Why must Microsoft tools work against me?

Let me say that Visual Studio 2005 is a huge step forward in a lot of ways, especially for Web developers. What still sucks though is database handling quirks.

For example, I just want to open a query window against a SQLEXPRESS database in my Web project and fire off some SQL. You know, the way we did in the old days. I want to create a table from SQL commands, and it tells me, "The CREATE TABLE SQL construct or statement is not supported." Then below that is says the query can't be represented graphically in the diagram and criteria plane. Well no shit, that's why I turned it off.

So then I figured I'd fire up SQL Management Studio and just attach to the database. Yeah right. I try to attach to the file, and the file dialog doesn't let you type in a path, and won't navigate beyond the user name in the Docs/Settings folder (I happen to have the project on a desktop folder).

I eventually went back to the VS IDE and did a mass check-out from source control, and suddenly the table create query runs. That's not surprising since the database is probably read-only while checked-in, but why didn't VS tell me that instead of telling me CREATE TABLE isn't supported?

Nothing annoys me more than fighting the tools for ridiculous amounts of time to do simple things. And that's the way it always is with Microsoft tools. Usually 95% of what you do is powerful and easy, but then you lose all of that saved time with dumb shit like this.

5 Comments

  • I agree that VS2k5 is a prett big step forward, however SSMS has got to be one of the worst management tools MS has ever seen fit to pollute my machine with. I'm normally ok with a few odd quirks here and there, but it simply sucks. Here's hoping for a good SP1 for SQL2k5.

  • I'm very disappointed that VS2005 didn't get the huge update to SQL editing that SQL Management Studio did, it is still hokey coding and debuging SQL problems within VS2005 ...

  • I agree! Given the time and resources that the Whidbey and SQL05 teams had at their disposal, I think it is a poor showing. Simply adding intellisense to the SQL2000 query analyser would have been infinitely more useful to me than any of the new UIs in VS2005 and SSMS.

  • Maybe my expectations were too high for SSMS. I find myself missing the clunky Query Analyzer interface. I just want to write code.

  • i freaked out looking for the t-sql in vs2008

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