DATABASE COMPARISONS UP TO 100% FASTER.

Red Gate Software, Cambridge, U.K., has released SQL Compare 3, a total rewrite of its popular $195 program that makes it simple to compare and synchronize SQL Server database structures.

Benchmark tests and beta trials from customers show that SQL Compare 3 is as much as 100 times faster than its predecessor. Running on a 727-MHz Pentium III laptop with 512 MB of RAM, SQL Compare 3 compared two databases with 60 complex tables and other objects in less than two seconds. The new software created a synchronization script with full transactional logic in less than half a second.

"My database structure is complex and although previous versions of SQL Compare were vital to my success, it would take six to eight hours to complete database comparisons," said Jon Moorman, senior database architect for London Bridge Group, a company that provides software and services to the mortgage industry. "The same database comparison now takes less than 10 minutes."

Increased speed is also evident when generating a database-synching script and running it. SQL Compare 3 uses custom code that can retrieve information and create scripts orders of magnitude faster than the SQL-DMO code used in earlier releases. The new software also rebuilds tables only when strictly necessary, reducing the size of scripts and increasing running speed.

Efficiency for very large databases

SQL Compare 3 has been designed to improve the handling of very large databases. In benchmark testing, comparing and synchronizing two databases with 19,000 stored procedures, 2,000 tables, and several thousand other schema objects took five minutes.

"You can return from a visit to the water cooler and SQL Compare 3 will have compared and synchronized your databases containing tens of thousands of schema objects," said Neil Davidson, Red Gate's technical director.

From V2 to V100

A new user interface is immediately apparent in SQL Compare 3. Although SQL Compare has always been known for simplicity and ease of use, Red Gate has made further improvements based on usability sessions and customer feedback.

"We looked at thousands of pieces of customer feedback that we've received over the four years we've been building comparison tools," said Davidson. "Based on that feedback, we decided to do a total product redesign."

Marius Roets, manager of integration solutions for the Woolworths retail company in South Africa, sees tangible benefits from the new interface.

"It's awesome," he said. "It clearly shows database differences in a way that is easy to understand. You can apply synchronization automatically, eliminating the need for any manual cutting and pasting. The speed and interface improvements have made SQL Compare the central tool for our change control process."

For Adam Cogan, a Microsoft Regional Director and chief architect for Microsoft Solution Provider http://www.ssw.com.au, based in Sydney, Australia, SQL Compare 3 represents a significant change.

"In general," he said, "it feels like I have gone from version 2 to version 100."

Free trial version available

A free, fully functional and supported trial version of SQL Compare 3 can be downloaded from the Red Gate website (www.red-gate.com). The site also provides a video demonstration of the product in action.

About SQL Compare

SQL Compare is a vital tool for 60,000 developers and DBAs worldwide. It can be purchased separately or as part of Red Gate's SQL Bundle, which also includes SQL Data Compare for comparing content and data, and DTS Compare for comparing SQL Servers.

About Red Gate Software

Red Gate Software makes simple tools for Microsoft technology developers and DBAs. The company is a Microsoft Gold Visual Studio .NET launch partner and a VSIP partner. Other developer tools by Red Gate include ANTS Profiler for understanding and fixing .NET code problems, ANTS Load for load-testing .NET web applications, and the Aardvark bug-tracking system.

For more information, call 919/481-4599.