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Visual SourceSafe can be integrated with SQL Server Management Studio 2008 to facilitate team activities and enable parallel development. We can version control Table, Stored Procedure, Trigger, Rule, etc. in SQL Server 2008.

We cannot directly version control the SQL objects, such as stored procedures and tables, in SQL Server Management Studio. However, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) does provide a mechanism to create scripts for most object types. We could create scripts for the database and all its objects via Management Studio, save them to a solution and then add the solution to source control.

In this article, we will see how to add solution/project into source control in SSMS. Here are the steps we can follow:

1. We need to install Visual SourceSafe on the machine hosting SQL Server SSMS.

2. Open SQL Server Management Studio 2008, and click menu Tools -> Options -> Source Control. In the Source Control page, we can select Microsoft Visual SourceSafe as the current source control plug-in.

3. Open an existing project/solution or create a new one through the SQL Server Management Studio menu File. We can open the solution explorer by click menu View -> Solution Explorer.

4. Next, we need to add the solution/project into source control by right-click the solution/project file and clicking Add Solution to Source Control menu. The following dialog box will prompt out:

5. In the Log On to SourceSafe Database dialog box, please enter the credentials and click OK. Then we need to choose a location in the VSS project tree:

6. Now we can add new item/ existing item/ new connection/ new query by right-clicking the project file and click Add. These items will be in the Pending Checkins window. After checking in, the items will be under source control by VSS.

In the following articles, I will talk about VSS integration with SQL Server 2000 and 2005.

The SQL Server-based Source Control Software Designed to be a SourceSafe Replacement

The Fastest SourceSafe Remote Access Tool Recommeded by Microsoft

Links:
Previous article <<<<: Integrating SourceSafe / VSS with Access 2003
Next article >>>>: Integrating SourceSafe / VSS with SQL Server 2005
SourceSafe How To series home page: VSS / SourceSafe Tutorial

In previous article, I wrote about how to integrate SourceSafe with Access 2007. This time, I will write about integrating SourceSafe with Access 2003. There is common information in the previous article. Please take a look at that article first at: http://www.kevingao.net/sourcesafe/integrating-sourcesafe-vss-with-access-2007.html

The steps of integrating VSS and Access 2003 are similar:

1. Install Access 2003 source code control add-in. It can be downloaded from:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=2ea45ff4-a916-48c5-8f84-44b91fa774bc&displaylang=en

2. Choose SourceSafe as the current SCC (Source Code Control) provider. For information on how to do it, see this: http://www.kevingao.net/sourcesafe/microsoft-source-code-control-interface-msscci-registry-entries.html

3. Open the database in Access 2003 and you will find the SourceSafe command under the Tools menu.

4. Add the database into source control of SourceSafe by clicking menu Tools -> SourceSafe -> Add Database to SourceSafe.

(Add Access database to SourceSafe)

5. Log into a SourceSafe database and select the location to store the project.

(Log in SourceSafe)

(Add the project to SourceSafe)

6. Add the Access objects into SourceSafe.

(Add Access objects into SourceSafe)

7. Now the objects are in the source control of SourceSafe. You can find the SourceSafe functions by clicking menu Tools -> SourceSafe.

You can also access some of the functions by right-clicking the items.

The SQL Server-based Source Control Software Designed to be a SourceSafe Replacement

The Fastest SourceSafe Remote Access Tool Recommeded by Microsoft

Links:
Previous article <<<<: Integrating SourceSafe / VSS with Access 2007
Next article >>>>: Integrating SourceSafe / VSS with SQL Server 2008
SourceSafe How To series home page: VSS / SourceSafe Tutorial

With Access Source Code Control add-in, Visual SourceSafe can be integrated into MS Access to source control Access queries, forms, reports, macros, modules and data.

SourceSafe stores each Access objects as a text file. When you add an Access object to SourceSafe, Access exports the object to a text file in the working folder. Then the Access Source Code Control add-in adds the file to SourceSafe Database. When you check out/get an Access object from SourceSafe, the Access Source Code Control add-in copies the corresponding text file from SourceSafe to the working folder. Then Access imports the text file into MS Access database and turns the file into the appropriate Access object.

