Microsoft recently released Power Tools Update 1 for Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2012 with a server side backup and restore tool, 64 bit support and removal of color coding. The backup tool enables you to schedule backups for configuration database, database for each team project collection including databases that TFS uses with SharePoint and SQL Server Reporting Services.
The restore tool enables you to restore a database of your entire deployment to new hardware. The recent update includes PowerShell interfaces that provide support for basic version control commands and a pipeline and glue to enable scripting.
"We shipped V1 of a new Team Members power tool a few months ago and, as with many V1s, we've gotten a fair amount of feedback and issues reported. We've fixed all of the most urgent ones that were reported in the Update 1," said Brian Harry, Product Unit Manager, Team Foundation Server.
The package include a best practices analyzer tool which verifies whether the TFS is configured as per the recommended best practices. It also identifies the source of the problem and captures a snapshot of the deployment configuration for detailed study including an ability to retrieve usage data about the volume of data stored or accessed in the past 14 days so that developers can take appropriate action if the size of the database needs to be reduced.
The TFS power tools include a graphical user interface based process template editor and storyboard shapes which enable you to create shapes for the PowerPoint storyboarding add-in.
The team explorer enhancements tool provides the following capabilities
- Finding files under version control by status or wildcard
- Opening a folder using file explorer from the source control explorer context menu
- Labeling files and folders in source control explorer
Moreover, you can also easily clone build definitions and copy work item paths including the ability to collaborate and share from within Visual Studio 2012.
The package includes a command line tool - tfpt.exe which contains additional version control commands, work item tracking and team project manipulation including a test attachment cleaner tool, set of extensions for Windows Shell and work item templates.
David R.Brown says
Excellent set of tools to help with the upgrade to TFS2012. Using the TFPT commands to add reports to an existing team project without reports makes life a lot easier, along with Building the Team Site in WSS!! Thank you! These tools are required if you are using Visual Studio 2012 and TFS 2012 to have a completely satisfying experience with either product.
Aikka Young commented
Installed didn't work on windows8, have VS studio ultimate installed, and team explorer is working fine.
Crispin Wright posted
The install doesn't work in typical mode for starters, it mentions the data backup plan option needing to be installed on a server, then won’t let you go any further. Then try it in custom mode, and the shell extensions won’t install alongside any other shell extensions, and I have to close it yet again.
Axomoxoa commented as follows
Sure this is a good tool and improves the work with TFS but it's strange nobody can tell why the process editor is not visible for several people.
