ApexSQL Generate release notes

Changes:

• The activation model is switched to Subscription
• The application does not support integration into SQL Server Management Studio 2012, 2014, and 2016 versions
• Trust server certificate option is added under the Connection options dialog

Fixes:

• 190146: "Unable to cast object of type 'ApexSql.DataGenerator.Generators.SmallIntPredefinedGenerator'" error is encountered for a column defined by the smallint data type and a column name contains the "phone number" phrase
• 198669: "The Stub package did not load correctly" error message is shown on SQL Server Management Studio startup after the add-in installation

Known limitations:

• The application's add-in menu is not shown under the ApexSQL menu in SQL Server Management Studio 2012 and 2014 versions

Fixes:

• ''Connection error'' error is encountered when the Generate test data command is clicked under the right-click database context menu in Object Explorer of SQL Server Management Studio if the SQL Server authentication is used
• The Allow null option state for the selected table/column will return to its default state if the other table/column is selected in the grid

Known limitations:

• The application's add-in menu is not shown under the ApexSQL menu in SQL Server Management Studio 2012 and 2014 versions

Enhancements:

• Application telemetry now collects anonymous data on the use and performance of applications and application components
• New ApexSQL Updater allows users to configure advanced updating settings of all installed ApexSQL products
• Auto-convert data when the source data is a different data type
• Predefined generators with meaningful data are now auto-assigned to a wider range of columns

Fixes:

• "NullRefferenceException" error is encountered when the SQL database is loaded with one or more graph tables
• "Could not load file or assembly" error is encountered when saving user defined generator in the Save generator form

Enhancements:

• SQL Server 2019 support
• Save automation script as a PowerShell script
• Preview original and generated data
• Generate same row number as column has
• Backup database before the data generation

Fixes:

• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered upon starting the application and the Open last project option is set in the Options window
• The SQL database connection is not established when a project file is used with the CLI execution
• "The ApexSQL Generate_InstPackage package did not load correctly" error is encountered when SQL Server Management Studio 2012 is started and the add-in was previously integrate in it
• Missing the Active Directory authentication under the Alias connection window
• “Cannot open the SQL database" requested by the login. The login failed" error is encountered when trying to connect to an offline database in the Setup connection window
• A negative value can be entered in the Column index box for the CSV file type
• "Invalid parameter: Random(8-12)" message is shown in the Messages panel when minimum and maximum values are changed for the tinyint data type in the Random generator panel
• Values are not applied on a column when using the Regular expression generator if data type is set to bit

Changes:

• Software Transaction Agreement is added as a new step in the installation wizard and updated in accordance with https://www.quest.com/legal/sta.aspx

Enhancements:

• Active Directory support for:
  • Password authentication
  • Integrated authentication
  • Universal with MFA support authentication

Fixes:

• The application doesn't integrate with SQL Server Management Studio 18 GA version
• The Preview shows twelve digits before and four after the comma, when the Random generator is used in the Generator panel, for the column that is defined as Decimal (13,0)
• The Directory generator under the Predefined type in the Generator panel inserts <empty> values when the Include subfolders option is checked
• When the Allow null option in generator is checked and the Fit grid columns to window is selected as the way of displaying columns in the Data Preview panel, once % of null value is changed it restarts to Auto-size grid columns
• "Failed to get a database list" error is encountered when the drop-down list for the SQL database is clicked in the New project window after reinstalling the application
• Wrong path is opened for the output file in the Save as batch window when the Browse button is clicked
• The Allow null option is checked by default for each column, even though it's unchecked in the Generator panel for a database and table
• “Loop option is being checked so unique option cannot be used” message is shown four times in a row in the main application grid when trying to check the Unique option, while the Loop option is already checked in the Generator panel
• The application goes in to the non-responding state when the remote connection is set and saved under the Setup connection dialog in the Alias management window
• Slowness in application responsiveness is encountered when the Messages, Preview and Dependencies panels are closed in the main application grid
• The application goes into non-responding state when two arithmetic operators are used in the Regular expression generator in the Generator panel
• Preview panel in the main application grid is not showing generated SQL data when SQL database is refreshed
• The application is going into non-responding state when switching to alias connection tab under the SQL query generator in the Generator panel
• The login password is remembered in the saved project file, even if the Remember password option is not checked under the Data source tab in the New project window
• The Random generator in the Generator panel is used instead of the Predefined generator for the Surname column in the SQL table
• The Random generator in the Generator panel is used instead of the Predefined generator for the Cell number column in the SQL table
• The Random generator in the Generator panel is used instead of the Predefined generator for the Mobile number column in the SQL table
• The Random generator in the Generator panel is used instead of the Predefined generator for the Home number column in the SQL table
• The amount of test SQL data cannot be inserted into the SQL database, if the Time execution in the Generator panel is set below 15 seconds

Fixes:

