How to Download and Install SSMS

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How to Download and Install SSMS

In this article, I will discuss How to Download and Install SSMS on Windows Operating System. Please read our previous article, discussing How to Download and Install SQL Server 2022 on the Windows Operating System. Once we install the SQL Server database, we need an interface to interact with it. For that, we are going to use SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

What is SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)?

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is an integrated environment developed by Microsoft for managing any SQL infrastructure, from SQL Server to Azure SQL Database. It provides tools to configure, monitor, and administer instances of SQL Server and databases. Use SSMS to query, design, and manage your databases, wherever they are, on your local computer or in the cloud.

How to Download and Install SSMS

To download and install SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), please follow the below steps:

• Download SSMS: Visit the official download page for SQL Server Management Studio. Click on the Download SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) link. This will download the latest version of SSMS.
• Run the Installer: Once the download is complete, run the installer by double-clicking on the downloaded file (e.g., SSMS-Setup-ENU.exe).
• Install SSMS: The installation wizard will open. Click on the Install button. The installer will download and install the required files. This may take a few minutes. Once the installation is complete, click on Close to exit the installer.

How Do We Download SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)?

Open any web browser and type SSMS SQL Server 2022. The first link will be to download SQL Server Management Studio from Microsoft. So, click on the link, as shown in the image below.

Alternatively, you can download and install the SQL Server Management Studio from the below link.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssms/download-sql-server-management-studio-ssms

Once you click on the link, it will open the following Download SSMS page. Here, you can see we’ve got the latest version. Now, the latest version keeps updating every two months or so. So, it may be a completely different version to the one that you’ve seen here. However, it doesn’t matter. They’re all basically the same at the intermediate level in terms of styling and other things. So, click the Free Download for SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 19.1 button, as shown in the image below.

It will start downloading the EXE file, which is between 600 and 700 MB, as shown in the image below.

How Do We Install SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio)?

Once the download is completed, click the EXE file to open the installation window. Here, if you want to change the directory, you can do so, and then you need to click on the Install button, as shown in the image below.

Once you click the Install button, it will ask, “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?” Click yes. Once you click Yes, the SQL Server Management Studio will start downloading, and you can also check the download progress, as shown in the image below.

It will take some time to install SSMS. Once the installation is completed, you will get the following message.

To use SSMS to connect with the SQL Server Database, type SSMS in the search bar and click on the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 18 option, as shown in the image below.

Once you click on the SSMS app, it will open the following Connect to Server window.

Now, you need to identify which SQL Server Instance you need to connect to. So, if you’re connecting to your default instance, you will probably use localhost or just a dot. Otherwise, you could click on Browse for more connections and then find a connection, or you might be given a server name. So, let us click on Browse for more connections, as shown in the image below.

Once you click Browse for more connections, the Browse for Servers popup will open. Here, you need to select the Database Engine and then the SQL Server Instance to which you want to connect. In my case, I want to connect to SQLServer2022Dev and then click on the OK button, as shown in the image below.

Once you click on the OK button, it will return to the Connect to Server window, and if you notice, the Server Name is populated. Next, select the Authentication mode as Windows Authentication and click the Connect button, as shown in the image below.

Once you click on the Connect button, it will connect to the SQL Server Database, and you will get the following SQL Server Management window, where you can perform all types of Operations.

Key Features of SSMS:

The following are some of the key features of SSMS:

• Database Management: You can easily manage databases, including creating new databases, modifying existing ones, and deleting databases. Also, you can Create, modify, and manage tables, views, stored procedures, indexes, and relationships between tables.
• Query Execution and Analysis: It allows us to write and execute SQL queries using the powerful query editor, which supports IntelliSense, code formatting, error checking, and debugging. You can also analyze query performance with graphical execution plans.
• Security Management: It also manages database users, roles, and permissions to ensure security and compliance.
• Backup and Restore: It allows you to create database backups to ensure data protection and restore databases from backups when needed.
• Job Scheduling: You can schedule and automate routine tasks using SQL Server Agent jobs.
• Data Import and Export: The Import and Export Wizard allows you to import and export data from different data sources.
• Visual Design Tools: It allows users to design and modify tables visually and create database diagrams to represent database schemas visually.
• Object Explorer: A hierarchical interface to browse and manage all objects in SQL Server instances, including databases, tables, views, stored procedures, and more.
• SQL Profiler: A tool for monitoring SQL Server events. It helps identify slow-running queries, deadlocks, and other performance-related issues.
• Data Tools: It provides tools for designing and managing SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services) packages, SSAS (SQL Server Analysis Services), and SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) reports.

In the next article, I will discuss how to Download and Install Postman and Fiddler. In this article, I will explain how to Download and Install SSMS on the Windows Operating System. I hope you enjoy this How to Download and Install SSMS article.