If you’re new to SQL Server and want to start using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) for database administration and development, this tutorial is for you. SSMS is a powerful management tool for DBAs and developers working on MS SQL Servers. In this tutorial, we’ll cover some of the fundamental and commonly used functionality to help you get started.
Connecting to a SQL Server
Before we dive into the features of SSMS, let’s first explore how to connect to a SQL Server. There are two ways to authenticate to a SQL Server instance: Windows Active Directory (AD) authentication and SQL Server authentication.
To connect using Windows AD authentication:
- Open SSMS by clicking on the shortcut or searching for “SQL Server Management Studio” in the Start Menu.
- In the “Connect to Server” window, enter the SQL Server name you want to connect to.
- Leave the authentication as Windows Authentication, which will use your AD credentials.
- Click “Connect” to establish the connection.
To connect using SQL Server authentication:
- Open SSMS as mentioned earlier.
- In the “Connect to Server” window, enter the SQL Server name.
- Select “SQL Server Authentication” from the authentication dropdown.
- Enter your SQL Server authentication login and password.
- Click “Connect” to establish the connection.
Once connected, you can explore the database objects using the Object Explorer in SSMS. Expand the server and databases dropdown to access tables, views, programmability, and security options. The Object Explorer is a handy tool for managing various aspects of your SQL Server.
Using the Query Window
The Query Window in SSMS allows you to write and execute SQL queries. To open a Query Window:
- Click the “New Query” button in the toolbar.
- Alternatively, right-click on a database in the Object Explorer and select “New Query”.
In the Query Window, you can write your SQL queries, execute them, and view the result set. You can also see information such as the SQL Server name and version, your logged-in user, database context, query execution time, and the number of records returned.
With these basic steps, you’re now ready to start exploring and utilizing the features of SSMS. Stay tuned for more tutorials on advanced SSMS functionality!
Article Last Updated: 2022-03-18