SSMS Object Aggregator

SSMS Object Aggregator is an SSMS 22 add-on that adds a dockable Object Aggregator tool window to help you collect and browse SQL objects from multiple SQL Server instances and databases in one place.

Instead of expanding many connections in Object Explorer, you define a group of instance/database targets, optionally add filters, and then load the combined result set into a single tree.

Purpose

This add-on is designed to make cross-instance object discovery faster inside SSMS.

Typical use cases:

• compare naming patterns across environments
• review all related objects for a feature area
• collect objects from multiple databases into one list
• jump from an aggregated result back to Object Explorer
• browse SQL Agent jobs and SSIS packages alongside regular database objects

How to open it

In SSMS 22, open:

• Tools > Object Aggregator

This shows the dockable Object Aggregator window.

Core concepts

Group

A saved container for one logical collection of sources.

Example:

• Customer Sync
• Billing Objects
• Release Validation

Instance/Database entry

A source inside a group.

Example:

• SQLDEV01 / SalesDb
• SQLQA01 / SalesDb
• SQLPROD01 / BillingDb

Filter definition

An optional schema/object name filter applied to one instance/database entry.

Example filters:

• Schema: dbo, Object: usp*
• Schema: etl, Object: LoadCustomer*
• Schema: blank, Object: cust

Plain text behaves like a contains search. Wildcards are supported:

• * = any number of characters
• ? = single character

Features

1. Dockable aggregated object browser

The add-on adds a tool window named Object Aggregator inside SSMS.

What it does:

• stays inside the SSMS shell
• shows saved groups in a tree
• loads objects on demand when a group is expanded

UI example:

1. Open Tools > Object Aggregator
2. Dock the window beside Object Explorer
3. Expand a group to load its objects

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2. Saved groups

You can create named groups and keep them for later sessions.

What it does:

• groups are persisted automatically
• groups are sorted by name
• renaming and deletion are built in

UI interactions:

• toolbar: Add Group, Edit Group, Delete Group, Reload Group
• menu: Groups > Add Group
• right-click a group: Rename, Add Instance, Edit, Delete
• keyboard:
  • F2 = rename selected group
  • Delete = delete selected group
  • Enter = edit selected group

Example:

Create a group named Customer Objects, then use it to collect related objects from Dev, QA, and Prod.

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3. Multiple instance/database targets per group

Each group can contain multiple SQL Server instance/database pairs.

What it does:

• one group can aggregate results from several environments
• each source can have its own filters
• duplicate objects are de-duplicated in the final result set

UI example:

1. Create group Customer Objects
2. Right-click the group and choose Add Instance
3. Add:
   • SQLDEV01 / SalesDb
   • SQLQA01 / SalesDb
   • SQLPROD01 / SalesDb

After reload, all matching objects appear under one group.

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4. Per-source filter definitions

Each instance/database entry can contain one or more filter definitions.

What it does:

• filter by schema name
• filter by object name
• combine multiple filters for the same source
• multiple filter rows act like an OR
• schema/object values inside one row act together

UI example:

1. Edit a group
2. Select SQLDEV01 / SalesDb
3. Click Filter Definitions
4. Add filters such as:

Schema filter	Object filter
dbo	usp*
etl	Load*
	Customer

Meaning:

• dbo + usp* finds objects in schema dbo whose name matches usp*
• etl + Load* finds ETL loader objects
• Customer alone finds any object whose name contains Customer

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5. Hierarchical result tree

Loaded objects are organized into a readable hierarchy.

Tree structure:

• Group
  • Instance / Database
    • Object Type
      • Object

Example:

• Customer Objects
  • SQLDEV01 / SalesDb
    • Tables
      • dbo.Customer
    • Stored Procedures
      • dbo.uspGetCustomer
    • Views
      • reporting.vwCustomerSummary

This makes mixed results easier to scan than a flat list.

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6. Quick search inside each source branch

Each Instance / Database node includes a quick filter box.

What it does:

• filters loaded object names within that branch
• grouped object types remain visible only when they still contain matches
• Esc clears the search box

Behavior:

• filtering activates after at least 3 characters
• input is debounced, so it applies shortly after typing stops

UI example:

1. Expand SQLDEV01 / SalesDb
2. In the small filter box under that node, type cust
3. The tree narrows to objects whose display name contains cust
4. Press Esc to clear the filter

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7. One-click reload for current definitions

Groups load lazily and can be refreshed at any time.

What it does:

• expanding a group triggers the first load
• Reload Group refreshes results after definition changes
• status text shows messages such as:
  • Loaded 24 object(s).
  • No matches.

UI example:

1. Add a new filter definition
2. Return to the main window
3. Click Reload Group
4. Review the updated aggregated result set

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8. Locate objects in Object Explorer

You can navigate from an aggregated object back into SSMS Object Explorer.

What it does:

• double-clicking an object attempts to locate it
• object context menu includes Locate
• useful when the aggregated tree is used as a finder, not just a report

UI example:

1. Expand a group
2. Open Stored Procedures
3. Double-click dbo.uspGetCustomer

Expected result:

• SSMS opens or focuses Object Explorer
• the add-on attempts to scroll to the matching object node

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9. SSIS and SQL Agent support

A source can target SSIS-related objects by using SSIS as the database name.

What it does:

• loads SQL Agent Jobs from msdb
• loads SSIS Packages from SSISDB
• shows them in the same aggregated tree as database objects

Example source:

• SQLETL01 / SSIS

Example result:

• SQLETL01 / SSIS
  • SQL Agent Jobs
    • Nightly Customer Import
  • SSIS Packages
    • LoadCustomers.dtsx

This is useful for operational or ETL-focused groups.

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10. Automatic persistence

Group definitions are stored automatically.

What it does:

• no separate export step is required for normal use
• groups are reloaded when the tool window is opened again

Storage location:

• %AppData%\SSMS.ObjectAggregator\groups.json

Example workflow

Example 1: collect related objects across environments

Goal: find all customer-related objects in Dev, QA, and Prod.

1. Open Tools > Object Aggregator
2. Add group Customer Objects
3. Add instances:
   • SQLDEV01 / SalesDb
   • SQLQA01 / SalesDb
   • SQLPROD01 / SalesDb
4. For each instance, add filters:
   • Schema: dbo, Object: Customer*
   • Schema: dbo, Object: usp*Customer*
5. Expand the group or click Reload Group
6. Use the quick search box with cust
7. Double-click an object to locate it in Object Explorer

Example 2: review ETL assets

Goal: see jobs and packages for one integration server.

1. Add group ETL Review
2. Add instance SQLETL01 / SSIS
3. Add filters such as:
   • Schema: Finance, Object: Load*
   • Schema: blank, Object: Nightly*
4. Reload the group
5. Browse:
   • SQL Agent Jobs
   • SSIS Packages

Summary

SSMS Object Aggregator turns SSMS 22 into a lightweight cross-instance object browser.

It is most useful when you need to:

• aggregate object lists from multiple servers or databases
• keep reusable search definitions
• filter by schema and object naming patterns
• quickly narrow results in the UI
• jump back into Object Explorer for the selected object
• include SQL Agent and SSIS assets in the same workflow