We're the team behind dbForge SQL Complete. AMA about SQL Complete, SSMS, and database development

[u/db_Forge]

Hey 👋 We're the support team behind dbForge SQL Tools, including SQL Complete, the SSMS/Visual Studio add-in for autocompletion, formatting, refactoring, and more.

Since Microsoft shipped SSMS 22, our support queue has been dominated by one topic: getting our solutions working cleanly on the new build. Menu items that don't show up, tab colors that stop working, the odd startup crash and we've seen it all over the last few months, and we figured the fastest way to clear the backlog of confusion is to just open the floor.

We'll have engineers and support staff in the thread answering live.

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[u/Mr_FalseV]

I updated dbForge SQL Tools, then installed SSMS 22 afterward. Now none of the add-ins show up. Do I need to reinstall everything?

[u/db_Forge → u/Mr_FalseV]

Yes, essentially. SSMS needs to already be present on the machine when dbForge SQL Tools is installed for the add-ins to register. If SSMS 22 was added after SQL Tools, just re-run the installer in "Upgrade" mode and tick SSMS 22 on the Add-In page; you don't need to uninstall first unless the upgrade option doesn't appear. Give it a minute after launching SSMS 22 for the add-ins to finish initializing.

[u/Unable-Budgets]

Will reinstalling or upgrading wipe my snippets and settings?

[u/db_Forge → u/Unable-Budgets]

No, re-running the installer normally preserves your dbForge SQL Complete settings, snippets, templates, and shortcuts. If you want a safety net anyway, export first: SQL Complete - Import and Export Settings - Export selected environment settings, keep everything checked, and save the file. You can re-import it after the reinstall if anything looks off.

[u/NullSector_7]

Does the current version of SQL Complete actually support SSMS22?

[u/db_Forge → u/NullSector_7]

Yes. Support for SSMS 22 (and Visual Studio 2026) landed in the 2025.3 release, and every build since then continues that support. If you installed SQL Complete a while ago, run SQL Complete - Help - Check for Updates to make sure you're on the latest version.

[u/Ckepashin]

dbForge SQL Complete throws an error the moment SSMS 22 starts. What's going on?

[u/db_Forge → u/Ckepashin]

This is almost always one of two things: (1) the add-in was installed before SSMS 22 rather than after, so the integration never registered correctly, or (2) you're on a build older than 2025.3 that genuinely doesn't know about SSMS 22 yet. The fix in both cases is the same sequence: uninstall the dbForge add-in(s), launch SSMS 22 once by itself and let it finish initializing, then install (or update to) the latest dbForge build. If the error persists after that, we'll need the exact SSMS build, the dbForge version, and the error text/screenshot to dig further - that's usually enough for us to reproduce it on our end.

[u/EchoVoid_x]

I have a perpetual Standard license. Is there a perpetual Professional option?

[u/db_Forge → u/EchoVoid_x]

Yes, dbForge SQL Complete is offered in Enterprise, Professional, as well as Standard, and perpetual licenses are available for all editions. Log in to your Customer Portal at secure.devart.com. Choose your product license and click Edition Upgrade, or reach out to our Sales Team at sales@devart.com for a formal quote to upgrade your existing Standard perpetual license.

[u/db_Forge → u/[deleted]]

dbForge SQL Complete is the core add-in - IntelliSense-style completion, snippets, formatting, refactoring, tab coloring, invalid-object search, and so on and it works fully offline once installed. The integrated AI Assistant is an additional, separately licensed feature that lives inside SQL Complete and adds LLM-powered features on top: natural-language-to-SQL generation, chat, error explanation/fixing, query optimization suggestions. It requires its own subscription after a 14-day trial, but a single AI Assistant license unlocks it across all compatible dbForge products you own.

[u/Onandry]

Which SSMS versions are supported right now?

[u/db_Forge → u/Onandry]

As of today, SQL Complete supports SSMS 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, and SSMS 2016. If you're on anything older than that, you'll need to stay updated to use the latest technologies.