Introduction
The software tool SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) was first released with Microsoft SQL Server 2005.
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) provides an integrated environment for administering any SQL infrastructure, from SQL Server to Azure SQL Database. Tools for accessing, configuring, managing, administering, and developing various aspects of SQL Server and databases are provided by SSMS.
Benefits of SQL management studio:
- For developers and database administrators of all levels, SSMS offers a single all-inclusive tool that combines a wide range of graphical tools with numerous rich script editors to access SQL Server.
- Use SSMS to query, develop, and administer your databases and data warehouses, whether on your PC at home or in the cloud.
- Use SSMS to access, manage, configure, administer, and build all components of SQL Server, including SQL Server on Azure VM, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure SQL Database, and Azure Synapse Analytics.
- Build queries and scripts and deploy, monitor, and upgrade the data-tier components your applications need—all using SSMS.
SQL Server Management Studio components
Object Explorer
SQL Server Management Studio includes tools for managing objects in Database Engine, Analysis Services, Integration Services, and Reporting Services instances.
For managing and viewing the objects in each SQL Server instance, Object Explorer offers a hierarchical user interface. A tabular view of instance objects is provided in the Object Explorer Details pane, along with a search function. Object Explorer's capabilities vary slightly depending on the server type, although they typically contain management and development tools for all server types.
Template Explorer
Numerous templates are available from SQL Server. Boilerplate files called templates that contain SQL scripts to make it easier to construct objects in a database. Open a template to insert the code into a code editor window after browsing the available templates in Template Explorer. Additionally, you can design unique templates.
There are templates available for projects, solutions, and different kinds of code editors. Databases, Tables, views, indexes, stored procedures, triggers, statistics, and functions can be created using templates. Additionally, you may utilize templates to administer your server by setting up linked servers, logins, roles, and users, as well as extended properties, users, and templates for Analysis Services.
Solution Explorer
Projects are containers provided by the Solution Explorer pane in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio for managing items, including database scripts, queries, data connections, and files. One or more related projects can be combined in a container known as a solution.
Visual Database Tool
SQL Server Management Studio provides visual designers for creating Transact-SQL queries, tables, and database diagrams.
Query and Text Editor
In SSMS, the editors have a typical architecture. The text editor implements the fundamental functions and is a simple text file editor. By integrating a language service that specifies the syntax of one of the languages supported by SQL Server, the other editors, also known as query editors, expand this functionality base.
The query editors also incorporate editor capabilities like IntelliSense and debugging to varying degrees. The query editors include the XML/A editor for the XML for Analysis language, the MDX editor for the MDX language, the DMX editor for the DMX language, and the Database Engine Query Editor for creating scripts comprising T-SQL and XQuery queries. The Query Editor can be used to develop and execute scripts that contain Transact-SQL statements.