咨询SSDT数据对比功能及数据库项目能否包含表数据

Great question! I totally get why SSDT's Schema Compare is a game-changer for keeping dev database schemas in sync—it's way smoother than the janky workarounds many of us started with. When it comes to data comparison and syncing, you've got a few solid options that play nicely with SSDT or fill that gap directly:

• SSDT's Built-in Data Compare
  You might not have noticed, but Visual Studio (with SSDT installed) actually includes a Data Compare tool right alongside Schema Compare. To use it:

  1. Go to the Tools menu > SQL Server > New Data Comparison
  2. Pick your source (e.g., a reference dev database) and target (your new dev machine's database)
  3. Select the tables/columns you want to compare, then review the differences
  4. You can generate a sync script or apply the changes directly to the target.
     This integrates seamlessly with your existing SSDT workflow, so you can handle both schema and data sync from the same environment.

• SQL Server's tablediff Utility
  If you prefer command-line automation (perfect for scripting new dev machine setups), SQL Server includes the tablediff.exe tool (usually found in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\<version>\COM). It lets you compare table data between two databases and generate a sync script. A basic example:

  tablediff.exe -sourceserver "DEV-SOURCE" -sourcedatabase "MyAppDB" -sourcetable "Users" -destinationserver "NEW-DEV" -destinationdatabase "MyAppDB" -destinationtable "Users" -f "C:\SyncScripts\Users_Sync.sql"
  

  You can wrap this in a batch script to sync multiple tables at once for new dev setups.

• Third-Party Tools
  Tools like Redgate SQL Data Compare or ApexSQL Compare are popular in the dev community because they offer more advanced data comparison features (like filtering specific rows, handling large datasets more efficiently) and can integrate directly with SSDT projects. They let you save comparison settings, making it easy to repeat the sync process for new dev machines without manual setup each time.

• Custom Data Scripts
  For simpler scenarios, you can generate data scripts from your reference database (right-click the database in SSMS > Tasks > Generate Scripts, then choose to script data) and run those scripts on your new dev machine. This is a no-frills approach that works well if you only need to sync static reference data (like lookup tables) regularly.

All these options should cut down the time you spend setting up new dev machines—no more worrying about missing data or manual data entry!

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Don Sartain