SQL Server 2014 Management Studio (SSMS) Lesson-2

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is the main administration console for SQL Server.

SSMS enables you to create database objects (such as databases, tables, stored procedures, views etc), view the data within your database, configure user accounts, perform backups, replication, transfer data between databases, and more.

SQL Server Management Studio is a graphical user interface, so many tasks are "point and click". It is also the interface that enables you to run SQL scripts, so there are also tasks that require programming/scripting. However, many tasks can be performed either via GUI or SQL script, so it's your choice which one you use. For example, you can create a database using the GUI or by running a SQL script. Having said that, you still need the GUI in order to run the script.

• Connect to a SQL Server instance
• Create a database ("TutorialDB")
• Create a table ("Customers") in your new database
• Insert rows into your new table
• Query the new table and view the results
• Use the query window table to verify your connection properties
• Change the server that your query window is connected to

Connect to a SQL Server instance

1.                       Start SQL Server Management Studio. The first time you run SSMS, the Connect to Server window opens. If it doesn't open, you can open it manually by selecting Object Explorer > Connect > Database Engine.

2.      In the Connect to Server window, follow the list below:

·         For Server type, select Database Engine (usually the default option).

·         For Server name, enter the name of your SQL Server instance. (This article uses the instance name SQL2016ST on the hostname NODE5 [NODE5\SQL2016ST].) If you're unsure how to determine your SQL Server instance name, see Additional tips and tricks for using SSMS.

·         For Authentication, select Windows Authentication. This article uses Windows Authentication, but SQL Server login is also supported. If you select SQL Login, you're prompted for a username and password. For more information about authentication types, see Connect to the server (database engine).

You can also modify additional connection options by selecting Options. Examples of connection options are the database you're connecting to, the connection timeout value, and the network protocol. This article uses the default values for all the options.

1.      After you've completed all the fields, select Connect.

Examples of successful connections

To verify that your SQL Server connection succeeded, expand and explore the objects within Object Explorer. These objects are different depending on the type of server you choose to connect.

·         Connecting to an on-premises SQL server - in this case NODE5\SQL2016ST: