Learning about SQL Server Operations Studio

SQL Server Operations Studio (a bit strangely abbreviated "SOS") is a new lightweight, cross-platform tool for managing and querying SQL Server. Think of it as a modern alternative to SSMS, built on top of Visual Studio Code. (On a sidenote: SSMS is based on Visual Studio; SOS is based on Visual Studio Code.)

You can install SOS on Windows, macOS, or Linux, and connect to SQL Server 2017 or earlier, Azure SQL Database, and even LocalDB. The UI feels familiar if you've used Visual Studio Code before: servers on the left, query editor in the middle, results grid below.

Here's what I like about it so far:

• Runs fast and launches pretty much instantly, no big splash screens to wait
• Built-in charting: right-click a result set -> "View as Chart"
• Integrated dashboards with custom widgets (CPU, waits, etc.)
• Cross-platform scripting with the same look on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

You can save connection groups, pin favorite servers, and customize dashboards with JSON. Extensions and color themes also work, just like in Visual Studio Code.

Keyboard shortcuts are work nicely: press Ctrl+Shift+E to open the Servers view, and Ctrl+N to start a new query window.

At this stage (early preview), some management features like Agent jobs and backups still require SSMS, but for quick queries and dashboards, SOS is already a nice daily utility.

Lighter databasing!