Sql-server – SSMS Template Browser Add-In development

Boiling down the question to the basics:

Q: "is there some way to set a policy or something on the Microsoft SQL Server instance itself that will cause any SSMS clients to be colorized?"

No. SSMS query color-coding is part of a client-side connection and that data is stored in the registry. You could theoretically export that registry setting and apply it to anyone in your company with SSMS, but it's not a trivial task for us database people.

I'd take that request to your sysadmins with Active Directory Group Policy administration duties and explain what you need. It's a fairly common type of request for companies that manage software deployments centrally. Unfortunately, it's not point-and-click easy, and you'll need to update the registry keys every time you add or rename a production server. These types of mass client deployments usually require change requests because modifying the Windows registry isn't something you want to be doing often.

SQL Server 2012 SP1 CU15 (http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3038001) resolves the issue (no deadlock occurs as the result of issuing a command during a database restore).