• "There is no row at position 0" error is encountered when the Add button is used multiple times under the Weighted list (nested) generator in the Generator panel
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when any value is added under the Weighted list (ranged) generator in the Generator panel
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when adding values for the VarBinary data type under the Weighted list (regex) generator in the Generator panel
• The application goes into non responding state when SQL table generator is used in the Generator panel
• The original value is restored, if one of the two labels is modified under the Weighted list generator in the Generator panel
• Drop-down menu for the column section is not showing the correct columns from provided SQL table when using Foreign key (manual) generator in the Generator panel
• The percent value remains 50% even if the new weight is applied under the Weighted list (nested) generator in the Generator panel
• Selected generator is not properly loaded from the list under the User defined generator in the Generator panel
• Item value column under the Weighted list (nested) in the Generator panel is not editable
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when any value is entered for the Start date box under the Incremental generator in the Generator panel
• Incremental generator values in the Generator panel are not implemented into the database when the generation process is done
• Incremental generator under the Generator panel is not saving the values entered for the current column when switching between current and other columns
• Values for data type VarBinary and Binary are not saved under the Incremental generator in the Generator panel when a different column is selected from the current one
• Incremental generator under the Generator panel for data types Date, DateTime, SmallDate, Time, DateTimeOffset, Binary, VarBinary does not save the Increment value when project is saved and reopened
• The application goes into non responding state when re-establishing the connection under the Generator panel
• Cross column AddMonths generator under the Generator panel does not work in conjunction with another column having Incremental date
• Cross column calculations generator under the Generator panel does not work with numeric data types
• "Cross thread operation detected" error is encountered when randomize data by seed value is changed in the SQL table under the Random generator in the Generator panel

Enhancements:

• SQL Server 2019 CTP 2.0 support
• SQL Server Management Studio 18 integration support
• New application icon
• New error handling and send logs functionality
• Improved application installer with a dark theme

Fixes:

• "Cross-thread operation not valid: Control 'MainForm' accessed from a thread other than the thread it was created on" error is encountered while when column generation settings are changed and the Generate button is used
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object." error is encountered when connect button to the SQL query generator is used
• "The user does not have permission to perform this action" error is encountered when trying to connect to a remote server in the Table mapping feature for the second time during the session
• Cross-column data generation is not working when using datetime cross reference with value addition
• Inserting rows into tables using the Generate button inserts only default value no matter if a change is made under the Generator panel
• Server and Database fields are empty in the SQL table or view tab under the Table mapping window
• Username and password are not saved for SQL Server authentication for the created alias
• The information message is missing when data is not generated when only two tables with multiple constraints are selected from the entire database
• Missing feature that will avoid conflicts between existing data and the ones that are being generated
• The information message is missing when trying to generate more than maximum possible unique values based on user settings

Changes:

• The application now requires Microsoft .NET framework 4.7.2

Enhancements:

• High DPI and 4K resolution support
• Applied concepts of Visual Language Dictionary for Visual Studio for iconography, imagery, colors, menus, fonts, formatting and other GUI elements
• CLI there are no empty tables in database return code [104]
• CLI switches:
  • Output elements [/oe]
  • Loop [/lp]

Fixes:

