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Refactoring Databases

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Microsoft Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals includes a database refactoring tool. Refactoring is a well-known concept in object oriented programming languages, but it is also used for databases.

Team Edition for Database Professionals currently supports rename refactoring. You can use rename refactoring to rename a schema object. Other objects that reference the renamed object are automatically updated with the new name. For example, you can rename a column in a table, and any stored procedures that reference that column are automatically updated with the new name.

All refactoring changes that you make are recorded in a log file. Each refactoring operation is recorded in a separate file. For example, if you rename a column in a table, the log file contains a record of the original name, the new name, and all of the referencing objects that were also updated. You can find the refactoring logs at the following location:

YourProjectPath\Refactoring Logs

In This Section

  • Renaming Database Objects
    Contains links to information about how to rename database objects. Contains links to an overview, important considerations, tasks, and troubleshooting information.
  • Database Refactoring Walkthroughs
    Provides links to detailed walkthroughs that cover different areas of refactoring databases with Microsoft Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals.
  • Creating and Updating Version-controlled Database Schemas
    Describes how you can use database projects in combination with version control software to manage database change. This section includes overviews of how you can use database projects in a team environment, how database developers can set up isolated development environments in which to work, and how you can define, build, and deploy database objects.
  • Team Edition for Database Professionals
    Provides links to topics about advanced database development tools, which include change management, data generation, refactoring, and testing tools that help teams to build reliable database applications.
  • Comparing Databases
    Describes how you can use Data Compare to identify similarities and differences in the data that is contained in two databases. This section also describes how you can use Schema Compare to identify structural differences between databases or between a database and a database project. After you compare either data or schemas, you can then update the target to match the source.