ApexSQL Model 2019 – Screen shot tour

Installation

The ApexSQL Model installation wizard is simple and contains only three steps to finish the installation.

The ApexSQL Model welcome screen will be shown in the first step of the installation:

Installation wizard for the ApexSQL Model

The Software Transaction Agreement can be review in the next step:

Software Transaction Agreement

The next step allows user to choose in which folder ApexSQL Model should be installed and whether or not to create a desktop icon:

ApexSQL Model installation wizard

The next step allows user to choose in which of SQL Server Management Studio or Visual Studio hosts to integrate ApexSQL Model (only installed SQL Server Management Studio and Visual Studio versions will be available):

Integration of SQL data modeling tool in SQL Server Management Studio and Visual Studio

In the last step of the installation, the user can choose whether or not to run the ApexSQL Model. This step confirms that installation is successfully done:

ApexSQL Model

The ApexSQL Model main menu contains the following four tabs:

  • Home
  • Actions
  • View
  • Resources

In the Home tab we can find the following options:

  • New – creates a new model
  • Open – opens an existing model
  • Edit – used to edit model options
  • Save – saves the current model

Tables, Relationship, Schema, Note can be added using SQL data modeling tool

In the Actions tab we can find three sections:

  • Add
  • Engineer
  • External

The Add section contains the following functions:

  • Table – is used to create a new table on the diagram
  • Relationship – adds new relationship between tables
  • Schema – adds a new schema
  • Note – adds a new note on the diagram

Table, Relationship and Schemas can be added

The Engineer section contains the following functions:

  • Create database – is used to create a database from the model
  • Create script – is used to create a script of objects on the diagram
  • Update database – is used to update the database from the model
  • Create Model – is used to create a model from the database

SQL Server data model tool is used to Create and Update database

The External section contains the following functions:

  • Compare to database – is used to compare model to a database using ApexSQL Diff
  • Compare to model is used to compare model to a snapshot using ApexSQL Diff
  • Document – documents a model using ApexSQL Doc

Compare to database, Document database using SQL Server data model

In the View tab we can find three sections:

  • Display
  • Find
  • Show panels

The Display section contains Layout (Orthogonal, Compact orthogonal, Direct orthogonal, Circular, Hierarchical, Tree) and Edge routing (Orthogonal, Polyline, Channel, Organic) options. Also, there is a Show labels option for showing or hiding dependencies types, Show hidden objects and Hide selected objects:

Display options for the ApexSQL Model

Buttons for hiding or showing Object browser and Overview panels can be found in the Show panels section:

Show panel options in the ApexSQL Model

The Resources tab is the fourth and final panel which includes options that allow users to get in contact with the Quest support team and to handle support and services:

ApexSQL Model Resources window

Main window

When ApexSQL Model is started, the main window will be shown:

The main window of the SQL data modeling tool

Crate model button is used to Create a model from a database. When the Create model button is used, the dialog SQL Server connection and other options will appear:

Create model using SQL Server data model tool

The data model diagram is shown when the selected database is imported:

List of tables using modeling tool

From the Object filter tab, only selected object will be loaded:

The selected object will be loaded into the modeling tool

Only selected objects are loaded and shown on the main diagram:

Only selected objects are loaded using ApexSQL Model

Model level options

The Model options window will appear when the Edit button under the Home tab is clicked. The Model window contains two tabs General and Output which allow users to edit options on project level:

Edit model options

Location of the rollback and backup file can be selected; also, the templates of the model script and file locations can be defined:

Output options for a modeling tool

The ApexSQL Diff project file which will be used for creating a sync script, updating the database and allows customization of the selected database. Also, the ApexSQL Diff CLI switches can be specified to update a database:

CLI switches can be specified to update a database

The header of the script can be customized and added:

Optional output elements in SQL modeling tool

Under the header and footer options customize script header and footer:

Header and footer can be defined

Engineering

To create database click on the Create database button under the Actions tab. Create database window will appear:

Create database using SQL data modeling tool

When the Open script button is clicked, by default, the integrated script editor will be opened. Now the script can be executed, updated or viewed:

Integrated script editor in the modeling tool

Update database button is used to update a database from the current model. When the button is clicked the Update database window will appear. Here we can choose which of the database we want to update:

Update database with ApexSQL Model

Execute now button will automatically update the chosen database without showing a SQL script:

Update selected database

The database will be updated, and the message will be shown:

Database updated with modeling tool

Features

When ApexSQL Diff is installed locally, it allows users to use Compare to database and Compare to model features.