• "No tables are found in database 'master'" message is shown when trying to load previously saved project where SQL script was used as source of metadata
• The latest loaded project file is not loaded when project where SQL script is used as data source is loaded, and then another saved project is opened, only the title name of the project changes
• "Value cannot be null" error is encountered when loading saved project is being canceled in the process of loading and the Generate button is clicked
• Data is not loaded in the Table mapping window when the same table is selected from another database
• Nothing is exported when one table is checked and the export to CSV is selected
• Nothing is exported when one table is checked and the export to JSON is selected
• Missing the Add value button for the Weighted list (regex) generator
• SQL Server login information are not remembered and the Authentication type is changed to Windows authentication, when a project is saved with SQL Server login information
• "A previous version of ApexSQL Generate was found" message is shown when upgrading to a newer version and the Yes button needs to be clicked multiple times to continue the installation
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when the Column selection is clicked after loading another database
• Data from views is not loaded when selected in the Table mapping window
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when the Remove button is clicked while saving the Shared generator for IronPython
• "The SELECT permission was denied on the object 'table_types', database 'mssqlsystemresource', schema 'sys'" error is encountered while loading a database from Amazon RDS for SQL Server
• The application freezes when bracket is introduced in the Expression once Cross column generator is selected and calculations are set
• The Excel preview panel is empty and it doesn’t contain any test data when its button is clicked in the View tab
• “Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when an expression is inserted in the Weighted list (regex) generator and the Delete button is clicked to remove the expression from the list
• "Index was out of range" error is encountered when exporting table to CSV and opening it through the CSV file tab in the Table mapping window, and then doing the same export to CSV of the same table and opening it again
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when selecting object inside the table without checking it, and then using the Cross column generator and switching to Calculations
• "Requested value 'value' was not found" error is encountered when a value is typed into the Category or Type list for the Predefined generator
• SQL Server name is not remembered when the current project is edited
• Missing CLI switches in the Save as batch window for all options that were set in the current project
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when SQL script is loaded as a data source and then the Edit button is clicked
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when SQL script is selected as a data source and the Table mapping command is clicked from the right-click context menu
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error message is encountered when loading database for the second time from another server
• "String must be exactly one character long" error is encountered when value is inserted into the CSV delimiter text box
• "Path to the SQL script file is invalid. Choose a valid path" message is shown when choosing SQL script as source of metadata
• Wrong data source name is shown in the loading information message when using SQL script as a data source
• "Path to the SQL script file is invalid. Choose a valid path" message is shown when SQL script is loaded as a data source and then the New project is created, where the source is defined to be a database
• The Table mapping feature can be initiated from the right-click context menu in the main grid even when the selected table is unchecked
• A database is not loaded at the first click on the Load button when alias is used for that database
• Tables are not shown after connecting to a database for the SQL table or view generator until connection to another database is established and then connect to the first one
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when opening a saved project, clicking on table to preview it and then going to Edit the project and selecting different database with same schema
• Duplicated rows are shown in the Table mapping window when connected to a database
• When the Create one SQL script per object option is selected in the Script tab of the Options window and the OK button is clicked, the setting is not saved and it’s reverted back to the Create one SQL script option
• Missing the SQL script file name when the Create one SQL script granularity option is used to export to SQL
• The given time frame is not applied in the Test data preview for the datetimeoffset data type when assigned with the Random generator
• Dependent objects turn into unchecked ones, when the selection is moved away and brought back to a table for which dependent objects where checked
• When a different Category is selected the last Type that is selected stays the same in the Predefined generator type
• The Seed option should not allow users to add negative numbers, when using the Randomize data by option in the Random type generator
• "Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection" error is encountered when using Export to Excel and selecting random drive to export to
• "Could not find file" message encountered when using Export to Excel and creating a new folder to save on desktop
• The application goes into the Not responding state when the Dependent objects panel is turned on from the View tab while the Wide World Importers database is loaded
• The Export window shows information that multiple SQL scripts are generated even though only one SQL script is generated
• The Windows taskbar is not shown on hover, when the Auto-hide the taskbar option is checked, and the application is maximized
• Column generators are used for column names under the Table mapping feature when CSV file is used
• The application is not automatically closed upon finished update process which causes the installation process to be stopped
• The application is integrated in all available SQL Server Management Studio versions even into the ones that were not checked during the installation process
• "Loop option is checked, so Unique option cannot be used" message is shown multiple times when both Unique and Loop options are checked and both options stay checked
• The User defined generator is not shown in the generator list when shared user defined generators are loaded
• Missing the Save as window when saving the user defined generator
• Date and time and Granularity SQL script export options are not properly set as CLI switches in the Save as batch window causing error in the batch script
• None of the checked database options are shown as CLI switches in the batch script
• Incontinences between Live database and SQL script Community edition notices
• "The alias doesn't exist anymore" warning message is encountered when using the Table mapping feature on SQL Azure Database and connecting to SQL Azure Database
• "Cannot connect to ‘DatabaseName’" message is shown when a project file is loaded from the Recent project and the window is closed without prompting the user to enter the password
• The SQL Server Management Studio stops working when Generate test data option is used on a SQL Server Analysis Services instance
• The application repeatedly asks for the activation key when it is started on an Amazon EC2 instance after the virtual machine resources were deallocated and allocated again
• The application add-in update window is not shown when SQL Server Management Studio is run and new update is available

Changes:

• The application now requires Microsoft .NET framework 4.7.1
• Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are no longer supported
• Header options under the Script tab in the Options window are now unchecked by default
• The Comments and Print statements options under the Script tab in the Options window are now checked by default
• CLI switch Legal tag [/lt] is now Legal [/leg] switch
• CLI switch Author name [/an] is now Author [/auth] switch
• CLI switches Date time [/dt], Comments [/cmt] and Print statements [/pt] are now values [dt|cmt|pt] of the Output elements [/oe] switch

Enhancements:

• Granularity option to create one SQL script or one SQL script per object
• CLI switches:
  • Primary output name/folder path of the exported files [ /on ]
  • Secondary output name/folder path of the exported files [ /on2 ]

Fixes:

• All objects are not checked after the Ignore project object selection is checked in the Edit window
• All objects are checked when some option is changed in the Edit window and then connected to the database again
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when trying to generate data on the table where constraints were removed previously
• Warning message is shown when the SQL table or view generator is used
• Tables are displayed when the view is selected in the SQL table or view generator
• All options are reset to default and all objects are checked when the embedded post-processing script is used
• Generator values are not remembered in the saved project file
• "The given value of type String from the data source cannot be converted to type nvarchar of the specified target column" error is encountered when populating table with the nvarchar column using the Random or Lorem Ipsum generators
• The Regular expression generator is not generating test data in the Preview panel for any set value
• "Recieved an invalid column length from the bcp client for colid 2" error is encountered after the populate data is finished for tables that had the Random generator set to use default Max value for the numeric data type
• Data for the selected column is shown as <Empty> when the SQL table or view generator is set on a table that was previously populated with data
• The Regular expression generator is not generating test data in the Preview panel for any set value
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when the Generate test data feature is initiated from Object Explorer in SQL Server Management Studio for a database that is located on SQL Server Enterprise edition, while using the Community edition of the application
• Incorrect number of rows is inserted in a table when populating data by using Table proportion for one table, while the referenced table is populated by Time execution
• The generated test data doesn’t convert the source apostrophe to a double apostrophe, when using the SQL query or SQL table generator as source of data for a column
• The Shuffle and Loop checkboxes for all generators revert to the default state when switching to another column
• "Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 17 is not installed. Please install this version to integrate into" message is shown in the add-in integration step of the installation wizard when SQL Server Management Studio 17.4 is installed

Changes:

• /of and /of2 switches are deprecated in favor of /on and /on2 switches

Enhancements:

• Support for SQL Server 2017 CTP 2
• Support for SQL Server on Amazon RDS
• GUI themes:
  • White
  • Colorful
  • Dark

