dbForge Source Control for SQL Server Feature Highlights:

• Version-control database schemas and static table data
• Use either dedicated or shared development model
• Commit and revert changes with dependency awareness
• View conflicts, resolve inconsistencies, and track changes
• Automate database development with the DevOps approach
• Integrate Source Control directly with SSMS

Supported version control systems
dbForge Source Control supports all the major version control systems, including Azure DevOps Server (previously known as Team Foundation Server a.k.a. TFS), Apache Subversion (SVN), TFVC, Git (including GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket), Mercurial (Hg), Perforce (P4), SourceGear Vault.

• Git
• TFVC
• SVN
• Azure DevOps
• Perforce
• Mercurial
• SourceGear Vault
• Plastic SCM

Git solutions supported by Source Control

• Azure DevOps
  • Make and revert commits
  • Get local or remote changes
  • View and resolve conflicts
  • Track the history of changes
  • Link and unlink static data
• GitHub
  • Create an empty repository from scratch
  • Commit and revert changes
  • View and resolve conflicts
  • Associate commits with GitHub Issues
  • Switch between branches easily
• GitLab
  • Make and revert commits
  • Get local or remote changes
  • Handle conflicts
  • Associate commits with GitLab issues
  • Link and unlink static data
• Bitbucket
  • Commit and revert changes
  • Update your local repository
  • Track the history of changes
  • View and resolve conflicts
  • Work with shared and dedicated models

Everything your software team needs in a single tool

Version control
Management of database changes in SSMS becomes significantly more efficient with integrated source control. It helps developers track all modifications to database objects and prevent unintended changes. With this feature in SSMS, teams can work more reliably, with better consistency and accountability. Key advantages:

• Schema change tracking and monitoring
• Prevention of unintended modifications
• No-conflict concurrent development support
• Rollback and recovery for restoring stable versions
• Consistent deployment across environments
• Comprehensive auditing

Collaboration
Once version control becomes available in SSMS, collaboration in database development becomes significantly more efficient. Multiple developers can work on the same database without conflicts through branching, merging, and object locking. This option minimizes the risk of overwriting and improves coordination across teams. Key advantages:

• Branching for isolated feature/fix development
• Retrieval of changes made by other developers
• Object locking to avoid conflicts
• Conflict prevention and resolution
• Change tracking for more transparent communication and history

Rollback and recovery
Source control in SSMS is incomplete without a mechanism for rollback and recovery, allowing users to track and revert changes to previous stable versions of database objects. This option minimizes the risk of data loss and errors, ensuring stable, reliable environments for teams. Key advantages:

• Version history for reviewing and recovery
• Quick reversion of faulty changes
• Safe area for work and experiments
• Fast restoration of stable versions
• Version consistency and reliability

Compliance and auditing
The feature of source control in SSMS helps teams ensure compliance and meet the required auditing standards. It maintains a detailed, chronological history of all database changes, capturing who made each change, as well as when and why. Key advantages:

• Detailed change tracking with timestamps
• Full audit for internal and external reviews
• Identification of each contributor
• Documented change history for regulatory compliance
• Transparency for governance and quality control

Benefits of SQL source control for development and business operations

• Faster and safer development - Source control reduces the risk of human error and helps teams develop and test databases more efficiently.
• Reduced downtime and risks - A detailed history of changes and rollback capabilities allow teams to identify and revert problematic changes quickly.
• Improved software deployment - The add-in integrates with CI/CD pipelines, supporting consistent, automated, and tested database deployments.
• Cost efficiency and business continuity - With source control, teams can significantly lower operational costs and achieve uninterrupted business operations.