ApexSQL Propagate

Manipulating the content of SQL Server databases can be done using SQL scripts, which are collections of user-defined commands and statements. ApexSQL Propagate is an application that can connect to multiple SQL server databases and execute one or more SQL scripts against all of them.

You start by creating a new list of SQL scripts, which can contain any number of .SQL files. Once the list is created, there is one more thing you need to do, namely to choose the databases that ApexSQL Propagate will connect to. Obviously, you need to have one of the supported SQL Server versions deployed your computer to be able to set up the connections.

All the loaded database connections and the list of SQL scripts are displayed in dockable windows within the GUI, alongside the SQL script viewer. The latter is not actually a simple viewer, as you get to alter the content of the loaded SQL script in a panel that features line numbering and syntax highlighting. Thus, we are in fact talking about an editor. Creating new SQL scripts is also possible.

ApexSQL Propagate can host multiple script lists and database connections, which allows you to conveniently execute those SQL scripts against all or some of the opened databases. It enables you to parse scripts first, just to check for mistakes. The execution results can be previewed within its main window and exported to a CSV file for later reference.

The components of a list can be tampered with and, what's more important, entire script lists can be merged into a single file. You can define the script order in the output, which ultimately affects the order of execution. Joining SQL scripts saves you the effort of having to select all the scripts manually.

ApexSQL Propagate makes script execution a breeze, considering it allows connections to more than one SQL server database. It is intuitive and easy to use, requiring just basic experience with SQL Server so anyone can use it without getting stuck. In other words, it is a good tool to have if you are using SQL Server and want to run different commands against your databases.