Fixes:

• Incorrect number of rows is inserted into a table when populating by Table proportion while the referenced table is populated by Execution time
• "The ConnectionString property has not been initialized" warning message is shown after a table is mapped in the Table mapping window
• Missing an information message when the User defined generator is saved on a column with string data type and is being used on a string data type column with shorter length
• Values are not inserted in the varchar(max) columns when assigning the Regular expression generator to the column and typing only '.' in the text box
• “Object reference is not set to an instance of an object” error is encountered when the application Community edition is used with SQL Server Enterprise edition
• "Setup has detected that SQL Server Management Studio is running on this machine" message is shown in the application installation wizard when a different SQL Server Management Studio version than the selected one is running
• The application runs during the update process which blocks the update itself
• When opening a new project the number of rows for the generation process doesn't reset to default value
• "Not supported type gt_foreignkey for column with type int" error is encountered when the Foreign key generator is selected for the column with the int data type
• A date format in the exported CSV file does not match with the date format made in the Options window
• Changed CSV options from the Options window will not be applied on the current project until the Refresh button is clicked
• The Directory generator doesn’t insert values when the Include subfolders option is checked
• The new Alias is not selected automatically once it is created
• The Loop option becomes unselected for columns with a foreign key and a uniqueidentifier data type, after the saved project is reloaded
• Previously saved project cannot be loaded after a foreign key constraint is added to one of the existing columns
• "Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection" error is encountered when the /et switch is used in the CLI
• The application is started on the second monitor if the cursor is moved to the second one, even if the application was previously closed on the first monitor

Changes:

• The application has been split into three editions - Community, Standard and Profession

Enhancements:

• Support for SQL Server Management Studio 17 integration

Fixes:

• The add-in doesn’t integrate into SQL Server Management Studio 16.5.3 when it is the only ApexSQL add-in installed
• “SQL Server Management Studio has stopped working” error message is encountered on start-up when the add-in is integrated into SQL Server Management Studio 2014 alongside other ApexSQL add-ins
• Some SQL tables are not populated during data generation for specific databases

Changes:

• SQL Server Management Studio integration is now disabled by default in the product installation wizard

Known issues:

• "Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection." message is encountered when the /et switch is used in the CLI

Enhancements:

• The "Fill only empty tables" option in the Options tab enables data generation for only empty tables
• CLI switches:
  • Ignore project object selection [/ipos]
  • Export and execute [/eae]
  • Fill only empty tables [/foet]

Fixes:

• All project file settings are ignored from the CLI when connection switches are specified along with the project file
• "ColumnName: No module named listing" warning message is encountered when the application is unable to load IronPython generator libraries
• "Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection" error is encountered when there is an error inside the module imported into the IronPython generator
• The add-in version in the About window in SQL Server Management Studio is not the same as the version in the application About dialog
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered on loading a project file after one or more SQL tables are added or removed from the database referenced in the project file
• The set identity_insert on SQL statement is added for SQL tables which do not have the identity columns
• An exported SQL file cannot be executed due to the misspelled set qouted_identifier on SQL statement
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when saving a project after it was previously canceled
• No information about errors is available from the CLI when the execution is finished with errors

Changes:

• Switch [/pr] is renamed to [/pt]
• Switch [/pf] is renamed to [/pr]

Known issues:

• Some SQL tables are skipped during data generation for specific databases
• "Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection." message is encountered when the /et switch is used in the CLI

Enhancements:

• Support for SQL Server Management Studio 2016 integration
• Error-handling (/error_handling) switch is added in CLI
• Switches for including/excluding (/include, /exclude) tables are added in CLI
• Switch for exporting help into HTML file (/help_to_html) is added in CLI
• Switch for inserting unique data (/unique) is added in CLI
• Switch for shuffling the test data prior to generation (/shuffle) is added in CLI
• Switch for setting the percentage of NULL values to insert (/allow_null) is added in CLI
• Switch for previewing the return code (/return_codes) is added in CLI
• Option is added to include the return code switch in the saved batch file
• 20+ new predefined generators:
  • Products:
    • ISSN
    • ISSN-13
    • bibliographic code[coden]
    • IMEI number
    • post tracking number
  • Geographical:
    • language
    • language code ISO 639-1 alpha-2 lowercase
    • language code ISO 639-1 alpha-2 uppercase
    • language code ISO 639-1 alpha-3 lowercase
    • language code ISO 639-1 alpha-3 uppercase
    • address type
    • ethnic group
    • country code ISO 3166-1 numeric
    • country code ISO 3166-1 alpha-3
    • building unit
  • Personal:
    • phone type
    • nickname
    • phone number
  • Payment:
    • credit card number ISO 7812
    • credit card security code (cvv2|cvc2)
  • IT:
    • social networks
• 20 new CLI return error codes
• Improved output messages in the CLI: Generation summary, Warnings output and Preview with objects to process

Fixes:

