Decent simple SQL Server client

Question

does anyone know of a very simple SQL Server client tool - that does the same basic functions as Management Studio (i.e. choose a database and run a query - doesn't need an Object Explorer, or anything fancy)?

Ideally it would be great to have a single exe or zip file version that I could take around on a USB key - anything to avoid installing the full set of SQL Server client tools all the time

Solution 1

Mini SQL Query...

https://github.com/paulkohler/minisqlquery

Note

If you are having errors, log an issue at https://github.com/paulkohler/minisqlquery/issues rather than sending a down-vote to stack-overflow, that won't help the open source project! Over the years I have managed to reproduce and fix most errors, several of them are logged via codeplex, many by email - some are harder to diagnose and fix due to not having the same platform setup but even a stack trace with the DB type is a help.

PK :-)

• It's a about 2mb download (SQLite is included by default now)
• Connects to SQL Server (or many other ADO.NET provider enabled databases such as Access, SQLite or even Excel files etc)
• Requires .NET v3.5 as a minimum to run
• Supports basic SQL Syntax highlighting
• Can export data and create insert data scripts
• Can run off USB drive
• Has an 'Database Inspector'
• Has a 'quick table viewer'
• Contains simple statement generation
• Has an inbuilt 'code generator'

The official tool blurb:

Mini SQL Query is a minimalist SQL query tool for multiple databases (MSSQL, MSSQL CE, SQLite, OLEDB, MS Access/Excel files etc). The tool uses a generic schema engine taking advantage of the ADO.NET providers. Mini SQL Query is also easily extended with plugins.

The whole reason it came about was the need to run queries on remote machines with little access, slow links, can run off a USB key etc etc ;-)

PK :-)

Solution 2

Try Query Express. Its free and small (100 KB executable).

Solution 3

I searched for a tool that was truly portable and did not require a prerequisite like the .NET framework or a Java virtual machine. I found HeidiSQL which works for SQL Server and MySQL, and it's free. It offers either an installer or a portable version and is still under active development.

Solution 4

I keep a copy of the old isqlw.exe and the 2-3 DLLs that are needed for it. That is, the SQL 2000 Query Analyzer. It runs from an USB drive, no install needed.

Solution 5

Check out Toad for Sql Server. It's large, but not quite as gnarly as SSMS. http://www.toadworld.com/m/freeware/550.aspx

View more solutions

Comments

[John]

Thanks everyone - I ended up using sqlcmd for the problem at hand, but the Mini SQL Query tool looks exactly like what I want for this sort of thing in the future! I appreciate all the suggestions.

[Abhijeet]

try heidiSQL, no installation required.

[Paul Kohler]

PS: It relies on .net v2 or greater being installed...

[Ashish Gupta]

Thats cool. Could you please tell me which dlls are needed?

[Stian Storrvik]

Not gonna downvote, cause this is just personal experience, but this program was really really crap for me - hanging all the time, and error messages popping up behind all my other windows. I don't understand how it's possible to create a db tool that uses synchronized queries to the database...

[GuiGS]

It throws exception on initialization: System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException: O sistema de configuração falhou ao inicializar ---> System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException: Seção de configuração não reconhecida system.serviceModel. (C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\Config\machin‌​e.config line 134) em System.Configuration.ConfigurationSchemaErrors.ThrowIfErrors‌​(Boolean ignoreLocal)

[Paul Kohler]

have a look at line 134 of your machine.config

[Aaron D]

This also requires the .NET framework, 2.0+

[HimalayanCoder]

adding a remote server is painful. Could have been much simpler with Server , Username and Password.

[HimalayanCoder]

Much Simpler and better than Mini SQL Query.

[RalphChapin]

version 0.81 requires .Net 4 and MySQL now requires $5.

[Cees Timmerman]

Beware that HeidiSQL is slow at exporting, and produces SQL statements that are too big to import.

[Cees Timmerman]

'Twas too hard for me. The red icons were suspicious, but why go through the trouble of listing all options in the setup and the GUI when not including the actual drivers, even for the ones you explicitly selected during install?

[Aaron D]

SQuirrel SQL requires Java

[toha]

I love it just 7MB take memory ram

[darkconeja]

works like a charm

[quetzalcoatl]

Worth noting that it comes from the author of LINQPad (and is advertised as "query tool for those not yet ready for LinqPad" lol)