Pushing for more tools-related fixes for SQL Server 2011

A few days ago I posted a list of Management Studio issues I hope they will add or fix for the next version of SQL Server (or sooner).  Comments there and elsewhere, as well as some afterthoughts, have led me to publish an addendum.  Again I will present them in separate categories.

Filtering

There are several issues about filtering, including one Alejandro Mesa added about being able to filter against multiple items (e.g. schema dbo or test).  Personally I think they should scrap the current filtering mechanism and design one correctly, from the ground up, for the next version of SSMS.

#334444 (SSMS : filtering should work for databases, synonyms, and others)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=334444

#334443 (SSMS : filter dialog needs more filtering criteria)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=334443

#334442 (SSMS : filter dialog should be less modal, more interactive)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=334442

#334441 (SSMS : filter dialog calendar control is obnoxiously modal)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=334441

#338214 (SSMS : more consistent operators and filtering)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=338214

#334440 (SSMS : filter dialog calendar control opens at wrong size)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=334440

#362787 (To be able to filter objects, in the object explorer, by multiple items.)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=362787

Scripting

I asked Erland to come up with some of his biggest peeves with scripting (both performance and functionality), and he provided this shortlist:

#351363 (Temp table when generating script has too wide clustered index)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=351363

#351386 (The script wizard never produces the actual script, although all objects scripted)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=351386

#351375 (The script wizard is not able to complete scripting a database within 90 minutes)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=351375

#127167 (Trailing SET ANSI_PADDING OFF when scripting tables)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=127167

Editor

Erland also reminded me about the problems with the tab strip in the editor, and more issues with saving files:

#252879 (Handling when there are more tabs to fit the strip needs to be improved)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=252879

#252881 (There should be an option of having new tabs rightmost in Mgmt Studio)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=252881

#265343 (SSMS: Tabs should not change position unless I change them!)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=265343

#124686 (Prompting for modified windows when closing SSMS should be optional)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=124686

#308372 (Permit nameless windows that do not need saving in SSMS)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=308372

Object Explorer

Of course I posted comments about the new Object Explorer and how its pre-fetching of Object Explorer Details information can cause the loading to be very slow, or to fail completely, depending on the number of databases on the server, and the permissions of the principal.  I am stil in awe that I was able to publish a list without these, as I feel most strongly about these fixes; further, I hope that they can be fixed in the first service pack, as they really should have been show-stoppers.  Here are the relevant Connect items:

#124651 (Can't see database with Object Explorer)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=124651

#273830 (Need VIEW DEFINITION permissions per database)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=273830

#362646 (SSMS 2008 Exception Expanding Databases)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=362646

I hope that you will weigh in on the issues that you feel are important.  Without hearing from the general public, Microsoft will have a hard time determining which issues should have priority, as they start to prepare their list of work items for SQL Server 2011.

Aaron Bertrand

I am a passionate technologist with industry experience dating back to Classic ASP and SQL Server 6.5. I am a long-time Microsoft MVP, write at SQLPerformance and MSSQLTips, and have had the honor of speaking at more conferences than I can remember. In non-tech life, I am a father of two, a huge hockey and football fan, and my pronouns are he/him.