General
ApexSQL add-ins general FAQs
SSMS and Visual Studio support
What versions of SSMS does ApexSQL Complete support?
ApexSQL Complete supports integration SSMS with SSMS 2012 and higher
You can use the latest full-featured backwards compatible SSMS for free. Click here
Which SQL Server versions are supported?
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and higher
What SQL Server editions are supported?
SQL Server Express, Standard, and Enterprise editions
Does ApexSQL Complete support Azure SQL Database or SQL Server on Amazon RDS?
Yes. ApexSQL Complete supports Azure SQL Database and SQL Server on Amazon RDS
Can all ApexSQL add-ins co-exist in a single SSMS instance?
The add-in can be used directly from SSMS and Visual Studio alongside any other ApexSQL add-in
I have multiple SQL Server versions. Can the add-in run on all of them?
Yes. Select the SSMS versions the add-in should be integrated in during its installation process
What Visual Studio version does the add-in support?
Support is offered for Visual Studio 2010 and higher
Can the add-in run on multiple versions of Visual Studio?
Can I remove ApexSQL Complete from Visual Studio while retaining them in SSMS?
SQL code complete
Does the add-in support encrypted objects?
Yes, the add-in fully supports encrypted objects including auto-completing their names, accessing their parameters and displaying their structure
Is it possible to disable the auto-complete?
Yes. To do so, click Disable auto-complete in the ApexSQL Complete menu:
Can I use another key to insert an item from the auto-complete list?
In the ApexSQL Complete menu, click Options and navigate to the Inserts tab. To specify which keys to be used as insertion keys, select the checkbox next to the displayed key:
Can I set my own aliases?
Yes. In the ApexSQL Complete menu, click Options and navigate to the Aliases tab where you can specify a custom alias for each object from all available SQL Server instances and databases:
Can I control the formatting of the auto-completed code?
In the ApexSQL Complete menu, click Options and navigate to the General tab. The automatically inserted keyword's case can be specified there.
For more formatting and refactoring options, please see the ApexSQL Refactor product page:
Can I control when the auto-complete list will pop-up?
In the ApexSQL Complete menu, click Options and navigate to the Hints tab. To specify the scenarios in which you do not want auto-complete to appear, simply deselect the appropriate checkboxes:
How do I invoke auto-complete manually?
You can invoke auto-complete at any time by pressing Ctrl+Space
How can I navigate through auto-complete list?
Use the Up/Down keys or the mouse wheel to scroll through the auto-complete list
Can the auto-complete list be made transparent?
Yes, in the case where a quick overview of current SQL code is needed, when working with large scripts, to invoke the hint list transparency, the Ctrl key needs to be pressed:
How can I make ApexSQL Complete run faster?
In the ApexSQL Complete menu, click Refresh cache to ensure that the auto-complete cache contains the latest database schema
Can I speed up the process of loading hints?
Yes, cache loading speed depends on numbers of objects (hints) selected. To speed up loading, exclude unwanted hints from the Hints tab under the Options window:
Can I see the SQL script of the selected object in the hint list?
Yes, right after the object in the hint-list is selected, the Object script box appears showing the T-SQL script for the selected object:
Are there options for closing characters such as quotation marks, parenthesis?
Yes, the auto-completions options can be enabled under the Inserts tab of the Options window
Are there options for setting the aliases?
Yes, under the Inserts tab of the Options window there are options for setting aliases
Does ApexSQL Complete have option to automatically enclose identifiers in square brackets?
Yes, in the Inserts tab of the Options window, check the Enclose identifiers within square brackets option:
Now, when some objects from the hint-list are chosen, they will be enclosed in square brackets:
Can I create CRUD procedures e.g. Create, Insert, Update, Delete?
Can I replace any text with the appropriate keyword?
Yes, using the Auto-replacement feature you can speed up coding assigning and auto-replacement token, for common typing mistakes (e.g. Adress -> Address), frequently used SQL commands (e.g. Create table), frequently used objects, etc.
