SQL Server Management

SQL Server Management Studio 2008

SQL Server management consists of using a lot of different tools - especially for different versions and editions. There's no one SQL Server management console: database administrators have to use multiple management tools.

• SQL Server 2000 - Enterprise Manager, Query Analyzer and the Index Tuning Wizard
• SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 - SQL Server Management Studio and the Database Tuning Advisor

The newer versions of the tools can manage older SQL Server versions. On your desktop, use the latest version of the tools to manage all of your servers where possible.

To use and configure these tools, here's a few articles:

• Working with Registered Servers in SSMS - Michelle Ufford explains how to connect to database servers.
• sp_configure and other SQL 2000 Configuration Tools - how to manage SQL Server's settings like memory, CPUs and service accounts.
• SQL Server 2005 Configuration Options - controls options like affinity masking, the default trace, database mail, and fulltext search behavior.
• SQL Server Standard and Enterprise Licensing - how to pick which version of SQL Server is right for your needs.

SQL Server Management Studio - Express

If you use SQL Server Express Edition (as opposed to SQL Server Developer Edition), it may not come packaged with SQL Server Management Studio. There's a free version of SQL Server Management Studio Express that you can download to administer your SQL Server Express instances. Here's some links on those editions:

• SQL Server Management Studio Express Tutorial - learn how to manage your SQL Servers with this free tool from Microsoft.
• SQL Server Express Edition Tutorial Video - Brent Ozar and Jeremiah Peschka talk about how to develop something for nothing.
• SQL Server Express Edition - wiki article about the free version of SQL Server.
• SQL Server Developer Edition - Developer Edition has all of the features of Enterprise Edition. It's not limited by performance or users.

SQL Server Management Studio 2005 and 2008

SQL Server 2005 and 2008 come with SQL Server Management Studio, a replacement for Enterprise Manager and Query Analyzer. This tool helps you manage your databases with point-and-click ease and T-SQL capabilities. For information on how to use SSMS, check out these articles:

• SQL Server Management Studio Tips and Tricks
• SQL Server Query Plans - how to read execution plans in SQL Server Management Studio.
• Setting SQL Server Startup Options - trace files and other configuration parameters can't always be done inside SQL Server Management Studio. Instead, we have to use startup parameters.
• Index Maintenance Tutorial with SQL Server Management Studio 2008 - Brent shows how to use the new Central Management Studio feature in SSMS 2008 to find out which databases are suffering from index fragmentation.

SQLServerPedia Editors Top Picks for Administration

• SQL Server Configuration Tools - covers SQL Server Configuration Manager and SQL Server Surface Area Configuration.
• SQL Server Profiler Tool - a console for controlling SQL Server traces to determine whether your server is configured for optimal performance.
• Dynamic Management Views - get internal health metrics on your servers by querying DMV's in SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008.

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