SQL Server Management Studio

SQL Server Management Studio is an integrated environment for managing your SQL Server infrastructure. Management Studio provides tools to configure, monitor, and administer instances of SQL Server. It also provides tools to deploy, monitor, and upgrade the data-tier components, such as databases and data warehouses used by your applications, and to build queries and scripts.

Benefits of SQL Server Management Studio

SQL Server Management Studio is a comprehensive utility for managing SQL Server objects that combines an easy-to-use graphical interface with rich scripting capabilities. Management Studio can be used to manage Database Engine, Analysis Services, Integration Services, and Reporting Services.

SQL Server Management Studio Components

Description

Topic

Describes common tasks performed by using Management Studio, such as customizing keyboard shortcuts and viewing property pages.

Use SQL Server Management Studio

Describes using Object Explorer to view and manage all of the objects in one or more instances of SQL Server.

Object Explorer

Describes how to use Template Explorer to build and manage files of boilerplate text that can be used to speed the development of queries and scripts.

Template Explorer

Describes how to use the deprecated Solution Explorer to build projects used to manage administration items such as scripts and queries.

Solution Explorer

Describes how to connect Management Studio to instances of the Database Engine and Analysis Services.

F1 Help for Server Connections (SQL Server Management Studio)

Describes how to use the visual design tools included in Management Studio.

Visual Database Tools

Describes how to use the Management Studio language editors to interactively build and debug queries and scripts.

Query and Text Editors (SQL Server Management Studio)