Visual Studio. Both SSMS and Visual Studio are among the best Microsoft IDEs. In doing so, Visual Studio goes beyond SQL. But while these IDEs are functional enough, SQL Complete greatly expands them. It offers IntelliSense-style, instant operator expansion, rich formatting options, predefined and custom code snippets, and safe refactoring to automatically fix references to objects that need to be renamed. Also, do not forget about the built-in tools for data aggregation and manipulation, as well as the T-SQL debugger for complex queries, stored procedures, triggers, and functions.
A Brief Overview of the Azure Data Studio Tool
Azure Data Studio is a cross-platform database IDE. It offers a SQL editor with IntelliSense autocompletion, intelligent code snippets, version control integration, and a built-in terminal. Other benefits include customizable server and database dashboards, but Azure Data Studio is not designed for advanced server administration or configuration.
Microsoft recommends using Azure Data Studio if you need to edit or run queries, quickly create charts and visualize result sets, and if you enjoy command line work.
Therefore, you should compare it with SQL Complete. After all, both solutions offer fast and efficient query writing and support a command-line interface. It remains to find out which tool is best for this.
Code Completion Comparison: Azure Data Studio vs. dbForge SQL Complete
For ease of study, we have divided all the features into three groups: SQL code completion, SQL code formatting, and Productivity enhancements.
Features |
dbForge SQL Complete |
Azure Data Studio |
SQL code completion |
||
Context-sensitive suggestion of keywords |
Yes |
Yes, but not context-sensitive |
Context-sensitive object suggestions |
Yes |
Yes, but not context-sensitive |
Context-sensitive object suggestions for CTE |
Yes |
Yes |
Context-sensitive object suggestions in the SQLCMD mode |
Yes |
No |
Name suggestions for objects on linked servers |
Yes |
No |
Sorting of suggested keywords by relevance |
Yes |
No |
JOIN clause auto-generation |
Yes |
No |
Phrase completion |
Yes |
No |
Auto-generation of table aliases |
Yes |
No |
Column picker for quick list building |
Yes |
No |
Wildcard expansion |
Yes |
Yes |
Expansion of INSERT, EXEC, ALTER, and UPDATE statements |
Yes |
No |
Exclusion of databases from suggestions |
Yes |
No |
Highlighting of identifier occurrences |
Yes |
Yes |
Pair highlighting |
Yes |
No |
Highlighting of matching columns in the INSERT statements |
Yes |
No |
Named regions |
Yes |
No |
Parameter information for functions |
Yes |
No |
Quick object information |
Yes |
Yes |
Row count information |
Yes |
No |
SQL code formatting |
||
SQL formatting |
Yes |
Yes |
Formatting in files and directories |
Yes |
No |
Quick selection of formatting profiles |
Yes |
Yes |
Automated formatting from the command line |
Yes |
No |
Productivity enhancements |
||
SQL snippets |
Yes |
Yes |
Semi-transparent suggestion box |
Yes |
No |
Current statement execution option |
Yes |
Yes |
Semicolon insertion |
Yes |
No |
Generation of CREATE/ALTER scripts for server objects |
Yes |
Yes |
‘Copy Data As’ from the grid to XML, CSV, HTML, JSON, Excel |
Yes |
Yes |
‘Go to Definition’ for database objects |
Yes |
Yes |
Recovery of recently closed documents |
Yes |
No |
Releases |
||
First release |
v1.0 (November 19, 2010) |
v1.0 (September 24, 2018) |
Latest release (at the time of publication) |
v6.12 (September 12, 2022) |
v1.39 (August 24, 2022) |
Total number of releases |
135 |
69 |
Clearly, SQL Complete wins by a wide margin. The tool greatly extends the capabilities of SSMS, so Azure Data Studio has no chance of catching up with him anytime soon.
Сonclusions
So, if SSMS satisfies your workload and you want to speed up your SQL coding chores, you don't need Azure Data Studio. The best solution would be to use SSMS and SQL Complete.
In addition to completion, formatting, and performance features, SQL Complete provides many useful features.
Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.
Comments