SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is an integrated environment for managing any SQL infrastructure, from SQL Server to Azure SQL Database.
- SSMS provides tools to configure, monitor, and administer instances of SQL Server and databases.
- You can use SSMS to deploy, monitor, and upgrade your applications' data-tier components and build queries and scripts.
- It allows you to connect to and manage your SQL Server from a graphical interface instead of using the command line.
- SQL Server ManagementStudio also provides Transact-SQL, MDX, DMX, and XML languageeditors for editing and debugging scripts.
SSMS System Requirements
The current release of SSMS supports the following 64-bit platforms when used with the latest available service pack:
Supported Operating Systems
- Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1607 (10.0.14393) or later
- Windows 8.1 (64-bit)
- Windows Server 2019 (64-bit)
- Windows Server 2016 (64-bit)
- Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)
- Windows Server 2012 (64-bit)
- Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
Supported Hardware
- 1.8 GHz or faster x86 (Intel, AMD) processor. Dual-core or better recommended
- 2 GB of RAM; 4 GB of RAM recommended (2.5 GB minimum if running on a virtual machine)
- Hard disk space: Minimum of 2 GB up to 10 GB of available space
Why SSMS?
A central feature of SQL Server Management Studio is the Object Explorer, which allows the user to browse, select, and act upon any of the server's objects.
- It can be used to visually observe and analyze query plans and optimize the database performance, among others.
- SQL Server Management Studio can also be used to create a new database, alter any existing database schema by adding or modifying tables and indexes, or analyze performance.
- It includes the query windows, which provide a GUI based interface to write and execute queries.