• Table mapping is lost when the Refresh button is clicked
• Issue with loading .CSV or .txt files via Regular expression generator
• Set time value is not being saved in the Random generator used on a column with datetimeoffset data type
• Set time is not saved when the Random generator, used on datetimeoffset, is saved as User defined
• The "Apply settings to tables" feature applies settings to all the tables, even the ones that are not selected
• “Invalid column name 'remote_data_archive_migration_state_desc' “ error is encountered when generating in database on SQL Server 2016 RC3
• “The ConnectionString property has not been initialized” message is encountered when connecting via Alias, while the Alias tab isn't selected
• After generator selection the field with the generator settings is scrolled to the bottom
• The Test data preview grid remains empty for table and all its columns, if the SQL table or view generator is assigned to any column in that table
• The application freezes when the View dependencies option is selected on the table with no relations
• The Test data preview remains empty when selecting specific table in the Main grid
• The Regular expression settings and Dependent object grid are flashing and freezing when switching between two columns with the Regular expression generator assigned
• “Access to the path 'C:\Program Files\ApexSQL\ApexSQLGenerate\allTypes.sql' is denied” exception occurs when exporting in the current folder through CLI
• “Object reference not set to an instance of an object” error is encountered when connecting to the server instance that has stopped working
• Empty values are inserted when IT>Roman numerals Predefined list is assigned to a column
• Values start with lower case for Personal>Occupation Predefined list
• The IronPython is not populating columns with nvarchar(MAX) datatype
• Only half of the defined value's length is allowed in Random generator when it is assigned to a column with char(10) or more data type
• Empty values are inserted when exceeding Longitude/Latitude while generating decrement values for columns with geography data type
• The Weighted list (ranged) generator should not be presented for the columns with hierarchyid data type
• Incorrectly limited maximum allowed value for the 'From' and 'To' labeled text-boxes in the Weighted list (ranged) generator
• “SQL Server Management Studio has stopped working” message is encountered when starting SSMS while ApexSQL Diff (interim), ApexSQL Complete (interim) and ApexSQL Generate (public) are all installed
• “Value cannot be null” error is encountered when clicking the Select all button when the database is collapsed in the Main grid after refreshing
• “Invalid column name 'remote_data_archive_migration_state_desc' “ error is encountered when connecting to SQL Server 2016 RC0
• “Object reference not set to an instance of an object” error is encountered when loading a specific database
• Missing CLI switches to redirect the console output to an HTML file
• “Object reference not set to an instance of an object” error is encountered when the SQL query generator is selected on specific int column
• Enabling delete trigger is located under "Enabling insert triggers" action in the Action plan
• Missing the CLI switches for Activation/Deactivation of the application
• Missing the CLI switches for specifying which tables to be populated
• The quotation marks are missing in the batch script when there are white spaces in the database name
• Batch file does not populate the columns correctly even though the generator settings are properly specified in the project file that the batch file is using
• Missing the corresponding switches for Unique, Shuffle and Allow null options in the CLI
• Missing the error-handling switch in the CLI
• Problem in the exported script when the object's name contain apostrophe
• “Object reference not set to an instance of an object” error is encountered when using a project file with only a connection string in CLI
• Missing the option in the "Save as batch" form to include the return code at the end of the output when executing the saved batch
• Wrong database name is shown in the Apply settings window
• The Pre and Post processing scripts are incorrectly ordered in the Action plan window
• Wrong naming of the Pre and Post processing scripts under the Group by action tab in the Action plan window
• “Execution successfully finished” message is encountered even when the pre/post processing scripts fails
• The Project settings option in the Save project as batch file window should be checked by default
• The application freezes intensely when using the Directory generator
• The Cross-column generator's settings are previewed for computed columns with server assigned generator
• The User defined generator is not being saved in the default folder - My Documents\ApexSQL\ApexSQLGenerate\User defined
• Missing a path to default folder for saving User defined generators
• Saved generators are available for reuse in the generator settings even if they are not located in the folder specified in the application's options
• User defined generator saved on the tinyint data type cannot be reused on smallint, int, bigint
• Generator saved outside of the user defined folder appears in the generator drop-down list anyway
• Shared user defined generator cannot be loaded when browsed for
• Application freezes when Aliases are not previously created
• Random generator for datetimeoffset(7) data type is not being saved as User defined
• “Value cannot be null” error is encountered when clicking the Table mapping button after canceling the Table mapping action

Enhancements:

• Support for SQL Server 2016

Fixes:

• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when loading a specific database

Known issues:

• The application cannot be integrated into latest SQL Server Management Studio 2016 version

Fixes:

• "SQL Server Management Studio has stoped working" error is encountered when starting SQL Server Management Studio while ApexSQL Diff 2016 or ApexSQL Complete 2016.02 are also installed

Enhancements:

• Import database structure from SQL creation script
• Merge SQL creation script with SQL static data script
• New export: JSON
• New export: Excel
• Live preview of export results
• New generator: IronPython
• 25 new predefined generators were added
• New generator: Manual foreign key
• New weighted list: Nested
• New weighted list: Regular expression
• New weighted list: Ranged
• Check constraint violation warnings
• Graphical dependency viewer

Fixes:

• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when the Table mapping is set and confirmed for a column, and then reopened again
• The application closes when the Save as button for the embedded script is clicked
• Options for the Lorem ipsum generator are not loaded when it is saved as the User defined generator
• Tables are missing from the Apply settings to tables window, when one option is applied and then the option is unchecked and tables are removed from the applied settings
• "Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less then the size of the collection" error is encounterd when all columns are removed from the applied settings to columns
• The project is saved to wrong location
• The application starts to flash when one table is selected and CTRL+A is pressed
• "Error during parsing value: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation" error message is encountered when percent or dollar value is added to the List generator
• "Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection" error is encountered when the generation process is done and several tables are clicked
• Missing an option to remove table mapping
• "Internal parser error" error message is encountered when the Cancel button is clicked while loading a database
• The last location for saving the project file is not remembered
• When a project is selected from the Recent projects option in the New project window, the master database is loaded
• The addin file for SQL Server Management Studio integration is created in wrong locations
• The drop-down buttons in the Regular expression generator are not working correctly
• Tables are being collapsed after the Refresh button is clicked
• Missing an option to create a batch file for the CLI code from the GUI
• The exported SQL file that contains apostrophe character in the data values cannot be executed from SQL Server Management Studio
• The installation wizard offers SQL Server Management Studio integration even if that version is uninstalled
• The option for defining the number of decimal points for Float data type is missing
• Delimiter for Table mapping set in options is not applied after clicking the "Ok" button
• The Shuffle option is not checked by default for the List generator
• Missing Command-Line Interface switches for Additional scripts
• The Unique option is redundant in the Text generator
• Include / exclude dependent tables does not refresh when new database is loaded
• For "E-mailAddress" column, Predefined generator will insert Address predefined
• Application crashes when adding fourth predefined list for one column using Regular expression generator
• Test data preview isn't refreshing to "Empty" when SQL table or view generator is selected and before it's set
• The application is freezing and flashing when deleting or typing in expression in Regular expression generator
• Bottom of the application is flasing intensively when the warning occures
• Test data preview is not refreshing when the new database is loaded
• The application is flashing when the Lorem ipsum text is deleted
• Missing the Predefined generator for "Citizenship" column
• Wrong default generator is set for column named "Street"
• The options are not applied in Lorem ipsum Text generator
• Context menus are missing for columns and databases
• The application crashes when opening inappropriate .XML file as a shared User defined generator
• "Index was outside the bounds of the array" error is sometimes encountered when using "Show filter rows" option
• "Switch 'af' cannot be used along with other switches" message is encountered when using the Argument file switch in the Command-Line Interface
• Default folder is not created if the first project after installation of the application is executed from the Command-Line Interface
• Dialog opens when overwriting the existing files in the Command-Line Interface
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" message is encountered when generating through CLI
• Not supported type GT_CSV for column with type timestamp message is encountered when column with timestamp data type is selected
• "Object reference not set to an Instance of an object" message is encountered when newly added table is selected after refreshing the database
• The Predefined generator is missing for the columns with datetime2 data type
• The "0 or more repeats" option in Snippet, Regular expression has a function of "1 or more repeats", and the other way around
• Application hangs if the patterns in certain form are used in the Regular expression generator
• “Login failed for user 'user' ” error is encountered when connecting to database in CLI with not trusted connection
• Not every data type can be parsed into string columns in the SQL table or view generator
• "Value cannot be null" error message is encountered after canceling the progress bar while loading the previous project and than clicking the Generate button
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error message is encountered after canceling the progress bar while loading the previous project and than clicking the Edit button
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error message is encountered when applying settings to columns
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error message is encountered when selecting column on which changes are made in SQL Server Management Studio while the project was active
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error message is encountered when clicking the Edit button with no active project
• The add-in 'ApexSQL Generate' failed to load or caused an exception message is encountered when starting SQL Server Management Studio after the ApexSQL Generate is uninstalled
• "The ConnectionString property has not been initialized" error message is encountered when switching from Regular expression to the SQL query generator when the RegEx is assigned to the columns with tinyint, nchar(1) or nchar(2) data types
• Columns with the same data type and shorter length should be able to be used via the SQL table or view generator
• Currently selected table gets unselected upon clicking the Collapse all button
• The Table drop-down list doesn't refresh its content once it's reconnected to a different database in the SQL table or view generator
• The SQL table or view generator settings disappear after reconnecting generator to a different database and refreshing the application
• Slider is missing for the Foreign key columns to determine the data source
• Application flashes when switching to the SQL table or view generator
• "Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection" error message is encountered when creating new table (manually or via Additional scripts) and then Refreshing the connection in the application
• Multiple NULL values in the Test data preview grid when the Unique option in checked in the Regular expression generator
• The expression for Predefined lists is inserted as a value in the Test data preview grid, when the Unique option is checked and Predefined list is inserted via the Regular expression generator
• Not supported type GT_PREDEFINED for column with type datetimeoffset message is encountered when selecting the Predefined generator for column with datetimeoffset data type
• The tables does not get populated when they are included for generation in the Dependent objects grid
• "There is an error in XML document (0, 0)" error message is encountered when loading the empty project in the ApexSQL Generate
• "Index was outside the bounds of the array" error is encountered when refreshing the database in which the filter was active
• Files exported via CLI does not get updated when overwritten
• "There is no data in source" message is encountered in the preview grid in the Table mapping form when SQL View is selected as a data source
• Cannot access destination table [schema].[table] warning is encountered for all the tables in the database when one table is mapped by SQL table
• The given key was not present in the dictionary error is encountered when selecting the Incremental generator for the column with numeric(19,5) data type
• The application generates 0 rows in the columns with primary and foreign key constraints

Enhancements:

