As of SQL Server 2005, you used to be able to open a flat file in SQL Management Studio off the right click menu for any database table. Once opened, you could add or update records right there in the grid.
Now that SQL Server 2008 is out, Microsoft has hidden that feature, at least from the right-click menu.
Where did it go?
It's replaced by "Edit Top 200 Rows". You can change that command in the Tools > Options > SQL Server Object Explorer > Commands.
But once you right-click a table, choose "Edit Top 200 Rows", hunt on the toolbar for a button called "Show SQL Pane". From here you can edit the query so the grid shows a subset of the data that you want.
They did this because people were accidentally opening huge tables with the old Open Table command. This method seems to work pretty well, though in general I find that the 2008 version is pretty wonky when talking to 2005 databases, but that's another matter....
Just how is this an improvement? Maybe I want to choose to open the entire table. Maybe my table only has 250 rows. Maybe my server can handle larger tables. This has complicated my life. Why couldn't the wizards at Microsoft have left Open Table as is, but added to the menu Edit Top 200 (why only 200?) so that we could have a choice. This is now adding the couple of extra steps each time I want to open an entire table. Only Microsoft would take something that works and make it more difficult.
Not to mention that I don't need the statement scripted in a query window for me...I am getting fed up with these "wizards" who don't actually use the tool making design decisions for those of use who do use the tool. I'm still not over the fact that Open Table disappeared from the context menus on the Diagrams in SQL Server 2000.
I definitely agree. Changes to the UI or workflow of an application as large as this, that people in our profession use daily is definitely a downfall. I am glad I stumbled on this post to find that I can change the value to 0, which makes the context menu label change to 'Edit All Rows' which still isnt 'Open Table'. This is going to envoke a learning curve again, before anyone retains the association. Nice job Microsoft.
When I click on "Edit Top 200 Rows", I still cannot add new records like before with the classic "Open" option. It looks like sql 2008 is the "Vista" of sql servers.
You could sett the default value of "Edit Top 200 Rows" too "0"
In the Tools Menu under SQL server Object Explorer\Table and view options\Value Edit Top Rows Command. Change the default value 200 too "0".
You should now have the option "Edit All Rows" instead of "Edit Top 200 Rows" as a default and if you know it is a laaarge table use the "Select Top 1000 Rows" as a rewiew of the table.