ApexSQL Compare

Spotting differences between code snippets is difficult, so a dedicated utility to highlight the discrepancies is the way to go. If we are talking about SQL, a tool that might be the answer to your search is ApexSQL Compare.

As its name implies, ApexSQL Compare can analyze two separate files or folders to detect similarities and differences. Analyzing folders enables you to explore their content and perform data synchronization, regardless of the type of files the directories store.

You can copy files from one folder to the other and spot differences with ease, as they are colored differently within the comparison table.

If you choose to analyze files, you should know that the application provides support for some of the most popular programming languages and formats, namely C#, C++, HTML, JavaScript, Python, Visual Basic, PostgreSQL,  T-SQL, and XML. Moreover, you can analyze a file and a database object side-by-side after authenticating to an SQL Server instance.

The comparison reveals the differences between the two items by highlighting them using different colors. To help you look for content within the files and compare the text yourself, ApexSQL Compare provides word wrapping, font manipulation, and searching capabilities.

One interesting feature is that you can merge two files and combine the differences to obtain a single document. In other words, you can create a merge script from within the application.

ApexSQL Compare is easy to use and provides support for multiple programming languages in its built-in viewer. It can compare both directories and individual files, while also allowing you to compare a database script with a file. Overall, it is a handy application for both programmers and database owners, who often need to analyze older and newer file versions.