Jam SQL Studio SQL Server Source Control Options in 2026
Putting a SQL Server database under source control comes down to two models. State-based tools keep one .sql file per object and work out the change script by comparison: SQL database projects, Redgate SQL Source Control, and Jam SQL Studio's Database Blueprint. Migration-based tools keep an ordered list of change scripts: Flyway. This page compares them as of September 2026 — including what changed this year in SSMS and Redgate’s lineup — and says where Database Blueprint fits and where it doesn’t.
Database Blueprint is in beta • Free for personal use up to 200 objects • Mac, Windows, Linux
The Established SQL Server Source-Control Options
Each option below is current as of September 2026; links go to the vendor’s own documentation.
SQL Database Projects (SSDT, VS Code, SSMS)
An SDK-style Microsoft.Build.Sql project stores the schema as .sql files and builds to a .dacpac, which SqlPackage or a CI/CD pipeline publishes. You edit projects in Visual Studio (SSDT) or the SQL Database Projects extension for VS Code, and since SSMS 22.4.1 in SSMS’s Database DevOps workload, generally available since 22.10.2, which opens SDK-style projects only and publishes with a Generate Script option. SSMS 21 and later also have a Git menu for the files.
Redgate SQL Source Control (SSMS add-in)
Links a database to a version control system from inside SSMS — Git, Subversion, Team Foundation Server, Mercurial, Perforce, or any system with a command line — and can version static data. Redgate’s documentation says it continues to be actively maintained and supported, and its roadmap lists SSMS 21 and SQL Server 2025 support. It runs where SSMS runs: Windows.
Flyway and Flyway Desktop
Flyway applies versioned migration scripts; Flyway Desktop adds a schema model — object definitions saved to disk — and generates migration scripts from it. It is a standalone tool for over 50 databases, integrates with Git, and can import SQL Source Control projects with their filters, static data settings, and Git history. Redgate recommends that existing SQL Source Control users start learning Flyway. Flyway Community is free; schema comparison and migration-script generation are Flyway Enterprise features.
Whichever you use, bringing your connections over is one click — Jam SQL Studio imports saved SQL Server connections from SSMS, Azure Data Studio, and the VS Code mssql extension. See how import works →
SQL Server Source Control Options Compared
State-based projects, the SSMS add-in, migrations, and Database Blueprint (beta).
| Capability | Jam — Database Blueprint | SQL Database Projects | Redgate SQL Source Control | Flyway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status (September 2026) | Beta | Active; SSMS support GA since 22.10.2 | Maintained; Redgate points existing users to Flyway | Active |
| Model | State: a folder kept in sync with a live database | State: build to .dacpac, then publish | State: database linked to scripts in the VCS | Migrations, plus a schema model in Flyway Desktop |
| Where you work | Jam SQL Studio on macOS, Windows, Linux | VS Code, Visual Studio, SSMS 22 | SSMS on Windows | Flyway Desktop or the Flyway CLI |
| Version control systems | Git (panel built in) | Your editor’s Git | ✓ Git, SVN, TFS, Mercurial, Perforce, others via CLI | Git |
| Build artifact for pipelines | ✗ | ✓ .dacpac | ✗ | ✓ Migration scripts |
| Drift between files and database | ✓ Refresh preview + three-way merge | Schema compare (VS Code; SSMS, GA since 22.10.2) | ✓ Commit and Get latest tabs list the differences | Drift detection and reporting (Enterprise) |
| Table data | ✓ Captured rows + row-level sync | Post-deployment scripts | ✓ Static data | Static data settings (kept on SSC import) |
| Engines | SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, Oracle, SQLite | SQL Server and Azure SQL targets | SQL Server | 50+ databases |
| Price | ✓ Free Personal tier up to 200 objects | ✓ Free | Paid | Community free; comparison and script generation in Enterprise |
Database Blueprint Next to a SQL Project
A SQL project extracted with sqlpackage /Action:Extract /p:ExtractTarget=SchemaObjectType and a Database Blueprint folder look alike on disk: one file per object, grouped by type. They are used differently.
