Every DBA that I have ever known has his/her own tool belt. Usually a tool belt consists of tools that you are in need of while currently working on a project. I take this in a literal sense being if I am working on framing I’ll have my hammer, nails, screwdriver, drill, etc. Taking that concept into the DBA realm of things; when working on a project I still like to go in with my tool belt. I work in an environment that is generous enough to afford our team the Red Gate tool belt. In the tool belt we have such things as:

• SQL Backup
• SQL Compare
• SQL Comparison SDK
• SQL Data Compare
• SQL Data Generator
• SQL Dependency Tracker
• SQL Doc
• SQL Monitor Installer
• SQL Multi Script
• SQL Object Level Recovery Native
• SQL Packager
• SQL Prompt
• SQL Search
• SQL Source Control
• SQL Tab Magic

While all these tools are each effective in their own right I went one step further and grabbed the freebie from Red Gate called SQL Scripts Manager. I won’t go into much detail here on what SQL Scripts Manager is but I would highly recommend you check it out; in it you will find a plethora of information via scripts that you can tailor to meet your needs within your respective businesses. Authors such as Tim Ford, Gail Shaw, and Phil Factor comprise many scripts for tasks such as backups, diagnostics, DMV’s, and indexes.

Take time to check out this great tool; another instance of how great the SQL Community really is in sharing ideas and thoughts.