For those of us who might execute queries on the live/production SQL Server from time to time, it is important that we are constantly aware of whether we are about to execute a query in the context of the test or live environment.  Most the time I like to perfect a script in the test environment, and then change the connection to the live environment ... but even then a visual cue that would help me differentiate which one I am currently connected to would be a welcomed feature and might make me double-check that DELETE statement I am about to run to make sure it has a WHERE clause on it.

Luckily, this feature is built into SQL Management Studio 2008.  Turns out it is right in front of your face, but I didn't ever notice it until I actually heard someone mention it and I went digging for it.  When you connect to a server, there are several options under the "Connection Properties" tab.  The bottom one is a checkbox for Use Custom Color.  Here is the MSDN's documentation for that property: "Select to specify the background color for the status bar in a Database Engine Query Editor window.  To specify the color, click Select. In the Color dialog box, select a predefined color from the Basic Colors grid or click Define Custom Colors to define and use a custom color."

Test/Development Environment - Lower contrast green to indicate everything is cool

Live/Production Environment - Dark red that would be hard to miss