Understanding SQL Server Management Studio

Before joining Directions on Microsoft, Rob worked at Microsoft for 14 years where he designed technologies for Microsoft products and... more

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is a free, locally installed Windows application for managing SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and Azure Synapse Analytics deployments. SSMS has been the primary tool for managing SQL Server since 2005, although there are many alternatives, including Azure Data Studio and the Visual Studio (VS) and VS Code integrated development environments.

Functions

SSMS is used to perform routine administration and development-related work on instances and databases, including the following:

Create, modify, delete databases, tables, views, and other objects
Create and execute queries, stored procedures, and functions
Perform backup and restore
Manage security, including accounts, roles, and permissions
Monitor performance
Import data from and export data to external sources
Create and manage jobs
Visually design schemas
Create and manage SQL Server Reporting Services reports.

Azure Data Studio: An Alternative

Azure Data Studio is a locally installed cross-platform (Windows, macOS, and Linux) tool for data engineers that works with SQL Server and several other SQL databases, such as Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Cosmos DB.

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