Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2008 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies®

II.1.5. Creating a New Database

It's time to construct a brand new database of your own. It's very easy, thanks to the SQL Server Management Studio. Here's all that you need to do:

1. Launch the SQL Server Management Studio.

2. Connect to the appropriate SQL Server instance.

3. Expand the connection's entry in the Object Explorer view.

4. Highlight the Databases folder.

5. Right-click this folder, and choose New Database.

   A dialog box that lets you specify the new database's name appears, as well as a collection of properties about the new database.

6. Fill in the General page.

   This page contains vital settings, including:

   • Database Name: No mystery here — this is what you want to call your database.

   • Owner: This is the login for the user who possesses the database. Note: You must first create this login in SQL Server; trying to assign an operating system-based user ID directly won't suffice. You can type in a name or browse from the list of potential logins.

   • Use Full-text Indexing: SQL Server offers powerful search features that make it easy to locate information from massive quantities of text-based data. Check this box if you want to enable these capabilities. In general, unless you're sure that you'll never need it, it's smart to switch on this feature.

   • Data File Details: These important parameters control the name, size, association, growth rates, and location of the file that holds your data. Table 1-1 illustrates what these settings mean, and how to set them optimally.

   • Log File Details: Just as Data File ...