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SQL Server Management Studio Database Engine Query Editor Window

Use the Database Engine Query Editor to create and run Transact-SQL and sqlcmd scripts.

Getting Transact-SQL Help

This topic is the default location for F1 help coming from the Database Engine Query Editor window. If you select F1 after highlighting text in the editor that does not match an F help keyword applied to any Transact-SQL Reference topic, F1 help displays this topic. In that case, there are two approaches to getting additional help:

  • Copy and paste the editor string you highlighted into the search tab of SQL Server Books Online and do a search.

  • Highlight only the part of the Transact-SQL statement likely to match an F keyword applied to a topic, and select F1 again. Examples of the strings to highlight include:

    • The name of a Transact-SQL statement, such as CREATE DATABASE or BEGIN TRANSACTION.

    • The name of a built-in function, such as SERVERPROPERTY, or @@VERSION.

    • The name of a system stored procedure table, or view, such as sys.data_spaces or sp_tableoption.

Features

  • Type scripts in the Query Editor window.

  • To execute scripts, press F5; or click Execute on the toolbar; or on the Query menu, click Execute. If a part of the code is selected, only that part is executed. If no code is selected, all the code in the Query Editor is executed.

  • To obtain help with Transact-SQL syntax, select a keyword in Query Editor, and then click F1.

  • For dynamic help with Transact-SQL syntax, on the Help menu, click Dynamic Help. This opens the Dynamic Help component. With Dynamic Help, help topics appear in the Dynamic Help window when keywords are typed in the Query Editor.

  • The Query Editor supports IntelliSense functionality, such as word and parameter completion. For more information, see Using IntelliSense.

    Note

    Enabling IntelliSense for large Transact-SQL scripts can reduce the performance of slow computers. For information about how to limit the size of Transact-SQL scripts for which IntelliSense is enabled, see Options (Text Editor/Transact-SQL/IntelliSense).

  • The Query Editor provides the Transact-SQL debugger that you can use to help debug Transact-SQL scripts and statements. For more information, see Using the Transact-SQL Debugger.

  • Errors messages are displayed in the following areas:

    • In a Messages tab at the bottom of the window for errors that are returned by the SQL Server Database Engine.

    • In the Error List window for errors that are generated by IntelliSense. For more information, see Error List Window (Management Studio).

    • In the Output or Immediate windows for errors that are generated by the Transact-SQL debugger.

SQL Editor Toolbar

When the Database Engine Query Editor is open, the SQL Editor toolbar appears with the following buttons.

  • Connect
    Opens the Connect to Server dialog box. Use this dialog box to establish a connection to a server.

  • Disconnect
    Disconnects the current Query Editor from the server.

  • Change Connection
    Opens the Connect to Server dialog box. Use this dialog box to establish a connection to a different server.

  • New Query with Current Connection
    Opens a new Query Editor window and uses the connection information from the current Query Editor window.

  • Available Databases
    Change the connection to a different database on the same server.

  • Execute
    Executes the selected code or, if no code is selected, executes all the code in the Query Editor.

  • Debug
    Enables the Transact-SQL debugger. This debugger supports debugging actions such as setting breakpoints, watching variables, and stepping through code.

  • Cancel Executing Query
    Sends a cancellation request to the server. Some queries cannot be canceled immediately, but must wait for a suitable cancellation condition. When transactions are canceled, delays might occur while transactions are rolled back.

  • Parse
    Check the syntax of the selected code. If no code is selected, checks the syntax of the all code in the Query Editor window.

  • Display Estimated Execution Plan
    Requests a query execution plan from the query processor without actually executing the query, and displays the plan in the Execution plan window. This plan uses index statistics as an estimate of the number of rows that are expected to be returned during each part of the query execution. The actual query plan that is used can be different from the estimated execution plan. This can occur if the number of rows that are returned is significantly different from the estimate, and the query processor changes the plan to be more efficient.

  • Query Options
    Opens the Query Options dialog box. Use this dialog box to configure the default options for query execution and for query results.

  • IntelliSense Enabled
    Specifies whether IntelliSense functionality is available in the Database Engine Query Editor.

  • Include Actual Execution Plan
    Executes the query, returns the query results, and the execution plan that was used for the query. These appear as a graphical query plan in the Execution plan window.

  • Include Client Statistics
    Includes a Client Statistics window that contains statistics about the query and about the network packets, and the elapsed time of the query.

  • Results to Text
    Returns the query results as text in the Results window.

  • Results to Grid
    Returns the query results as one or more grids in the Results window.

  • Results to File
    When the query executes, the Save Results dialog box opens. In Save In, select the folder in which you want to save the file. In File name, type the name of the file, and then click Save to save the query results as a Report file that has the .rpt extension. For advanced options, click the down-arrow on the Save button, and then click Save with Encoding.

  • Comment Selection
    Makes the current line a comment by adding a comment operator (--) at the beginning of the line.

  • Uncomment Selection
    Makes the current line an active source statement by removing any comment operator (--) at the beginning of the line.

  • Decrease Line Indent
    Moves the text of the line to the left by removing blanks at the beginning of the line.

  • Increase Line Indent
    Moves the text of the line to the right by adding blanks at the beginning of the line.

  • Specify Values for Template Parameters
    Opens a dialog box that you can use to specify values for parameters in stored procedures and functions.

You can also add the SQL Editor toolbar by selecting the View menu, selecting Toolbars, and then selecting SQL Editor. If you add the SQL Editor toolbar when no Database Engine Query Editor windows are open, all the buttons are unavailable.

SQL Editor Toolbar

When a Database Engine Query Editor window is open, you can add the Debug toolbar by selecting the View menu, selecting Toolbars, and then selecting Debug. If you add the Debug toolbar when no Database Engine Query Editor windows are open, all the buttons are unavailable.

  • Continue
    Runs the code in the Database Engine Query Editor window until a breakpoint is encountered. 

  • Break All
    Sets the debugger to break all processes to which the debugger is attached when a break occurs.

  • Stop Debugging
    Takes the selected Database Engine Query Editor window out of debug mode, and restores the standard execution mode.

  • Show Next Statement
    Moves the cursor to the next statement to be executed.

  • Step Into
    Run the statement after the current statement. If the statement invokes a Transact-SQL stored procedure, function, or trigger, the debugger displays a new Query Editor window that contains the code of the module. The window is in debug mode, and execution is paused on the first statement in the module. You can then move through the module code, for example, by setting breakpoints or stepping through the code.

  • Step Over
    Run the statement after the current statement. If the statement invokes a Transact-SQL stored procedure, function, or trigger, the module is run until it completes and the results are returned to the calling code. If you are sure there are no errors in the module, you can step over it. Execution pauses on the statement that follows the call to the module.

  • Step Out
    Step back to the next highest calling level (function, stored procedure, or trigger). Execution pauses on the statement following the call to the module.

  • Windows
    Opens either the Breakpoint window or the Immediate window.

Change History

Updated content

Corrected the descriptions of Step Into and Step Over.