Working with Projects

Whenever you compare databases, you set up a project. A project contains the information required to connect to your data sources. A project also contains configuration details such as which project options are set and which objects are selected for synchronization.

When you start SQL Compare, the Comparison Projects dialog box is automatically displayed; if SQL Compare is already running, click Comparison Projects.

The Comparison Projects dialog box displays a list of comparison projects that are saved on your computer. You can:

create or edit a project
copy a project
export a data source (see Exporting Data Sources)
find projects with details that contain specific text
delete a project

SQL Compare project files are saved with the extension .scp in the folder displayed in the Look in box. You can change this folder; see Changing the project folder.

By default, projects are sorted by the date the comparison was last run. To change the sort order of the projects list, click a column heading.

You can provide a description for a project by clicking the Add a comment link. Click an existing comment to edit it.

Creating or editing a project

On the Comparison Projects dialog box, click New to create a new project, or select the project that you want to edit, and click Edit; alternatively, you can double-click a project to edit it.
Set the data sources as required.
It is recommended that you run the comparison and review the results before you change any project options.
Click Compare Now.
SQL Compare displays a message dialog box that shows the progress of the comparison.

If you select the Close dialog box on completion check box, SQL Compare closes this message dialog box automatically the next time that you run a comparison on a project.
If necessary, click OK to close the dialog box.
The comparison results are displayed in the main window.

Copying an existing project

On the Comparison Projects dialog box, select the project that you want to copy, and click Clone.

SQL Compare creates a copy of the project, including its configuration options.

Finding a project

To find projects in the list, type a word or sequence of letters or numbers in the Find box; the list of projects is filtered as you type each character. You can click the Find arrow button to select a recent search from the list.

All the details about your project, including folder names, server paths, comparison dates and comments, are searched.

SQL Compare displays the number of projects that do not match the search criteria as hidden projects, for example:

If there are no matches, the Find box changes color.

To clear the Find box, click the button.

Deleting a project

On the Comparison Projects dialog box, select the project that you want to delete, and click Delete.

SQL Compare deletes the project from your computer.

Changing the project folder

Comparison projects are saved in the folder displayed in the Look in box, by default:

C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\My Documents\SQL Compare\Projects

This folder is created the first time you start SQL Compare after installation. Note that if you installed SQL Compare version 5, and the folder containing your old projects still exists, then SQL Compare will use this folder instead.

To change the folder, select a folder in the Look in box or click to browse to the location.