To integrate SourceSafe with Access 2007, please follow the steps below:

1. Install Access 2007 Developer Extensions, which includes source code control component. You can download it from: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d96a8358-ece4-4bee-a844-f81856dceb67&displaylang=en

2. Choose SourceSafe as the current SCC (Source Code Control) provider. For information on how to do it, see this: http://www.kevingao.net/sourcesafe/microsoft-source-code-control-interface-msscci-registry-entries.html

3. Open the database in Access 2007.

4. Add the database into source control of SourceSafe. Click menu Source Control and click Add Database to SourceSafe button.

(Add Access database to SourceSafe)

5. Then Access will prompt the following warning dialog box. Click Yes.

6. Log into a SourceSafe database and select the location to store the project.

(Log in SourceSafe)

(Add the project to SourceSafe)

7. Add the Access objects into SourceSafe.

(Add Access objects into SourceSafe)

8. Now the objects are in the source control of SourceSafe. You can find the SourceSafe functions by clicking the Source Control tab. You can also access some of the functions by right-clicking the items.

(SourceSafe functions)

The SQL Server-based Source Control Software Designed to be a SourceSafe Replacement

The Fastest SourceSafe Remote Access Tool Recommeded by Microsoft

Links:
Previous article <<<<: Integrating SourceSafe / VSS with Visual Basic 6.0
Next article >>>>: Integrating SourceSafe / VSS with Access 2003
SourceSafe How To series home page: VSS / SourceSafe Tutorial

Label Introduction

Visual SourceSafe allows you to define a label for a file or project version. A label is a short and concise description given for purposes of identification, for example, “3.0Beta” or “Release”. Label is one way in Visual SourceSafe that allows us to keep track of the file and project versions. By using Label, we can smoothly manage version releases/builds and easily find the previous versions, especially the project versions. You must have the Add/Rename/Delete permission to use the Label command.

Label is a very useful and important feature in any version control system. If we just released version 3.1.2 yesterday, we may be able to find the release version of 3.1.2. But how about 1 month or even 1 year later, can we still find that particular version? Without a label, it is not likely.

How to Label a File/Project

We can label the current version and a historical version of a file or project.
To label the current version of a file or project:

1. Select the file or project to label in Visual SourceSafe Explorer.
2. Click Label on the menu File.
3. Input a label text in the Label edit box in the Label dialog box, as seen in the following screen shot:

(Label File)

(Label Project)

To label an historical version of a file or project:

1. Select the file or project to label in Visual SourceSafe Explorer.
2. Click Show History on the Tools menu.
3. Click OK in the History Options dialog box.
4. Select the version of file or project to be labeled.
5. Click Details in the History of File/Project dialog box.
6. Input a label text in the Label edit box in the History Details dialog box, as seen in the following screen shot:

(Label History Version of a Project)

Please note that when we label a project, all the files and subprojects in that project inherit the label.

How to Modify a Label

We can modify the label of a file or project in the History Details dialog box, as seen in the following screen shot:

(History Details)

If we modify the label of a project, the label of the files and subprojects in that project will be changed accordingly.

How to Get Files/Projects by Label

We can get a file with specific label. To do so, we can follow steps below:

1. Select the file to get in the Visual SourceSafe Explorer.
2. Click Show History on the menu Tools.
3. Set options as seen in the following screenshot to show file versions only between label 2 and label 3 in the History Options dialog box.

   
   (History Options)

4. Click Get to retrieve the selected version of the file in the History of <file name> dialog box, as seen in the following screen shot:

(History of <file name>)

Scenarios When Label May Be Performed

• Assign a label to a new version of the file or project to keep track of the file and project versions.
• Edit a label in the History Details dialog box to assign a new label to an existing version.
• Get by label on the labeled files or projects.

The SQL Server-based Source Control Software Designed to be a SourceSafe Replacement

The Fastest SourceSafe Remote Access Tool Recommeded by Microsoft

Links:
Previous article <<<<: Cloak in SourceSafe / VSS
Next article >>>>: Pin in SourceSafe / VSS
SourceSafe How To series home page: VSS / SourceSafe Tutorial

MSSCCI Registry Structure
How to Edit/View the Registry
Improvement in Visual Studio 2005 and 2008

MSSCCI Registry Structure

MSSCCI uses registry to organize multiple SCC providers.

