🚀 SODA+ AI - Quick Start Guide

Get Productive in 5 Minutes!

Version: 1.1 | Last Updated: December 2025
Target Audience: New Users | Estimated Time: 5 minutes

[TOC]

Welcome to SODA+ AI!

SODA+ AI is your AI-powered SQL Object Dependency Analyzer. This guide will get you analyzing database dependencies in under 5 minutes.

What You'll Learn

In the next 5 minutes, you'll:

✅ Login and select your work environment
✅ Connect to a SQL Server database
✅ Analyze your first stored procedure or table
✅ See dependency relationships instantly

Prerequisites

Before you start:

✅ SODA+ AI installed - You should have the SODA_PLUS_MAIN.exe on your machine
✅ SQL Server access - You need connection details for a SQL Server
✅ Basic SQL knowledge - You should know what procedures, tables, and views are

Don't have these? Contact your database administrator for SQL Server connection details.

Quick Start: 3 Steps to Your First Analysis

1.1 Launch SODA+ AI

Double-click SODA_PLUS_MAIN.exe
First time? Registration dialog appears automatically

1.2 Register (First Time Only)

📝 Registration Form:
   Email: your.email@company.com
   Display Name: John Smith
   Company: (Optional) Acme Corp

   Click [📝 Register]

1.3 Login

🔑 Login Form:
   Email: your.email@company.com (pre-filled)
   
   Click [🔑 Login]

1.4 Select Environment

Environment Selection:
   ● SANDBOX (Green) ← Choose this for first time
   ○ TEST (Orange)
   ○ PROD (Red - Be careful!)
   
   Click [Apply]

Environment Selection

✅ You're logged in! The main window opens.

Step 2: Connect to SQL Server

2.1 Add Your First Server

Right-click in the Server Explorer panel (top-left)
Select "Add Server..."

2.2 Fill in Server Details

Enhanced Add Server Dialog:

Server Name:
   localhost              ← For local SQL Server
   OR .\SQLEXPRESS        ← For SQL Express
   OR your-server-name    ← For remote server

Display Name: (Optional)
   Dev Server

Authentication:
   ● Windows Authentication  ← Easiest option
   
Connection Options:
   ✓ Trust server certificate
   Connection timeout: 30

Click [🔌 Test Connection]

Server Connection

2.3 Test & Save

Click "🔌 Test Connection" - You should see:

✅ Connected successfully!
Server: MYSERVER\SQLEXPRESS
Version: SQL Server 2019

Click "Connect" to save

✅ Server added! You should see it in the Server Explorer tree.

Step 3: Analyze Your First Object

3.1 Select Database

Click your server in the Server Explorer
Wait for databases to load
Click a database name in the Database Explorer (middle-left)

3.2 Find an Object

In the Object Explorer (bottom-left), use the search box:
```
🔍 Search: GetCustomer
```
Or manually expand:
- Stored Procedures → dbo → Pick any procedure

3.3 Analyze Dependencies

Right-click the object (e.g., dbo.GetCustomerOrders)
Select "🔍 Analyze Dependencies"

✅ Analysis Complete! You now see:

LEFT PANEL (3 Tabs):

⬆️ Upstream - What this object needs (tables, other procedures)
⬇️ Downstream - What depends on this object
📊 Call Order - Execution sequence

RIGHT PANEL:

SQL Code - The object's definition with syntax highlighting

What You Just Did

🎉 Congratulations! You just:

✅ Logged in to SODA+ AI with secure session management
✅ Connected to a SQL Server database
✅ Analyzed dependencies for a database object
✅ Viewed upstream/downstream relationships
✅ Inspected SQL code in the viewer

Why this matters:

You can now see impact analysis before making changes
You understand dependency chains across objects
You can document database architecture visually

Dependency Analyzer

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Selecting PROD Environment

Problem: PROD is for production databases - risky for learning!
Solution: Always use SANDBOX for first-time exploration

❌ Mistake 2: Skipping "Test Connection"

Problem: You won't know if server details are correct
Solution: Always click "🔌 Test Connection" before saving

❌ Mistake 3: Not Using Search

Problem: Databases can have 1000+ objects - hard to browse
Solution: Use the search box: 🔍 Search objects...

❌ Mistake 4: Forgetting to Expand Sub-Tabs

Problem: You only see part of the analysis
Solution: Check all 3 sub-tabs: Upstream, Downstream, Call Order

❌ Mistake 5: Ignoring the Right Panel

Problem: You miss seeing actual SQL code
Solution: Click items in dependency trees to view their code

What to Do Next

Immediate Next Steps:

1. Explore More Objects (5 minutes)

Try analyzing a Table - see what uses it
Try analyzing a View - understand its dependencies
Try analyzing a Function - see its call chain

2. Use the Object Search Feature (2 minutes)

In Object Explorer, use the search box: 🔍 Search objects...
Search for objects by name: Customer
Try schema-qualified search: dbo.Get
Clear search and try again

3. Try Cross-Database Search ⭐ NEW! (5 minutes)

Go to Search menu → Search Current Server
Enter search term: Customer
Select object types to search (Tables, Views, Procedures, Functions)
Check "Search inside code definitions" for comprehensive search
Optional: Enable "Use AI to filter irrelevant results" (requires API key)
Click 🔍 Search
See results from all databases!
Tip: Double-click a result to open it in Dependency Analyzer
→ See Step 11: Cross-Database Search in Search Guide

4. Check Drill-Down (3 minutes)

In the dependency tree, right-click a dependency
Select "Analyze Dependencies"
See how a new tab opens for that object
Switch between tabs with Ctrl+Tab

Learn Advanced Features:

Once you're comfortable, explore these:

🔍 Cross-Database & Multi-Server Search (15 minutes) ⭐ NEW!

