Query and Text Editors (SQL Server Management Studio)

You can use one of the SQL Server Management Studio editors to interactively edit and test a Transact-SQL, MDX, DMX, or XML/A script, or to edit an XML or plain text file. Each editor is supported by a language-specific service that colors keywords, and checks for syntax and usage errors. The Database Engine Query Editor includes a Transact-SQL debugger that you can use to help fix problems in Transact-SQL code.

SQL Server Management Studio Editors

The four editors in Management Studio share a common architecture. The text editor implements the base level of functionality, and can be used as a basic editor for text files. The other three editors, or query editors, extend this base of functionality by including a language service that defines the syntax of one of the languages supported in SQL Server. The query editors also implement varying levels of support for editor features such as IntelliSense and debugging. The query editors include the Database Engine Query Editor for use in building scripts containing Transact-SQL and XQuery statements, the MDX editor for the MDX language, the DMX editor for the DMX language, and the XML/A editor for the XML for Analysis language.

Common Components

All of the editors in Management Studio share these components:

• Code Pane
  The area where you enter your queries or text. In the query editors, it contains the statement builder features available for your language. The text editing environment supports find and replace, bulk commenting, and custom fonts and colors.

  You can set options that affect the behavior of text in the code pane as it relates to indenting, tabbing, dragging and dropping of text, and so forth. Query windows can be configured to operate as either tabs in the document window, or in separate documents.

• Selection Margin
  A column of white space between the margin indicator bar and the code text where you can click to select lines of text. You can hide or display the selection margin.

• Horizontal and Vertical Scroll Bars
  Allows you to scroll the code pane horizontally and vertically so that you can view the code that extends beyond the viewable edges of the code pane.

• Line Numbering
  Displays line numbers to the left of the text or code in the Editor. You can navigate to specific line numbers.

• Word Wrap
  Displays long lines of text or code as multiple lines, enabling you to see all the text on the line. Word wrap does not affect the way text appears when it is executed or printed. Word wrap is turned on from the Tools, Options dialog box, on either the Text Editor, All Languages, General page, or on a specific editor page.

Code Editor Components

The code editors contain these features in addition to the ones shared with the text and XML editors:

• Results
  This window is used to view the results of a query. The window can display the results in grid or in text, or the results can be directed to a file. Result grids can be displayed as separate tabbed windows.

• IntelliSense
  In the Editors, on the Edit menu, point to IntelliSense, to view the Microsoft IntelliSense options.

• Color Coding
  Displays different colors for each type of syntax element, which improves the readability of complex statements.

• Code Outlining
  Displays code groups with outlining lines to the left of the code. Code groups can be collapsed and expanded to make it easier to review your code.

• Template
  Templates are files that include the basic structure of the statements needed to create objects in a database. They can be used to speed the authoring of scripts.

• Messages
  Displays errors, warnings, and informational messages that are returned by the server when a script is run. The list of messages does not change until the script is run again.

• Status Bar
  Displays system information that is associated with the Query Editor window, such as which instance the Query Editor is connected to.

Database Engine Query Editor Components

These components are only available in the Database Engine Query Editor:

• Debugger
  Enables you to pause the execution of code on specific statements. You can then view data and system information to help you find errors in the code.

• Error List
  Displays syntax and semantic errors found by IntelliSense. The list of errors changes dynamically as you edit Transact-SQL scripts.

• Graphical Showplan
  Displays the logical steps built into the execution plan of a Transact-SQL statement.

• Client Statistics
  Displays information about the query execution grouped into categories. When Include Client Statistics is selected from the Query menu, a Client Statistics window is displayed upon query execution. Statistics from successive query executions are listed along with the average values. Select Reset Client Statistics from the Query menu to reset the average.

• Code Snippets
  Templates you can use as a starting point when adding statements in the Database Engine Query Editor. You can insert the pre-defined snippets supplied with SQL Server, or add your own snippets.

• SQLCMD Mode
  Runs Transact-SQL scripts that include the set of commands supported by the sqlcmd utility. For more information, see sqlcmd How-to Topics.

Editor Tasks

See Also

Reference

SQL Server Management Studio Keyboard Shortcuts