There are 3 elements in the registry:

1. The provider specific registry entries

For every SCC provider, there is a registry entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\[company name]\[product name].

For Microsoft SourceSafe, that is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SourceSafe.

Under that entry, there are 4 sub entries: SCCServerName, SCCServerPath, HideInVisualStudio and DisableSccManager. SCCServerName is the name of the product. SCCServerPath is the full path to the SCC dll. HideInVisualStudio and DisableSccManager are not so commonly used.

The following is the screen shot of the SourceSafe/VSS MSSCCI registry:

(SourceSafe/VSS MSSCCI registry)

Other MSSCCI provider has similar values. The following is the screen shot of the SourceAnywhere MSSCCI registry:

(SourceAnywhere MSSCCI registry)

2. The central place to list all the providers

All of the SCC providers are listed under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SourceCodeControlProvider\InstalledSCCProviders entry. Under the InstalledSCCProviders entry, there are list of [display name] = [the path to the provider specific registry entry]. The following is the screen shot:

(The installed SCC providers in the system)

3. The entry to specify the current provider

Finally, there must be an entry to specify which provider is the current provider in the system. The pattern is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SourceCodeControlProvider\ProviderRegKey = [the path to the provider specific registry entry].

The following is the screen shot of my machine that specifies that SourceSafe is the current provider:

How to Edit/View the Registry

We can use regedit.exe to edit or view the registry.

Improvement in Visual Studio 2005 and 2008

From the above, we know that there is only one HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SourceCodeControlProvider\ProviderRegKey entry, which means that we can only have one default SCC provider in the system. If we have two projects that use two different MSSCCI providers, we have to switch the current provider when we open a different project.

Since Visual Studio 2005, Microsoft made improvement by writing the SCC provider info in the solution file. This way, the SCC provider information is solution specific. Different solutions can use different source control providers without switching provider info in the registry.

For how to choose the SCC provider in Visual Studio 2005 and 2008, please refer to the article Switching Visual Studio projects from SourceSafe to other SCC providers. The url is:
http://www.kevingao.net/sourcesafe/switching-visual-studio-projects-from-sourcesafe-to-other-scc-providers.html

The SQL Server-based Source Control Software Designed to be a SourceSafe Replacement

The Fastest SourceSafe Remote Access Tool Recommeded by Microsoft

Links:
Previous article <<<<: Introduction to Microsoft Source Code Control Interface (MSSCCI)
Next article >>>>: A Free Tool to Manage the MSSCCI Provider (with full Source Code)
SourceSafe How To series home page: VSS / SourceSafe Tutorial

MSSCCI stands for Microsoft Source Code Control Interface. The latest version of MSSCCI is 1.3.

In Visual Studio 6 and 2003/net, MSSCCI is the only option to integrate source control features into Visual Studio. In Visual Studio 2005 and 2008, we can use VSPackage or MSSCCI to integrate source control features into Visual Studio.

(Visual Studio and MSSCCI)

VSPackage is a new way to extend Visual Studio and is much more complex than MSSCCI. The newer version of SourceAnywhere will use VSPackage to provide better integration with Visual Studio.

MSSCCI has been around for more than a decade and is supported by many development products, like PowerBuilder, IBM Rational product line and Visual Studio.

MSSCCI was available only to VSIP (Visual Studio Industry Partner) members. To download the specification, you needed to sign a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) with Microsoft. Now, the specification is freely available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb166170(VS.80).aspx

Microsoft is opening up gradually and slowly.

The SQL Server-based Source Control Software Designed to be a SourceSafe Replacement

The Fastest SourceSafe Remote Access Tool Recommeded by Microsoft

Links:
Previous article <<<<:
Next article >>>>: Microsoft Source Code Control Interface (MSSCCI) Registry Entries
SourceSafe How To series home page: VSS / SourceSafe Tutorial