Compare to database is used to compare database with another database:

Compare to database using SQL Server data modeling toll

Compare to model button is used to compare a current model with another model:

Compare to model with ApexSQL Model

The Document button allows us to document the current model using the ApexSQL Doc tool (to use this feature ApexSQL Doc must be installed locally):

Modeling tool can document database

Add table window will appear when the Table button is clicked from the Actions tab. Now the newly created table will be added into the model:

Add table form for SQL data modeling tool

The constraints can be added when tables are created. By clicking on the button, the Add constraint window will appear:

Add constraint using a modeling tool

The constraints can be edited by clicking on the button and the Edit constraint window will appear:

Edit constraint with a modeling tool

The constraints can be deleted by clicking on the button.

For the indexes is the same process as for the constraints. An index can be added when the table is created by clicking on the button and Add index window will appear:

Add index using a modeling tool

The index can be edited by clicking on the button. The Edit index window will appear:

Edit index with ApexSQL Model

The indexes can be deleted by clicking on the button.

The Relationship button is used to create a new relationship between tables:

The relationship can be added wit modeling tool

The Edit relationship window will be opened when double-click on the relationship from the main diagram is registered. Relationship type, cardinality, and optional table can be changed:

Edit relationship

To add new a schema, click the Schema button in the Actions tab then a name can be specified:

Schemas can be added with SQL data modeling

A note can be added by clicking the Note button from the Actions section or right-click anywhere on the empty space in the main diagram:

Add note

The Search button is used to search tables and relationships on the existing model, double click on the name of the chosen object, this will automatically find positions of that object on the main diagram:

Search object with ApexSQL model

The Print button is used to print the current model from the diagram:

Print SQL objects

Under the Layout tab, the Scale and other Print options can be predefined:

SQL object can be pretend using ApexSQL Model

Under the Page tab, Orientation, Margins and Size options can be defined:

Print page with objects from the SQL

Under the Additional tab, Date and time, Image and Custom text can be defined:

Custom print page for ApexSQL Model

All export options are grouped under one Export button in the Home tab:

Export model options

The same options can be found in the right-click context menu:

Options from the right-click context menu

Export model as an image. The current model from the diagram can be exported into PNG, JPG and Bitmap image files:

Export image with ApexSQL Model

Selected image (export selected tables as an image):

Selected image will be exported

Export Snapshot (export models as a snapshot): This feature allows us to quickly save the current state of the model, so if something goes wrong saved snapshot can be easily loaded. Also, it is easy to send snapshot to another user. Snapshots can be used later by other ApexSQL applications:

Snapshot can be saved

To load a saved snapshot, click on the Create model from the Actions ribbon tab and from the Sources chose Snapshot:

Create model with snapshot using SQL data modeling tool

Export SQL script exports model as a SQL script. Created script will be opened with SQL Server Management Studio:

Export SQL script using ApexSQL Model

Create script from the Action ribbon tab is similar like a previous example, but here we can chose which tables we want to add into SQL script.

Export only selected SQL scripts using ApexSQL Model

The SQL script can be opened with Integrated editor and SQL Server Management Studio. Output action and editor can be found in the Output tab from the Options window:

Output section

Integrated editor example:

Integrated SQL Script generated by ApexSQL Model

SQL Server Management Studio example:

SQL Script

Application options

The General tab from the Options window contains Auto save, Theme, Text and Version number options. All these options can be defined:

General options

Under the Table style tab Profiles, Rows, Syntax highlighting, Columns, Keys, Header and Grouping options can be defined:

Table style setings

Under the Output tab, File locations and templates, Output action and editor, ApexSQL Diff project, Optional output elements and Header and footer options can be defined:

ApexSQL Model Output options

Under the Shortcuts tab, application shortcuts can be defined:

Shortcuts

Resources

By clicking on the About button, the user can see the details of the application version:

About form for the ApexSQL Model

Get updates button is used to update the ApexSQL Model with the newest published version (if available):

Update the ApexSQL Model

ApexSQL Model can be integrated into SQL Server Management Studio. The main menu of ApexSQL Model add-in for SQL Server Management Studio:

The SQL modeling tool can be integrated into SQL Server Management Studio

Crating model from SQL Server Management Studio can be easily done with a right-click on desired databases in Object Explorer | Create model:

Create model from the SQL Server Management Studio

 

December 31, 2019