We are evaluating trial versions of Red Gate’s SQL Toolbelt and Quest Software’s Toad for SQL Server. What are the main differences between these tools? The benefits of using these tools are quite obvious but we are wondering which one is more suitable for a developer and development work? Is Toad for SQL Server more focused on DBA work?

We have purchase SQL Toolbelt License. I have installed all the tools on one of my systems. Hi @qbrt - the SQL Toolbelt user tools (i.e. SQL Prompt, SQL Doc) are per user. Ask, discuss, and solve questions about Redgate's tools. Events & Friends. Meet us at an event, get sponsored, and join our Friends of Redgate.

Redgate once again stepped in, this time with DLM Automation (now SQL Change Automation), another tool in the SQL Toolbelt, which plugs into release management tools like Octopus Deploy, TeamCity, and Team Foundation Server. Redgate SQL Toolbelt is ranked 14th in Database Development and Management vs Toad which is ranked 6th in Database Development and Management with 4 reviews. The top reviewer of Toad writes 'Whatever database issues I have, I use this product to solve them'.

3 Answers

Toad for SQL Sever basically is an alternative to SQL Server Management Studio - it gives you insights into your server, databases, database object etc. and you can execute queries and explore your data. But that's about it.

Red-Gate's Toolbelt is a totally different set of tools - a toolbelt, as the name implies:

• compare databases for structural or 6, which indeed offers intellisense, dependencies and other things.
  There are 3 levels of paying versions and they have comparison tools + many extras which I could not evaluate since I am only using the free version.
  Anyway, since I started using Toad I nearly never go back to SSMS...except for the free RedGate SQL Search, which is a real time saver in some situations.

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Redgate Software is a software company based in Cambridge, England. It develops tools for developers and data professionals and maintains community websites such as SQL Server Central and Simple Talk. It conducts events such as SQL in the City.^[1]

Redgate produces specialized database management tools for Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL and Microsoft Azure. It also produces advanced developer tools for .NET Framework, such as SmartAssembly and .NET Reflector.^[2][3]

From 2007 to 2013 it was featured in the Sunday Times 100 best companies to work for in the United Kingdom.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]} It has won numerous industry awards for its SQL Server management software.^{[11][12][13][14]}

History[edit]

The company was founded by Neil Davidson and Simon Galbraith in October 1999.^[15] It is named after Via Porta Rossa (Red Gate Street) in Florence, Italy, close to where Davidson used to live.^[16]

In 2005, Redgate launched Simple Talk, an online technical journal and community hub for working Microsoft SQL Server and .NET developers, as well as systems and database administrators. The journal is sponsored by Redgate,^[17] but retains editorial independence.^[18] In addition to publishing articles, Simple Talk publishes books,^[19] most of which are available in a digital format.^[20]

On 20 August 2008, Redgate announced it was taking responsibility for future development of the free tool .NET Reflector.^[21]

On 22 March 2010, HyperBac Technologies (formerly known as Xceleon Technologies) was acquired by Redgate.^[22] HyperBac developed SQL software tools and products.

In August 2009, Redgate launched Springboard,^[23] a startup incubator based in Cambridge, UK. For a period of three months Redgate provided living expenses and mentoring for teams to work from Redgate's offices. It was similar to Y Combinator and Techstars in that it provided a small amount of capital up front but no equity was taken.

In 2010, Redgate re-launched Springboard with a different model where teams would again receive investment and mentoring, but this time in exchange for an equity stake. One such recipient of investment-for-equity in 2016 was Berlin-based 3T Software Labs,^[24] makers of Studio 3T,^[25] the IDE for MongoDB, a popular NoSQL database.

On March 7, 2017, at the launch of Microsoft Visual Studio 2017, Microsoft announced the inclusion of Redgate Data Tools in that product. Three components were included: ReadyRoll Core and SQL Prompt Core, both in the Enterprise edition of Visual Studio 2017, and SQL Search in all editions.^[26]

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Red Gate Software announce launch of new website'. Telecomworldwire. 29 April 2005. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
2. ^Kanjilal, Joydip (2015-09-29). 'Protect your assemblies using obfuscation'. InfoWorld.
3. ^Kunk, Joe (2010-06-23). 'Experiencing C# from a VB Developer's Perspective'. Visual Studio Magazine.
4. ^'8th: Red Gate Software'. Sunday Times. 4 February 2007. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
5. ^'39th: Red Gate Software'. Sunday Times. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
6. ^'81st: Red Gate Software'. Sunday Times. 1 March 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
7. ^'14th: Red Gate Software'. Sunday Times. 28 February 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
8. ^'21st: Red Gate Software'. Sunday Times. 27 February 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-04-13. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
9. ^'29th: Red Gate Software'. Sunday Times. 26 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
10. ^'17th: Red Gate Software'. Sunday Times. 3 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
11. ^ ^abcdefghi'2011 SQL Server Magazine Editors' Best and Community Choice Awards'. SQL Server Pro. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
12. ^ ^abcdefghi'2012 SQL Server Pro Editors' Best and Community Choice Awards'. SQL Server Pro. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
13. ^ ^abcd'2013 SQL Server Pro Community Choice Awards'. SQL Server Pro. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
14. ^ ^abcJacobs, Emily (11 November 2015). 'Visual Studio Magazine Announces 2015 Reader's Choice Award Winners'. PRWeb. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
15. ^'Red Gate roadmap'. Red Gate. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
16. ^'About Red Gate Software'. Red Gate. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
17. ^'Communities, Learning, and Events'. Red Gate Software. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
18. ^'About Us'. Simple-Talk. Simple-Talk. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
19. ^'Books Home'. Simple-Talk. Simple-Talk. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
20. ^'Books'. Red Gate Software. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
21. ^Cramblitt, Bob (2008-08-20). 'The Future of .NET Reflector'. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
22. ^'Red Gate acquires HyperBac'. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
23. ^Davidson, Neil. 'The accidental incubator'. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
24. ^'Leading SQL Server tools company'. Cambridge Network. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
25. ^Fearby, Simon. 'Mongochef renamed as Studio 3T'. Fearby.com. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
26. ^'Redgate Data Tools in Visual Studio 2017'. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
27. ^'DBTA 100: The Companies That Matter Most in Data'. Database Trends and Applications. 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
28. ^'DBTA 100 2014 - The Companies That Matter Most in Data'. Database Trends and Applications. 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
29. ^'DBTA 100 2015 - The Companies That Matter Most in Data'. Database Trends and Applications. 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
30. ^'DBTA 100 2016 - The Companies That Matter Most in Data'. Database Trends and Applications. 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
31. ^ ^abc'Visual Studio Magazine Announces 2016 Reader's Choice Award Winners'. PRWeb. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
32. ^'DBTA 100 2017 - The Companies That Matter Most in Data'. Database Trends and Applications. 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
33. ^'Database and Database Management 2017 - SD Times'. SD Times. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
34. ^ ^abcdInc, 1105 Media. 'Visual Studio Magazine Announces 2017 Reader's Choice Award Winners'. GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
35. ^'DevOps Industry Awards Finalists, 2017'. DevOps Industry Awards. Retrieved 2017-12-31.

External links[edit]

• Official website
• Simple Talk (technical journal and community hub)
• SQL Server Central (SQL Server education and community website)
• All Things Oracle (technical journal)