SQL Server

SQL Server is an enterprise database management system (DBMS) from Microsoft. It is used by
thousands of companies worldwide and is used by thousands, if not millions, of websites around the
world.

SQL Server (2014) Tutorial

Basic Database Tutorial

This tutorial explains what SQL Server 2014 is and If you don't feel quite ready to jump into the SQL
how to use it. You should have a basic knowledge Server tutorial or the SQL tutorial, start here. This
of relational database management systems and tutorial will explain what a database management
how they work. Based on SQL Server 2014.
system (DBMS) is, the typical features that make
up a DBMS, and how they are generally used.

SQL Server (2008) Tutorial

SQL Tutorial

Similar to the SQL Server 2014 tutorial but based If you've completed the SQL Server tutorial, try
on SQL Server 2008.
this one next. This tutorial covers SQL (Structured
Query Language), and is essential if you need to
develop database driven websites.

SQL Server 2000 Tutorial

Microsoft Access Tutorial

Very similar to the SQL Server 2008 and 2014 This tutorial explains what Microsoft Access is and
tutorials, except this one is was written a really how to use it. You don't need to do the SQL
long time ago...
tutorial first, however, you should have a basic
knowledge of relational database management
systems and how they work.

SQL Server 2008 Tutorial

This SQL Server tutorial is for anyone who wants to learn how to use SQL Server 2008. It assumes a
basic understanding of databases and how they work.
If you don't currently have an understanding of how databases work, start with the basic database
tutorial first. That tutorial covers the basic concepts of databases, so the examples in this tutorial will
make more sense once you return here.
To get the most out of this tutorial, you should have a copy of SQL Server installed on your computer, so
that you can go through the examples yourself. The examples in this tutorial are all done using the free
version of SQL Server - SQL Server 2008 Express. You can download SQL Server 2008 Express from the
Microsoft website (we'll get to that in a minute).
If you don't currently have SQL Server yet, that's OK. The tutorial is straight forward and contains plenty
of screenshots.

Table of Contents

This tutorial consists of the following lessons:

1.

About SQL Server

2.
3.

SQL Server Editions

SQL Server - Management Studio

4.
5.

SQL Server - Create a Database

SQL Server - Create a Table

6.
7.

SQL Server - Adding Data

SQL Server - Query Designer

8.
9.

SQL Server Views

SQL Server Stored Procedures

10. User Logins

11. Server Roles
12. Database Schemas
13. Linked Servers
14. Integration Services
15. Summary

About SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server is a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) designed to run on
platforms ranging from laptops to large multiprocessor servers. SQL Server is commonly used as the
backend system for websites and corporate CRMs and can support thousands of concurrent users.
SQL Server comes with a number of tools to help you with your database administration and
programming tasks.
SQL Server is much more robust and scalable than a desktop database management system such as
Microsoft Access. Anyone who has ever tried using Access as a backend to a website will probably be
familiar with the errors that were generated when too many users tried to access the database!
Although SQL Server can also be run as a desktop database system, it is most commonly used as a
server database system.

Server Database Systems

Server based database systems are designed to run on a central server, so that multiple users can
access the same data simultaneously. The users normally access the database through an application.
For example, a website could store all its content in a database. Whenever a visitor views an article,
they are retrieving data from the database. As you know, websites aren't normally limited to just one
user. So, at any given moment, a website could be serving up hundreds, or even thousands of articles to
its website visitors. At the same time, other users could be updating their personal profile in the
members' area, or subscribing to a newsletter, or anything else that website users do.

Generally, it's the application that provides the functionality to these visitors. It is the database that
stores the data and makes it available. Having said that, SQL Server does include some useful features
that can assist the application in providing its functionality.

SQL Server Editions

SQL Server comes in many editions. Some are paid versions others are free. The examples in this
tutorial were done using the free Express version of SQL Server.
The next lesson discusses the various editions of SQL Server 2008.

SQL Server 2008 Editions

If you are serious about installing (or upgrading) SQL Server, this page provides a quick overview of
your options.
SQL Server 2008 comes in many different editions. The edition you choose will depend on your
requirements. If you are looking for a free database management system, you will need to choose one
of the Express editions or the Compact edition. You could also try the Evaluation edition, which allows
you to trial SQL Server 2008 for 180 days.

The Editions
Here are the different editions available for SQL Server 2008.