Search across multiple databases simultaneously
Find objects by name OR code content
Search inside stored procedures, views, functions
Multi-server search across entire environments
Features:
- 🚀 20x faster - Searches 20 databases in parallel
- 🔍 Comprehensive - Searches names, code, columns, triggers, constraints
- 🌐 Multi-server - Search entire environments (DEV, TEST, PROD)
- 🤖 AI Filtering - Remove irrelevant matches with Grok AI
→ See Step 11: Cross-Database Search in Search Guide

📊 Charting (10 minutes)

Right-click object → Chart Analysis → Quick Chart
NEW: Select Direction (Downstream or Upstream) to control what dependencies appear
See visual dependency diagrams
NEW: Use File menu to save, load, or copy Mermaid charts
NEW: Use Output menu to render, open, or save SVG files
Export as SVG for documentation
→ See Step 10: Dependency Charting in Full Guide

🤖 AI Analysis (15 minutes)

Right-click procedure → AI Analysis → Summary
Get AI-powered code improvements
See formatted recommendations
→ See Step 9: AI Code Analysis in Full Guide

💾 Export Dependencies (5 minutes)

Click Export button in analyzer toolbar
Choose format: CSV, JSON, Markdown, or Text
Save for documentation or reports
→ See Step 8b: Toolbar Actions in Full Guide

📺 Full Window Mode (2 minutes)

Click Full Window button in analyzer toolbar
Get standalone window for analysis
Great for dual monitors
→ See Step 8b: Full Window in Full Guide

Read the Full Documentation:

📖 Complete User Guide (2-3 hours)

Comprehensive reference for all features
Advanced workflows and troubleshooting
Deep dives into AI analysis and refactoring

📘 Concise User Guide (30 minutes)

Essential features without the deep details
Perfect for onboarding and training
80% of what you need to know

🔍 Reference Guide (Quick Lookup)

Alphabetical feature index
Keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet
Fast answers to "How do I...?"

Need More Help?

Built-in Help

Messages Panel (Bottom of main window)

Shows real-time feedback and errors
Right-click to copy messages for support

Status Bar (Very bottom)

Shows connection status
Displays current operations

Documentation

Help Menu → Use Cases

Opens detailed use case documentation
Step-by-step scenarios
Best practices

Troubleshooting

Problem: Can't connect to SQL Server

✅ Check server name is correct
✅ Try Windows Authentication first
✅ Click "Test Connection" to see error details
✅ Verify SQL Server is running
✅ Check firewall settings

Problem: No objects showing in Object Explorer

✅ Make sure you clicked a database (not just server)
✅ Check Database Explorer shows database name
✅ Wait a few seconds for objects to load
✅ Check Messages panel for errors

Problem: Analysis tabs not opening

✅ Make sure you right-clicked the object (not the schema)
✅ Try single-clicking first, then right-clicking
✅ Check you have < 10 tabs open already
✅ Close unused tabs with ✖ button

Problem: Search not finding objects

✅ Check spelling
✅ Try partial name: Get instead of GetCustomer
✅ Try without schema: Customer instead of dbo.Customer
✅ Make sure database is selected first

Problem: Cross-database search returns no results

✅ Check at least one database is selected in the dialog
✅ Verify at least one object type is checked (Tables/Views/Procedures/Functions)
✅ Try a more common search term (e.g., "Customer" instead of rare names)
✅ Enable "Search inside code" for comprehensive search
✅ Check Messages panel for permission errors

Problem: Multi-server search shows server errors

✅ Check the error message in the results window
✅ Verify you can connect to the server manually
✅ Test authentication settings for that server
✅ Some servers failing is OK - results from successful servers still shown

Problem: AI filtering not working

✅ Make sure you're logged in with a valid session
✅ Check "Search inside code" is enabled (AI filtering only works with code search)
✅ Verify Grok API key is assigned to your user account
✅ See AI filtering checkbox tooltip for requirements

🎯 Success Checklist

After 5 minutes, you should be able to:

✅ Login to SODA+ AI
✅ Select SANDBOX environment
✅ Add a SQL Server
✅ Connect to a database
✅ Search for objects
✅ Analyze dependencies
✅ View Upstream/Downstream relationships
✅ Read SQL code in the viewer
✅ Understand basic dependency impact

All checked? 🎉 You're ready to explore advanced features!

Next Steps:

🔍 Try Cross-Database Search to find objects across all databases
📊 Explore Dependency Charting for visual diagrams
🤖 Test AI Analysis for code improvements

Need more? 📖 Move to the Concise User Guide for essential features.

🔍 Can't Find a Section?

All guides have built-in search to help you navigate:

Search in Guide: Press Ctrl+F while viewing any guide to search for keywords
Floating Top Button: Click the blue ↑ button (bottom-right) to return to Table of Contents
Clear Search: Click the "Clear" button to reset search and view full guide

💡 Search Tips:

Try partial words: "login", "server", "analyze"
Use feature names: "AI Analysis", "Charting", "Dependencies"
Search error messages or symptoms directly

Still can't find what you need? See the Complete User Guide for comprehensive coverage.