Do you remember the last time you called your family or friends by typing in a phone number? Probably not, you just used the contact list. Why can't you connect to your database just like that?

Today we are announcing an improved SQL connection experience in SQL Server Data Tools Preview for Visual Studio. With the new connection experience in SSDT, there's no more memorizing server and database names, writing them on your palm or a napkin, or switching apps to get the fully qualified server name. Simply connect using favorites, recent history or by browsing your Azure SQL Databases.

Key improvements

• Easily connect to any database from your history – from Publish, Schema Compare, Data Compare
• Pin favorite connections for easy access
• Browse your Azure SQL Databases direct from Visual Studio and simply click to connect
• Azure firewall rule creation is automatically handled at connection time

Check out the new connection experience in action!

Get the latest preview of SSDT here.

Questions?

Please comment below or send your feedback to SSDT Connect Feedback or find us on Twitter.