A simpler alternative to backing up data in SQL Server by Gus Collazo

There are times when creating a database backup is not convenient. For example, you may be connected remotely to a SQL Server and not have access to the backup files that may be created. For times like these, I love the SSMS Tools Pack. You can find this handy gem of a SQL Server addon at http://www.ssmstoolspack.com/Download.aspx.

Once you download and install the addon, run SQL Server Management Studio and right-click on the database you'd like to backup. Notice the "SSMS Tools\Generate Insert Statements" command in the popup menu. This handy command will create a script file with INSERT statements for every tables in your database. You can then copy and paste these commands to another SQL Server to recreate the data there or just keep the script tucked away as a handy script-based backup of your data.

Check it out! The tools pack also has many other features for you to explore such as a query history and text regions for your SQL code, but I find the Generate Insert Statements my favorite tool in this addon by far.

--Gus