• Added 85 predefined generators
• New Cross-column generator has been added
• New User defined generator has been added
• New Text generator has been added along with:
  • Lorem ipsum generator option
  • Text shuffler option
  • Sentence generator option
• New Execution by time option
• New Execution by table proportion option
• New SQL view option for the Table mapping feature
• Improved Regular expression generator with an option to use columns and files as variables
• New Pre-processing and Post-processing scripts feature has been added
• New Warnings feature has been added
• New Include dependent database objects option
• Support for SQL Server 2016 CTP2
• Support for SQL Server Management Studio integration

Fixes:

• Missing an option to set the Share folder for User defined generators
• No values are stored for the List generator when saved as the User defined generator
• Missing a warning message when there is no value set for in the List generator, which is saved as a User defined generator
• Missing an option to delete the User defined generator
• Only one value will be inserted into a column, if the Collection based predefined generator is used on a column, using a specific data type with the Loop option unchecked
• The Incremental generator resets its settings when changing to another column and back, while retaining the data preview results for columns that are using hierarchyid data type
• The application installer will continue with the installation, even when the lack of necessary requirements is detected
• "One or more errors occurred" error message is encountered when generating data for a specific database
• The "Table proportion generation" option does not properly generate a row for a specific database
• A trigger is shown as enabled in the "Action plan" window, even if the "Disable INSERT triggers" option is checked
• A column for date values in the "Table mapping" window is showing the current system time, when a CSV file column is loaded, the column is switched to CurrencyCode, and a Refresh button is clicked
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered after selecting the "SQL View" option in Table mapping and selecting an object from a drop-down box
• The warning error is shown after executing a query in the Query generator for a column, then selecting other column, and then getting back to the first one
• There is no dialog to save the project, after the X button in the top right corner of the application window
• The application becomes idle when generating a large number of rows for a specific database
• The maximum allowed number of rows that will be generated, in the New project window, is 10.000
• Missing the "Clear all values" option for the List generator
• The file with values used in the List generator is not stored after switching from and getting back to the column for which is used for, although the values from the file are remembered
• The list of values cannot be created in the List generator for the ntext data type
• "Collection was modified; enumeration operation may not execute" error message is encountered when editing the table properties in SQL Server Management Studio while the table is being used in the application
• "Cannot open database "cent" requested by the login. The login failed.Login failed for user 'Nojro-PC\Nojro'" error message is encountered when trying to generate data to a database that is deleted in the meantime
• Missing an option to load views from a database for the Table generator
• Missing a syntax highlighting of SQL code in the Query generator
• The Regular expression generator should have default values according to the data type used in the column
• When changing from the List generator to the Incremental generator there is no preview available for columns using binary and datetime data types
• The Incremental generator default value for the time zone is not shown properly in the Preview pane for columns using the datetimeoffset data type

Features:

• Generate test data using data from CSV file
• Generate test data by using a valid column from the same database as foreign key
• Generate test data using predefined generators
• View the action plan before generating data
• Import data from existing data sources via table mapping
• /project CLI switch for executing the saved project

Fixes:

• The application allows itself to be uninstalled even when it is running
• The "ExecuteNonQuery requires an open and available Connection. The connection's current state is closed." error is encountered when generating data to a database that is in use
• The "Apply settings to children" option is not working correctly when some changes are made and then the Cancel button is clicked
• Predefined generators should not allow longer character lengths than the column's length
• The Query generator doesn't allow inserting certain data type values into columns that are using nvarchar data type
• "Exception of type 'System.OutOfMemoryException' was thrown." error is encountered when trying to generate data after opening a saved project file containing column with varbinary(max) SQL type
• The generator settings disappear after loading a CSV file in the CSV generator and selecting that column after changing to another column
• If there are less values to be generated than set in the table row count and the Unique option is clicked in the Random generator the application hangs
• "Database is currently in use. Please close all connections and try again" message is encountered when changing to the Table generator
• The SQL table mapping option doesn't link all available columns for the tables with the same name and data types used
• "Index was outside the bounds of the array." error message is encountered when checking the Use first row as a column name option in the CSV file pane of the Table mapping window
• SQL table mapping allows to select as the source the table which is being mapped
• After opening the saved project settings for SQL mapped tables are not restored
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object." error is encountered after opening a saved project and modifying the Alias for SQL mapped table
• The Table mapping option allows the Foreign key generator to be altered
• No preview is being displayed and no data generated after selecting the column that is CSV mapped and using ntext as data type
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object." error is encountered after opening the saved project with CSV mapped columns and generating data
• A project file cannot be saved after selecting a column that has been CSV mapped and is using ntext data type
• The automatically set predefined generator type cannot be changed unless the predefined generator area is changed first
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object." error is encountered when generating data after opening a saved project containing columns with predefined generators set
• After unchecking all tables and checking single one it behaves like it isn't selected
• When editing Table mapping that is set a schema and a table name are displayed instead of only a table name
• The Shuffle option should be checked by default for Predefined generator
• There is no Up/Down box for the Days field in the Incremental generator
• There should be an information message when both Unique and Allow null options are checked
• The 'System. NullReferenceException' error is encountered when scrolling through the columns of a database using the keyboard
• Some options and descriptions are cut off or distorted if certain display settings are applied in Windows 8
• The "Apply setting to children" window should be differently organized
• The List generator should have a combo box for True/False values
• There should be no sound after pressing the Enter key in the Search bar
• There should be no Time value in the Incremental generator or in the Preview pane for the Date data type
• The AM/PM option is missing from the Random generator
• The number of rows is not remembered after changing it in the Generation options and clicking on the "Refresh" button
• The "Disable check constraints" option is not unchecked in database options, when its unchecked in the "Defaults" window
• Missing the right-click menu for checking, expanding, and selecting objects in the Main grid
• Columns in the Result grid are clickable, but they do not sort results by clicking column, as other applications do
• After unchecking all tables and checking single one it behaves like it isn't selected
• When changing the generator for a column from specific generators to Predefined generator empty will be displayed in the preview
• Limited column selection in CSV mapping option after loading a CSV using a different delimiter than default one
• The Table is wrongly set for a column after applying the SQL table mapping to a table