Enterprise

Edition

Data management and business intelligence platform providing enterprise class scalability, high
availability, and security for running business-critical applications

Standard

Edition

Data management and business intelligence platform providing ease of use and manageability
for running departmental applications

Workgroup

Edition

Data management and reporting platform providing secure, remote synchronization, and
management capabilities for running branch applications

Developer

Edition

May be installed and used by one user to design, develop, test, and demonstrate your programs
on as many systems as needed

Web

Edition

A low-TCO, scalable, and manageable database option for web hosters and end customers
looking to deploy publicly facing web applications and services

Express

Edition

A free edition of SQL Server ideal for learning and building desktop and small server applications
and for redistribution by ISVs

Compact

Edition

A free, SQL Server embedded database ideal for building stand-alone and occasionally
connected applications for mobile devices, desktops, and web clients

Evaluation

Edition

This edition may be installed for demonstration and evaluation purposes until an expiration
period of 180 days.

SQL Server Edition in this Tutorial

The examples in this tutorial were made using the (free) Express edition of SQL Server 2008. To be
more precise, it is SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services.
SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services includes the following features:

SQL Server database engine - create, store, update and retrieve your data

SQL Server Management Studio Basic - visual database management tool for creating, editing
and managing databases

Full-text Search - powerful, high-speed engine for searching text-intensive data

Reporting Services - integrated report creation and design environment to create reports

The Express edition also comes as SQL Server 2008 Express with Tools, which only includes the SQL
Server database engine and the SQL Server Management Studio Basic, and SQL Server 2008 Express
(Runtime Only) which doesn't include the SQL Server Management Studio.
While the free version of SQL Server does have its limitations, it is a good start for those starting out
with SQL Server.
You can download SQL Server 2008 Express from Microsoft's website.

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is the main administration console for SQL Server.
SSMS enables you to create database objects (such as databases, tables, views etc), view the data
within your database, you can configure user accounts, transfer data between databases, and more.
Here's what SQL Server Management Studio looks like when you first open it up:

The left pane contains the Object Explorer. The Object Explorer provides navigation to databases, server
objects (such as triggers), log files, and more.
The right pane allows you to write queries against the database and view the results. In this screenshot
I have opened a blank query by clicking the "New Query" button. You can also bring up other windows,
such as the Properties window.
Note that I have minimized the size of the window for this screenshot. Once maximized, you have much
more room to play with.
You can use SQL Server Management Studio to create as many databases as you like. You can also
connect to as many databases on as many servers as you like.
Most of the tasks performed with SQL Server Management Studio are initiated either from the top menu,
or by right-clicking on an icon/object.
Throughout most of this tutorial, we'll be looking at the various things you can do via SQL Server
Management Studio.

SQL Server - Create a Database

One of the first things we should look at with SQL Server/Management Studio is how to create a
database. After all, most of the tasks you perform with SQL Server will evolve around one or more
databases.

System Databases
If you've only just installed SQL Server, you might notice that some databases have already been
created. These are system databases.
Databas
e

Type

Description

master

System

Stores system level information such as user accounts, configuration settings,

databas
e

and info on all other databases.

System

This database is used as a template for all other databases that are created.

model

databas
e
msdb

System

Used by the SQL Server Agent for configuring alerts and scheduled jobs etc

databas
e
tempdb

System

Holds all temporary tables, temporary stored procedures, and any other

databas
e

temporary storage requirements generated by SQL Server.

We will now create another database for our own use.

Creating a New Database

The following steps demonstrate how to create a database in SQL Server using SQL Server Management
Studio.

1.

Right

click

on

the

"Databases"

icon

and

select

"New

Database...":

2.

Name

your

database

and

click

"OK":

Your New Database

You will now notice your new database appears under the "Databases" section of SQL Server
Management Studio.
Your new database is based on the "Model" database. The Model database is a system database which is
used as a template whenever a new database is created. If you use the left pane to navigate to your
database and expand the tree, you will notice that your database already contains a number of objects.
For example, it already contains system functions, system views, system stored procedures, and
(hidden) system tables. These are system objects which provide information about the database.

Other Options
We have just created a database using the default options. When we created the database, a "Data File"
and a "Transaction Log" were created. They were created in the default location for our server.
If we'd wanted to, we could have specified a different location for these files. We also could have
changed specifications on whether to allow the file to grow automatically (as it stores more and more
data), and if so, how that growth should be managed. We could have done that at step 2. But all is not
lost. We can still do it now that we've created the database. We can do it via the Properties dialog box.
To view or change the database properties, simply right click on the database and select "Properties":

The Properties dialog contains a large number of options for changing the configuration of your
database. For now, we can leave everything at its default setting.