When the specified string is typed, and hit one of the insertion keys, it will be auto-replaced with the object name:
What is the difference between auto-replacements and snippets?
Auto-replacements cannot be accessed from the hint list. The add-in will just replace the text according to the auto-replacement specification. On the other hand, snippets can be accessed from the hint list, and they appear according to the context of a query
Export and Import data options
Can I export data from the Result grid into Excel?
Yes, In ApexSQL Complete there is the Export to Excel feature that is used to export results from the Results grid to Excel:
Can I convert the data from the Result grid to some other format (e.g.HTML)?
Yes, under the Copy results as sub-menu, there are three commands for coping data results in the different format:
The Copy query as XML, CSV, and HTML option allows you to copy the results from the SSMS/Visual Studio results grid and paste it into one of three mentioned formats.
With the Copy result as Insert statement option, a user can copy data from Results grid into clipboard as Insert statements for the future use.
Copy result as an In clause allows you to copy data from one or more fields in the column into the clipboard as IN clause
Can I export my (settings) options and import them to another machine?
Yes, all options can export to the appropriate location on another machine where ApexSQL Complete is already installed:
Search data
Can I search data in the Results grid of SSMS/Visual Studio?
Yes, to search through the data in the Results grid you can use the Results search feature:
How can I find an object in the Object Explorer pane?
To perform a quick object search over a database in order to find SQL Server database objects and get the appropriate information (e.g. how many tables have the same name in the database with different schemas) or to locate objects in the Object Explorer pane in SSMS, the Go to object feature can be very useful:
Can I find SQL Server database object in the Object Explorer pane form a query window?
Yes, right-click on the name of the object in the query window and from the query window context menu use the Navigate to object command:
SQL code snippets
Does ApexSQL Complete support creating SQL snippets?
Can I share SQL snippets with others?
Yes, each snippet is a separate .xml file and using the Import/Export options in the Snippets tab of the Options window, all snippets can be saved as a compressed file and used across the team:
Can I create SQL snippet from a query window?
Yes, in a query window select the desired SQL code, right click and from the context menu, choose the New snippet command:
Safe SQL coding practices
Can I prevent execution of potentially dangerous queries?
Yes, in ApexSQL Complete there is the Execution alerts feature that can block query execution and produce a warning message. For example, if it is attempted to execute a Delete statement, without a Where clause:
Can I set my own rule that will block query to be executed?
Yes, under the Execution alerts tab of the Options window, press the New button and in the New alert window, set a desired condition:
Can I share execution alerts with others?
Yes, under the Execution alerts tab of the Options dialog, using the Import/Export options, any and all alerts can be saved as a compressed file and used across the team:
Can I execute SQL statements without making any changes in a database?
Yes, activating the Test mode feature which allows executing a query without making any changes to a database:
How can I know that the Test mode feature is activated?
When Test mode is enabled, SSMS/ Visual Studio status bar is colored red. This means that any executed query will not make any changes to a database’s actual structure:
Can I track opened and resent closet queries?
Yes, in ApexSQL Complete there is the Tab navigation feature which can be used to organize and save opened tabs, explore closed tabs and re-use them:
Is the Tab navigation feature by default enabled?
No, to enable the Tab navigation feature, from the Options window check the Enable tab navigation option, under the Tab navigation tab:
Is there an option to restore a previously work after SSMS/Visual Studio crashes?
Yes, to ensure that all opened tabs will be recovered and opened on the next host application start, the Restore previous session after crash option must be checked:
Can I set/change connection color of the query tabs?
Yes, the ApexSQL Complete Tab coloring feature can set custom connection colors for individual instances of SQL Server, down to the database level. SQL Server instances and databases can be assigned to a specific environment to help quickly identify which connection a tab is currently using
Executed SQL code
Is there a feature that will collect all my executed queries over a time?
Yes, ApexSQL Complete has the Executed queries feature. With this feature you can manage executed queries, search its content and re-use them:
Can I reuse executed SQL queries?
Yes, content of executed SQL queries can be copied from the details pane, or double-click on the desired query from the list, it will automatically put the query content in a new query window: