Azure Data Studio¶

What is Azure Data Studio¶

Azure Data Studio is a cross-platform database tool for data professionals using on-premises and cloud data platforms on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Azure Data Studio offers a modern editor experience with IntelliSense, code snippets, source control integration, and an integrated terminal. It’s engineered with the data platform user in mind, with built-in charting of query result sets and customizable dashboards.

Links:

Features¶

SQL code editor with IntelliSense¶

Azure Data Studio offers a modern, keyboard-focused SQL coding experience that makes your everyday tasks easier with built-in features, such as multiple tab windows, a rich SQL editor, IntelliSense, keyword completion, code snippets, code navigation, and source control integration (Git). Run on-demand SQL queries, view and save results as text, JSON, or Excel. Edit data, organize your favorite database connections, and browse database objects in a familiar object browsing experience. To learn how to use the SQL editor, see Use the SQL editor to create database objects.

Smart SQL code snippets¶

SQL code snippets generate the proper SQL syntax to create databases, tables, views, stored procedures, users, logins, roles, and to update existing database objects. Use smart snippets to quickly create copies of your database for development or testing purposes, and to generate and execute CREATE and INSERT scripts.

Azure Data Studio also provides functionality to create custom SQL code snippets. To learn more, see Create and use code snippets.

Customizable Server and Database Dashboards¶

Create rich customizable dashboards to monitor and quickly troubleshoot performance bottlenecks in your databases. To learn about insight widgets, and database (and server) dashboards, see Manage servers and databases with insight widgets.

Connection management (server groups)¶

Server groups provide a way to organize connection information for the servers and databases you work with. For details, see Server groups.

Integrated Terminal¶

Use your favorite command-line tools (for example, Bash, PowerShell, sqlcmd, bcp, and ssh) in the Integrated Terminal window right within the Azure Data Studio user interface. To learn about the integrated terminal, see Integrated terminal.

Extensibility and extension authoring¶

Enhance the Azure Data Studio experience by extending the functionality of the base installation. Azure Data Studio provides extensibility points for data management activities, and support for extension authoring.

To learn about extensibility in Azure Data Studio, see Extensibility. To learn about authoring extensions, see Extension authoring.

Feature comparison with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)¶

Use Azure Data Studio if you:

Are mostly editing or executing queries.
Need the ability to quickly chart and visualize result sets.
Can execute most administrative tasks via the integrated terminal using sqlcmd or PowerShell.
Have minimal need for wizard experiences.
Do not need to do deep administrative or platform related configuration.
Need to run on macOS or Linux.

Use SQL Server Management Studio if you:

Are doing complex administrative or platform configuration.
Are doing security management, including user management, vulnerability assessment, and configuration of security features.
Need to make use of performance tuning advisors and dashboards.
Use database diagrams and table designers.
Need access to Registered Servers.
Make use of live query stats or client statistics.

Source Control¶

Azure Data Studio supports Git for version/source control.

Git support in Azure Data Studio¶

Azure Data Studio ships with a Git source control manager (SCM), but you still need to install Git (version 2.0.0 or later) before these features are available.

Open an existing Git repository¶

Under the File menu, select Open Folder…
Browse to the folder that contains your files tracked by git, and select Select Folder. Subfolders in your local repository are okay to select here.

Working with Git repositories¶

Azure Data Studio inherits its Git implementation from VS Code, but doesn’t currently support additional SCM providers. For the details about working with Git after you open or initialize a repository, see Git support in VS Code.