SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) has historically been an all-in-one product that allows traditional SQL and BI users to develop SQL related projects including database projects, integration services projects, analysis services projects, reporting services projects, etc. It has been delivered as a standalone installer that allows you to install both the SSDT relational database components that ship with Visual Studio as well as additional components that ship separately from Visual Studio (Analysis Services, Reporting Services, Integration Services) into either an existing Visual Studio instance or a new Visual Studio shell instance if you don’t have one already.
With technologies being advanced and software releases being modernized, the delivery model of SSDT has been changing.
In Visual Studio 2017, we have made a few changes to SSDT delivery model.
- The database components of SSDT have become a built-in workload in Visual Studio 2017, which do not require the standalone installer.
- While Analysis Services and Reporting Services components can still be installed via the standalone installer, they can also be from the Visual Studio Market Place directly. (Integration Services component still requires the standalone installer.)
With Visual Studio 2019, we are announcing a few more changes to the delivery model of SSDT:
- Following Analysis Services and Reporting Services, Integration Services component has also been made available in Visual Studio Market Place as an independent extension. Users can download and install it to an existing instance of Visual Studio 2019.
- We will no longer offer the standalone installer of SSDT for Visual Studio 2019, since all of its components will become installable either from built-in workloads of Visual Studio or from the Market Place.
Some FAQs:
How do I get the Database Project and related features?
Same as Visual Studio 2017, select SQL Server Data Tools under the Data storage and processing workload during Visual Studio installation.
How do I get the Analysis Services, Reporting Services, or Integration Services projects?
You will be able to find and install them from Visual Studio Market Place as independent extensions.
I used to install Visual Studio through the SSDT standalone installer. How do I install Visual Studio now?
You can download and install Visual Studio 2019 directly from visualstudio.com.
But I don’t have license for professional or enterprise edition of Visual Studio.
The Community Edition of Visual Studio 2019 allows you to use the above components without the restriction on number of users. For details around licensing, please refer to the EULA of Community Edition.