SQL Server - Create a Table

This lesson demonstrates how to create a table in a SQL Server database using SQL Server Management
Studio (SSMS).

1.

Ensuring you have the right database expanded, right click on the "Tables" icon and select "New
Table...":

2.

While you have this screen open, do the following:

a.

Using the values in the screenshot, complete the details in the "Column Name" column,
the "Data Type" column, and "Allow Nulls" column.

b.

Make the IndividualId column an "identity column", by setting "Is Identity" to "Yes"
(this option is under the "Identity Specification" section in the bottom pane). Note that
to set values in the bottom pane, you need to select the column name in the top pane
first. This column is going to be an auto-number column - it will contain an
incrementing number for each record that is created.

c.

Set the "Default Value" of the DateCreated column to (getdate()).

automatically insert the current date into that field for each new record).

(This will

What we are doing at this stage, is creating the column names, specifying the type of data that
can be entered into them, and setting default values. Restricting the data type for each column
is very important and helps maintain data integrity. For example, it can prevent us from
accidentally entering an email address into a field for storing the current date.
3.

Save

the

table

by

selecting File

>

Save

Table_1:

4.

When

prompted,

name

your

table:

Your New Table

Now that you've created a new table, it will appear under your database in the "Tables" section.

SQL Server - Adding Data

In the previous lesson, we created a new table in our database. We now have a database table, columns
and all, but with no data.

Editing Table Rows

We can use the "Edit Top 200 Rows" option to add data to our table.
1.

To use this option, right click on the table you wish to open, and select "Edit Top 200 Rows":

2.

You can now start entering the data directly into your table.
Note that you don't need to enter data into the IndividualId and DateCreated columns. This is
because the they will be populated automatically (remember, we set IndividualId to "Is Identity"
and DateCreated to "(GetDate())")

Disadvantages of Entering Data Directly to your Table

The above method is fine if you only have a small amount of data to enter or update. If you have a lot of
data to enter, this could become very tedious. Also, if you have multiple environments (for example, a
development environment, staging environment, and production environment), with duplicate databases
configured in each environment, you will need to re-enter the same data into each environment.
When you're first learning SQL Server, this may not be a major concern. However, in an environment
such as described, entering data directly into the table becomes quite inefficient.

A Better Method - SQL Scripts

In most cases, you will probably find it more efficient to write a SQL script. Using a script enables you to
re-enter the data as many times as you like. If you need to rebuild your database for any reason, you

can simply run your script to enter the data. If you have multiple environments, once again you can run
your script against each environment.
Once you get used to writing and running scripts, you will probably find it quicker than entering data
directly into the table.

Database Driven Websites

When you create a database driven website, you actually write SQL scripts to insert data into the
database. You also use SQL scripts to read data, update data, and delete data. These SQL scripts can be
placed directly into your website code (PHP, ColdFusion etc), or they can be stored in the database
as Stored Procedures or Views.
In the next lesson, we will look at how to write and execute SQL scripts within SQL Server.

SQL Server - SQL Scripts

In the previous lesson, we added data to our database table using the "Edit Top 200 Rows" option. In
this lesson, we will look at how to write SQL scripts to update and run queries against our database.

Create a New Query

Before we generate our SQL script, we need somewhere to enter it into. This part is easy. Just click the
"New Query" button:

A blank, white sheet should now appear on the right pane.

Write/Run Your SQL Script

You are now ready to write SQL queries against your database. You can use this interface to create
database objects (such as databases, tables, views etc), insert data into a database table, select data,
update data, delete data.
To run an SQL query:

1.

Type your query into the workspace on the right pane

2.

Click "Execute" (you can also press F5)

The following screenshot shows an example of using a SQL 'select' statement to select data from a
database:

As you can see, the results of the query are displayed in the bottom pane.
As a shortcut, you can click on a table in the left pane and drag it to the right pane when building your
query. This can save you time - especially if you have many tables to add to your query.
The above 'select' statement is an example of a SQL query. Apart from the occasional example, SQL
queries are outside the scope of this tutorial. If you'd like to learn more about writing SQL queries, check
out the SQL tutorial.

