Options (Database Tools/Data Compare)
Use this page to specify the options that modify the behavior when you compare the data of two databases. These options apply only to new instances of Data Compare. Unless you click Refresh, existing instances maintain the settings that were in effect when that instance was created.
- Disable foreign keys
If you select this check box, compare the data in two databases, and then update the data in the target database so that it matches the data in the source database, foreign keys are disabled before the target is updated. The keys are also re-enabled after the target is updated. If indexes are being dropped and re-created as part of the update, the foreign keys are also dropped and re-created instead of being disabled and re-enabled. You might choose to disable foreign keys to improve the performance of the update or if you have a self-referencing foreign key. You might choose to keep the foreign keys enabled for accuracy so that any errors will be caught before the data is inserted. By default, this check box is selected.
- Disable triggers
If you select this check box, triggers are disabled before the target is updated and re-enabled after the update is complete. You would leave triggers enabled if you are only applying updates to selected tables and want the triggers on those tables to keep your database in a consistent state. By default, this check box is cleared.
- Drop primary keys, indexes, and unique constraints
If you select this check box, primary keys, indexes, and unique constraints are dropped before the target is updated and re-created after the update is complete. As a result, data can be inserted into tables or modified without violating unique constraints. The updates will also take less time without the primary keys, indexes, and unique constraints. When the constraints are re-created, the data is validated to make sure that no constraints are violated. If you do not drop the primary keys, indexes, and unique constraints and the updates would violate the keys, indexes, or rules, the error is found immediately and the update stops. If you drop the primary keys, indexes, and unique constraints, you might have many errors to correct before the primary keys, indexes, and unique constraints can be reapplied. By default, this check box is cleared.
- Include timestamp columns
If you select this check box, the comparison shows differences in timestamp columns. However, you cannot update timestamps in a target to match a source. By default, this check box is selected.
- Do not use transactions
If you select this check box, changes that the update script made are not wrapped in a single transaction. By wrapping the updates in a transaction, you can roll all updates back if any updates fail. If you are debugging failures, it may be helpful to turn off transactions so that you can examine the intermediate state of the database. By default, this check box is cleared.
- Exclude IDENTITY columns
If you select this check box, IDENTITY columns are not included in comparison and synchronization. By default, this check box is cleared.
- Trim trailing spaces
If you select this check box, trailing space characters are removed when you compare columns that contain strings. For example, "A String " and "A String" will not be identified as different. By default, this check box is cleared.
- Maximum characters to display for binary data
You can specify the maximum number of characters that are retrieved for columns that contain binary data. By default, the value for this option is 65535.
- Use Defaults
Resets the check boxes on this page to their default states.
See Also
Tasks
How to: Compare the Data of Two Databases
Concepts
Overview of Comparing Database Data