Fixes:

• The "From table" generator should only allow columns with equal/smaller character length to be selected
• The From list generator does not have an option to enter time for datetime data type
• The "Options" button and the "Defaults" button, from the "Home" tab, are not enabled when a database is not loaded
• The foreign key generator does not have the "Shuffle", the "Allow null", and the "Percentage of null" options
• All tables are selected when a saved project file is restored
• Executing query in the From query generator for the wrong data type is changing values for the other column
• When the specific object type is selected and then a different one, the text labels distort in the Random generator control box
• The Float data types default values for the Incremental generator are shown as (empty)
• The Random generator seed value can be negative
• There is no SET IDENTITY_INSERT ON/OFF statement in the exported SQL script
• The "Save password" option in the "Alias management" window will not remember the password after the application restarts
• The progress window does not show the name of the table for which the data is being generated
• The "Alias management" window is opened, even if the Cancel button is clicked, after selecting the "Add new alias" option
• The From list and the From directory generators, show larger values than allowed in the Preview panel, for specific data types
• The "Apply settings to tables" option slows down when applying settings to all tables in a database
• The "Unique" option is changing values for the other column, which is not selected
• The "Apply settings to tables" option does not apply the changes immediately
• When loading the saved project, settings for a database are set to default
• The From directory generator and the From CSV generator should not allow longer character length than column's lenght
• "Collection was modified; enumeration operation may not execute" error is encountered when loading project file with specific settings
• "The process cannot access the file 'Path\FileName.csv' because it is being used by another process" error is encountered when trying to generate from an open CSV file
• Increment values for the Incremental generator can be negative for some data types
• The Random generator and the Incremental generator default values are too big for some object types
• “Specified cast is not valid error” is encountered when generating data and the From query generator is executed on a column for wrong data type
• The main window size is not remembered after closing the resized application
• The data will not be generated, if the generator is not set for a column, even if the column’s table is unchecked
• There is no horizontal scroll bar in the Preview pane, when a database with larger number of columns is loaded
• The test data is not shown for specific data types in the Preview pane
• "Object is currently in use elsewhere" error is encountered when loading the same database several times in a row

Fixes:

• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when generating data for the saved project with specific settings
• "'minValue' cannot be greater than maxValue" error is encountered when generating data for the saved project with specific settings
• The From CSV file generator imports column names from a CSV file as data, instead of as a column name
• "System.IO.FileNotFoundException" error is encountered when generating the data for a saved project with the invalid link to the external data source
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when generating the data for a saved project while using the non-existing alias
• "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error is encountered when changing generator type for a saved project while using the non-existing alias
• The application GUI cannot be displayed on screen at all when using multi-monitor setup
• The From table generator is not working properly after restoring a project
• "Maximum cannot be less than Minimum" error is encountered when changing from any other generator to Incremental
• "Unable to cast object of type" error is encountered when trying to connect to a SQL Server 2008 database

Features:

• Support for Azure SQL Database V12
• Unlimited data generation
• Generating random set of data for all data types:
  • Repeating the result by using the same seed value
  • Create unique values
  • Set the percentage of NULL values in result
• Generating sequential data:
  • Set start and end value
  • Generate data in incremented order
  • Generate data in decremented order
  • Set increment/decrement step
  • Set the percentage of NULL values in result
• Generating result using data from CSV file:
  • Set delimiter character
  • Use specific column from CSV file
  • Randomize order of values from CSV file
  • Repeat original/randomized order of data
  • Set the percentage of NULL values in result
• Generating result using custom list of values:
  • Randomize order of values from list
  • Repeat original/randomized order of values
  • Set the percentage of NULL values in result
• Generating result by using a column with a compatible type as source:
  • Randomize order of values
  • Repeat original/randomized order of values
  • Set the percentage of NULL values in result
• Generating result by using return values of an SQL query:
  • Randomize order of returned values
  • Repeat original/randomized order of returned values
  • Set the percentage of NULL values in result
• Generating result by taking values from all documents in a directory:
  • Filter files based on filename and extension pattern
  • Set which encoding type is used when reading files
  • Include subfolders into search path
  • Randomize order of returned values
  • Repeat original/randomized order of returned values
  • Set the percentage of NULL values in result
• Generate result using a generator based on Regular Expression:
  • Basic snippet insertion
  • Randomize order of returned values
  • Repeat original/randomized order of returned values
  • Set the percentage of NULL values in result
• Executing against a live database
• Exporting to CSV file
• Exporting to XML file
• Exporting to SQL file
• Live preview of generated data
• Top-down level settings for database, tables, and columns
• Supports SQL Server 2014, 2012, 2008 R2, and 2008