This chapter is all about managing SQL Server databases and building data-aware applications using Visual Studio.
Six different Visual Studio tools enable you to interact with a database and assist with building applications that leverage data from a database:
Solution Explorer
Server Explorer
SQL Server Object Explorer
Database Diagram Designer
Table Designer
Query and View Designer
Collectively, they are referred to as the SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT). You first came across a few of these tools in Chapter 5, “Browsers and Explorers.” Now this chapter explores how developers use these tools to create database solutions.
Project templates for database maintenance are also provided as part of the SQL Server Data Tools.
We start by examining how to build databases and database objects with the SSDT. From there, we can cover the specifics of creating data-aware applications with data-bound controls.
Some tools may not be available or may function differently depending on the version of SQL Server you use. Here, we focus on using Visual Studio 2015 with SQL Server 2014.