Pour One Out for Database Diagrams, and Good Riddance

On the left hand side, you see SQL Server Management Studio 17.9. On the right side, 18.0. Something’s missing in the new 18.0:

Rest in peace, Database Diagrams

SSMS 17.9 on the left has Database Diagrams at the top.

SSMS 18.0 does not. Database Diagrams are simply gone. Hallelujah! For over a decade, people have repeatedly cursed SSMS as they’ve accidentally clicked on the very top item and tried to expand it. One of the least-used SSMS features had one of the top billings, and generated more swear words than database diagrams.

The good news continues when you right-click on a server, click Properties, and click Processors. Here’s the old 17.9:

SSMS 17.9

And the new 18.0, the bad idea jeans are no longer in the shopping catalog:

SSMS 18.0

Oh they’re still there alright – just harder to get to. You have to go into Properties, Advanced, and they’re buried in a list of options.

This isn’t an accident, either. The SSMS 18.0 release notes say:

Removed risky ‘lightweight pooling’ and ‘priority boost’ options from SSMS GUI

And:

Unappreciated and deprecated

I would just like to take a moment to say thank you to Microsoft for focusing on the core ideas of their products, the good things that produce great results. These are easy improvements that will make lives just a little bit better.

Hurrah!