Professional SQL Server™ 2005 Programming

2.3. The SQL Server Management Studio

The SQL Server Management Studio is pretty much home base when administering a SQL Server. It provides a variety of functionality for managing your server using a relatively easy-to-use graphical user interface. Management Studio is completely new with SQL Server 2005. Patterned loosely after the DevStudio IDE environment, it combines a myriad of functionality that used to be in separate tools.

For the purposes of this book, we're not going to cover everything that the Management Studio has to offer, but let's make a quick rundown of the things you can do:

• Create, edit, and delete databases and database objects

• Manage scheduled tasks such as backups and the execution of SSIS package runs

• Display current activity, such as who is logged on, what objects are locked, and from which client they are running

• Manage security, including such items as roles, logins, and remote and linked servers

• Initiate and manage the Database Mail Service

• Create and manage Full-Text Search Catalogs

• Manage configuration settings for the server

• Create and manage both publishing and subscribing databases for replication

We will be seeing a great deal of Management Studio throughout this book, so let's take a closer look at some of the more key functions Management Studio serves.

2.3.1. Getting Started

When you first start Management Studio, you will be presented in a connection dialog similar to the one in Figure 2-6.

Figure 2.6. Figure 2-6

Again, since we're assuming that ...