- Direction. A SQL project is the source the database is built from. A Blueprint folder follows a live database: Refresh from DB rewrites the files (with a preview of what changes), and Apply schema sends local edits back through Schema Compare, where you read and run the script.
- Drift. When someone changes the database directly, Blueprint’s three-way merge compares your edits, the last refresh, and the live database and shows which changes merge cleanly and which conflict.
- Several databases. One Blueprint folder can link Dev, Stage, and Prod copies, and Apply schema can generate a script per linked database — nothing runs until you open and execute it.
- What it doesn’t do. No
.dacpacbuild, no refactor log, no pre- or post-deployment scripts, no.sqlprojsupport, and no pipeline publish. If your releases go through SqlPackage or Flyway, keep them; Blueprint is for day-to-day work against a live database on any OS. - Table data. Opt a table in during Refresh from DB and its rows land in
Data/as a.data.sqlupsert script and a.data.jsonsidecar; Sync data folder → DB pushes row-level inserts, updates, and deletes back. Tables need a primary key.
Full reference: Database Blueprint documentation. For how the SQL-client version control in DataGrip, DBeaver, and Navicat compares, see DataGrip vs DBeaver vs Navicat version control.
Frequently Asked Questions
SQL Server source control options in 2026.
What are the options for SQL Server source control?
Three established approaches: SQL database projects (SDK-style Microsoft.Build.Sql projects that build to a .dacpac, edited in VS Code, Visual Studio, or SSMS 22); Redgate SQL Source Control, an SSMS add-in that links a database to a version control system; and Flyway, which versions migration scripts and, in Flyway Desktop, a schema model. Jam SQL Studio's Database Blueprint is a fourth option: a Git-tracked folder of .sql files kept in sync with a live database.
Is Redgate SQL Source Control discontinued?
No, not as of September 2026. Redgate's documentation says SQL Source Control continues to be actively maintained and supported, and its roadmap lists SSMS 21 and SQL Server 2025 support. Redgate recommends that existing users start learning about Flyway, and Flyway Desktop can import SQL Source Control projects with their Git history.
Does SSMS support SQL database projects?
Yes. SSMS 22.4.1 added a Database DevOps workload, generally available since 22.10.2 (September 2026), that opens SDK-style Microsoft.Build.Sql projects, builds them to a .dacpac, and publishes them with a Generate Script option; later 22.x releases added project import from a database and schema compare. Original (non-SDK) SQL projects must be converted first. SSMS 21 and later also have a Git menu.
Can I do SQL Server source control on a Mac?
Yes. SSMS and the Redgate add-in are Windows-only, but SDK-style SQL database projects build with the .NET SDK and open in VS Code's SQL Database Projects extension on macOS and Linux, and Jam SQL Studio's Database Blueprint runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux with a Git panel built in.
How does Database Blueprint compare with a SQL database project?
Both keep one .sql file per object in Git. A SQL project is a build input: it compiles to a .dacpac that SqlPackage or a CI pipeline publishes. Database Blueprint is a working copy of a live database: Refresh from DB rewrites the files, a three-way merge reconciles local edits with the database, and Apply schema opens Schema Compare to review and run the change. Blueprint does not build a .dacpac, has no pre- or post-deployment scripts, and does not open .sqlproj files.
Can SQL Server source control track table data, not just schema?
Each tool handles reference data differently: SQL projects use post-deployment scripts, Redgate SQL Source Control has a static data feature, and Flyway keeps static data settings when it imports a SQL Source Control project. Database Blueprint captures a table's rows during Refresh from DB into a tracked Data/ folder — a .data.sql upsert script plus a .data.json sidecar with the primary key and column types — and Sync data folder → DB pushes row-level inserts, updates, and deletes back to a linked database.
SQL Server Schema in Git, on Any OS
Download Jam SQL Studio free and version-control SQL Server schema from Mac, Windows, or Linux.
Comparing Database Source Control?
Version control in SQL clients and Microsoft's project format.
Learn more: Database Blueprint docs · Schema Compare · Best SQL Data Compare Tool