Database Administration Tasks

Most of the database administration tasks that can be performed in SSMS via the graphical user
interface can be performed programatically via SQL scripts. This tutorial concentrates on using the
graphical user interface, mainly because it's usually a lot easier for new users to get their head around.
Once you become more familiar with SQL Server, you may find yourself using SQL scripts to perform
many of the tasks that you started out doing via the graphical user interface.

SQL Server - Query Designer

In the previous lesson, we created a SQL script using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). In this
lesson, we will look at how to write SQL scripts using the graphical query designer.

About The Query Designer

The graphical query designer is a graphical user interface that allows you to build queries to run against
your SQL Server database. This can be particularly useful when building complex queries that involves
many tables, views etc.
The query designer can also be beneficial for those who are learning how to write SQL. This is because
you don't need to remember the SQL syntax in order to write queries against your database - the query
designer generates the SQL for you.

Building Your Queries

To build a query with the query designer:
1.

Select Query

>

Design

Query

in

Editor...:

2.

Add the tables you want to run the query against. In this case, we only have one table to
choose
from.

3.

Select

the

column/s

you

want

to

display

in

your

query:

4.

Click "OK"

Once you've clicked OK, you will find the query has been added to your workspace. You can then run it
as you would any other query.

SQL Server - Views

In SQL Server, a view is a pre-written query that is stored on the database. A view consists of a SELECT
statement, and when you run the view, you see the results of it like you would when opening a table.
Some people like to think of a view as a virtual table. This is because a view can pull together data from
multiple tables, as well as aggregate data, and present it as though it is a single table.

Benefits of Views
A view can be useful when there are multiple users with different levels of access, who all need to see
portions of the data in the database (but not necessarily all of the data). Views can do the following:

Restrict access to specific rows in a table

Restrict access to specific columns in a table

Join columns from multiple tables and present them as though they are part of a single table

Present aggregate information (such as the results of the COUNT function)

Accessing Views
Any view that you create ends up being located under the "Views" folder of your database.
The following screenshot shows a number of views that are located within the "AdventureWorks2008"
database:

Creating a View
You create a view by using the CREATE VIEW statement, followed by the SELECT statement.
Copy to Clipboard

CREATE VIEW ViewName AS

SELECT ...
Example:
Copy to Clipboard

CREATE VIEW "Alphabetical list of products" AS

SELECT Products.*, Categories.CategoryName
FROM Categories INNER JOIN Products ON Categories.CategoryID = Products.CategoryID
WHERE (((Products.Discontinued)=0))

Modifing a View
You can modify an existing view by using using ALTER instead or CREATE.
Example:
Copy to Clipboard

ALTER VIEW "Alphabetical list of products" AS

SELECT Products.*, Categories.CategoryName
FROM Categories INNER JOIN Products ON Categories.CategoryID = Products.CategoryID
WHERE (((Products.Discontinued)=0))

You can also right click on the view and select "Design".

Running a View
You run a view by using a SELECT statement.
Copy to Clipboard

SELECT TOP 1000 *

FROM [AdventureWorks2008].[Sales].[vIndividualCustomer]
You can also right-click on the view and select "Select Top 1000 Rows".
Running the above view results in this:

As you can see, it looks just like you've selected rows from a table. The difference is that, each column
could potentially be coming from a different table.

SQL Server - Stored Procedures

Stored procedures are a powerful part of SQL Server. They can assist programmers and administrators
greatly in working with the database configuration and its data.
A stored procedure is a precompiled group of Transact-SQL statements, and is saved to the database
(under the "Stored Procedures" node). Programmers and administrators can execute stored procedures
either from the SQL Server Management Studio or from within an application as required.
Transact-SQL, which is based on SQL (Structured Query Language), is the programming language used
to interface between applications and their databases. Transact-SQL is a relatively easy language to
learn and I highly recommend becoming familiar with it.

Benefits of Stored Procedures

Here are some key benefits in using stored procedures:
Benefit

Explanation of benefit

Modular
programming

You can write a stored procedure once, then call it from multiple places in your
application.

Performance

Stored procedures provide faster code execution and reduce network traffic.

Faster execution: Stored procedures are parsed and optimized as soon as they
are created and the stored procedure is stored in memory. This means that it
will execute a lot faster than sending many lines of SQL code from your
application to the SQL Server. Doing that requires SQL Server to compile and
optimze your SQL code every time it runs.

Reduced network traffic: If you send many lines of SQL code over the network
to your SQL Server, this will impact on network performance. This is especially
true if you have hundreds of lines of SQL code and/or you have lots of activity
on your application. Running the code on the SQL Server (as a stored
procedure) eliminates the need to send this code over the network. The only
network traffic will be the parameters supplied and the results of any query.

