This example of adding a column and naming a constraint is simplistic, but it illustrates the concept of declarative database development. You don’t have to define how you update your database schema
from an old state to a new state: You simply tell SSDT what state you
want the database schema to be, and SSDT will take care of it for you.
Imagine a database schema with many changes, many of which will
be more complex than simply adding a NULLable column as I did,
and you can perhaps grasp the inherent value of this approach.
A quick note on the publish operation itself. You can initiate it using
either a command-line tool called SqlPackage.exe or from inside the
Visual Studio shell of SSDT. If you use the latter approach, you have
available a useful addition not in previous SSDT versions called the
Data Tools Operations window, shown in Figure 1, which provides a
handy overview of your publish operations.
Figure 1
Using SSDT’s Data
Tools Operations
As you can see in Figure 1, the Data Tools Operations window pro-
vides these features:
• an at-a-glance indication of the success or failure of the publish
operation
• an error message where appropriate
• the amount of time taken to complete the publish operation
• links to:
