Download SQL Server Data Tools CTP4 (SSDT CTP4)

Following the release of the new SQL Server 2012 RC0, Microsoft made available for public download the Community Technology Preview 4 iteration of the SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT CTP4), with full compatibility with the former.

Formerly SQL Server Developer Tools, code-name “Juneau,” the new release comes with customer-driven, targeted improvements, a wide range of them, it seems, in areas such as connected development experience, offline project system, tools and environment features, and more.

The new SSDT CTP4 packs SQL Server Object Explorer (SSOX), a tool window for SSDT in Visual Studio, along with a series of T-SQL Editor usability improvements, with a great focus on ease of use and discoverability for core tasks.

Moreover, the new release comes with the aforementioned SSDT offline project system enhancements when compared to the CTP3 release.

The new release provides SQLCMD variables for being used in Pre-/Post-Deployment scripts and other areas in SSDT projects.

SSDT CTP4 also brings along a change in SSDT’s primary artifact from .sqlx to .dacpac. Part of CTP4 as v2.5 .dacpacs still lacks full support for new DAC v2.0 included in SQL Server 2012.

“This new format is used throughout the SSDT feature set including Import, Build, and Snapshot, Schema Compare and more. This file extension change does not represent a change in functionality, as the new .dacpacs are still a single-file representation of your schema,” Microsoft explains.

“To create an artifact with SSDT that can be used by these two tools, you must enable the creation of a v2.0 on project build. You can do this by checking the “Create additional down-level .dacpac file” option in the Project Settings.”

The new CTP4 iteration also comes with SSDT’s Schema Compare experience changes, as well as with top-level SQL menu that is distinguished from the existing VS2010 Database Project features and environment.

There is also a Data Tools Operations Window to take advantage of, offering visual feedback on operations being carried out in the SSDT stack, along with visual changes in the command line tool when compared to CTP3.

SSDT’s command line tool is called SqlPackage.exe now and offers support for actions such as:

Extract – Create a .dacpac from a live database
Report – Compare two .dacpacs to generate an XML report of the schema differences between the source and the target
Script – Create a valid T-SQL update script that can be used to push changes from the source to the target
Publish – Push a .dacpac to a live database

The new release also comes along with increased support for SQL Server platforms such as SQL Server 2012 and SQL Azure, and more. Those who would like to learn some more info on what was included in the new release should refer to this article on MSDN.

The SQL Server Data Tools CTP4 (SSDT CTP4) can be downloaded from Softpedia as well, via this link.

The Microsoft SQL Server 2012 RC0 is available for download from here.