Can you recommend a sql formatter?

Question

Can you recommend a sql formatter?

Chris Sijtsma 106

Dear colleagues,

Which SQL formatter would you recommend? In our organization, we have coding standards. My problem is, there are to many of them. As I am responsible for the repositories containing SQL, I want to enforce a single standard by automatically formatting the code in check-in. I would like to have some configuration options to tweak the format to my liking.

Thanks for your help,
Chris

Frank Geisler 21 Reputation points MVP

2020-11-18T04:24:22.05+00:00

Hi Chris!

I would rather go for SQL Prompt because in my Opinion it is the best Tool for writing and formatting SQL Code out there and it offers not only formatting capabilities that are highly customizable but also improvements while writing SQL code. I use it over 10 years now and I am highly satisfied. Sure it comes with a price but the boost of productivity you gain is worth the price anyway. The only thing I don't know is if you can automate it. You said that you would like to automatically format code at check in. I am sure if this works. I suggested the guys at redgate that they should build an option to let SQL Prompt format a whole directory but I don't know if they implemented it. You can get a trial version at redgate Website so you can give it a try.

Have a nice day

Frank

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Frank Geisler 21 Reputation points MVP

2020-11-18T04:24:22.05+00:00

Hi Chris!

I would rather go for SQL Prompt because in my Opinion it is the best Tool for writing and formatting SQL Code out there and it offers not only formatting capabilities that are highly customizable but also improvements while writing SQL code. I use it over 10 years now and I am highly satisfied. Sure it comes with a price but the boost of productivity you gain is worth the price anyway. The only thing I don't know is if you can automate it. You said that you would like to automatically format code at check in. I am sure if this works. I suggested the guys at redgate that they should build an option to let SQL Prompt format a whole directory but I don't know if they implemented it. You can get a trial version at redgate Website so you can give it a try.

Have a nice day

Frank

Answer 1

If you just want to do it quickly, why not utilize the RedGate Page?
https://www.red-gate.com/website/sql-formatter

Otherwise they have the formatter in their tool SQLPrompt as well, but it is not for free.
Other way to do it:
Visual Studio Code
Afaik there's also the option to format code.

But since you want to establish a standard ( I Really should start reading first all information before answering... :-) )
it is easier to go for an appropriate tool.

ApexSQL is another one where you can also define how T-SQL code should look like.

Regards
Dirk

Answer 2

m 4,276

Hi @Chris Sijtsma ,

Which SQL formatter would you recommend?

Aggree with @Dirk Hondong and @Tom Phillips .

ApexSQL Refactor

Actually, there are many online sql fomatter tools, you can input "sql server formatter" in google and have a reference.
And this article will guide you through some SQL formatter options via SSMS and using 3rd party SQL formatting tool such is ApexSQL Refactor to format code.

More information:how-to-format-sql-code-in-sql-server-management-studio

BR,
Mia

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.

Chris Sijtsma 106 Reputation points

2020-11-18T07:39:41.983+00:00

Hi Mia,

I would like to accept all posts as answers since my question isn't a right or wrong question, but the website only lets me accept one post as answer. Thank you for your contribution.

Answer 3

Chris Sijtsma 106

All of you, thank you very much. In the old SQL Forum, multiple posts were allowed as answer. In this forum, you can only select one. I really appreciate all contributions.

Dan Guzman 9,401 Reputation points

2020-11-18T10:57:45.837+00:00

In the old SQL Forum, multiple posts were allowed as answer. In this forum, you can only select one.

Although only one can be tagged as the accepted answer, you can still upvote other helpful answers.
Chris Sijtsma 106 Reputation points

2020-11-19T07:06:48.24+00:00

Thank you Dan. The deed is done.

Answer 4

Guido Thelen 0

There is another free formatter for most popular Databasese. It is SQLinForm which can be found here: www.sqlinform.com

Answer 5

Hi Chris,

Besides the already well-known SQL Prompt from Redgate — which is definitely a solid tool — I personally prefer the SQL formatter from dbForge. I find it more flexible and detailed in terms of configuration. It comes with several built-in formatting styles, but more importantly, it allows you to fully customize your own formatting profile, which you can then apply consistently across your projects.

If you want something quick and lightweight, they offer a free Online SQL Formatter, which is handy for smaller tasks.

For deeper integration with SSMS, SQL Complete includes a formatter with lots of granular options. You can define specific rules and even share formatting profiles with your team.

And if you're looking for a full-featured IDE, dbForge Studio for SQL Server includes the same advanced formatter, along with tools for database development, code review, and version control integration — which might be useful for enforcing formatting during check-ins.

Hope that helps!

Regards,
Don

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Can you recommend a sql formatter?

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