Another ApexSQL Tool I got to try out finally …. I never got chance to try the RedGate version but since I got all the tools when I ordered the ApexSQL Toolkit; I been trying tools as I get time.
- So the tool right of start lets you choose Database Engines/Integration Services you wish you document.
- After adding the SQL Server Database Engine (SQL Authentication or Windows Authentication); you are able to select what databases to run the documentor on (note will not work on databases set to 6.5 Compatibility).
- After which I can choose detail options for server like Server Properties and …
- Followed by detail options for databases like …
- As you select the above options you are able to further select details for each object you would like to see like Columns, Properties, Permissions, Parameters, Index Information, Statistics, etc…
- Like the server objects you can also choose to set an filter on all or any of the objects in the database.
After all that you can choose options for the report, for some extra information that this tool can put together for you:
Database Details: Include Database Summary Information
DDL Options: Include DDL Script, T-SQL Syntax Highlights
ToC Options: Include Parameter/Column Names Dictionary, Include Objects by Filegroup Section, Include Objects by Owner/Schema Section
Miscellaneous: Include Documentation of Procedures/Functions, Use Default Owner/Schema Qualification in Generated Documentation, Show Sections with no Relevent Metadata to Document, Show Nodes for object Types that don’t Exist in Database Objects
Extended Properties
Dependency Options: Explicitly Parse Database for Improved Dependency accuracy, Include Dependency Lists/Tables (Didn’t try this to see how good of report it can produce).
Output options: Complied Help File Format (.chm) (This didn’t work for me; Microsoft Help file compiler was taking long so the program terminated and didn’t save any of the work so I had to start all over), Linked HTML Files (.html) (Worked nicely, but generates a very last output if all the options selected), Complied Help File Format HTML 2.0 (.hsx) (Didn’t try).
For output you can define your own format how you would like to show the data, there is predefined CSS; but you can choose your on if you wish.
I like the tool; but for speed for putting information together it is slow. I think that is expected because the amount of information it gathers. However sometime it looks like the program has hung up and is very unresponsive.
I plan to try the RedGate version of Documentor to see how well that tool works comparing to this; updating in future posts.
SQL Canada (SQLCAN) 