Security

Users can execute a stored procedure without needing to execute any of the
statements directly. Therefore, a stored procedure can provide advanced database
functionality for users who wouldn't normally have access to these tasks, but this
functionality is made available in a tightly controlled way.

Creating a Stored Procedure

You

create

stored

procedures

in

the

SQL

Server

Management

Studio

using

the CREATE

PROCEDURE statement, followed by the code that makes up the stored procedure.
Copy to Clipboard

CREATE PROCEDURE StoredProcedureName AS

...
The following code creates a stored procedure called "MyStoredProcedure":
Copy to Clipboard

CREATE PROCEDURE MyStoredProcedure AS

SET ROWCOUNT 10
SELECT Products.ProductName AS TenMostExpensiveProducts, Products.UnitPrice
FROM Products
ORDER BY Products.UnitPrice DESC
Once you run this code in the SQL Server Management Studio, the stored procedure is created and
appears under the "Stored Procedures" node.

Modifying a Stored Procedure

If you need to modify an existing stored procedure, you simply replace the CREATE with ALTER.
Copy to Clipboard

ALTER PROCEDURE MyStoredProcedure AS

...

Running a Stored Procedure

You can run a stored procedure by using EXECUTE or EXEC. For example, to run the above stored
procedure, type the following:
Copy to Clipboard

EXEC MyStoredProcedure
If the stored procedure has spaces in its name, enclose it between double quotes:
Copy to Clipboard

EXEC "My Stored Procedure"

If your stored procedure accepts any parameters, they are placed after the procedure name:
Copy to Clipboard

EXEC MyStoredProcedure @ParameterName="MyParameter"

So, here's an example:
Copy to Clipboard

EXEC SalesByCategory @CategoryName ="Beverages"

Using The GUI

You can also use the graphical user interface to initiate the execution of a stored procedure.
To initiate a stored procedure this way:
1.

Navigate to the stored procedure

2.

Right

click

on

the

stored

procedure

and

select

"Execute

Stored

Procedure...":

3.

dialog

4.

Click "OK"

5.

SQL

Server

will

will

appear.

now

generate

Enter

the

your

SQL

code

chosen

and

parameter

execute

the

values

stored

etc:

procedure:

Parameters
A parameter is a value that your stored procedure uses in order to perform it's task. When you write a
stored procedure, you can specify the parameters that need to be supplied from the user. For example, if
you write a stored procedure to select the address details about an individual, your stored procedure
needs to know which individual to select. In this case, the user can provide an IndividualId or UserId to
tell the stored procedure which individual to look up.

System Stored Procedures

SQL Server includes a large number of system stored procedures to assist in database administration
tasks. Many of the tasks you can perform via SQL Server Management Studio can be done via a system
stored procedure. For example, some of the things you can do with system stored procedures include:

configure security accounts

set up linked servers

create a database maintenance plan

create full text search catalogs

configure replication

set up scheduled jobs

and much more.

SQL Server - User Logins

SQL Server allows for the creation of user logins. Each individual who needs access to SQL Server can be
given their own user account.
When the administrator configures these user logins, he/she can assign them to any number of roles
and schemas, depending on the access that the individual is entitled to.
In this lesson, we will walk through the steps in creating a user login.

To Create a New User Login

1.

Using SQL Server Management Studio, expand the "Security" option and right click on "Logins"

2.

Click

3.

Complete the login properties in the "General" tab by providing a name for the login, choosing

on

"New

Login"

the Authentication method (providing a password if you choose "SQL Server authentication"),
and selecting the database to use as a default. If you don't choose a language, it will use the
default for the current installation of SQL Server.
If you get an error that reads "The MUST_CHANGE option is not supported by this version of
Microsoft Windows", simply uncheck the "User must change password at next login" option. The
error occurs because your operating system doesn't support this option.

4.

Click the "Server Roles" tab if you need to apply any server-wide security privileges.

5.

Click the "User Mapping" tab to specify which databases this user account is allowed to access.
By default, the login will be assigned to the "Public" role, which provides the login with basic
access. If the login needs more access in one or more databases, it can be assigned to another
role with greater privileges.
Note that these roles are "Database Roles" and are different to the server roles in the previous
tab. Server roles are for administering the SQL Server. Database roles are created within each
database and specify what the login can do within that database.

SQL Server - Server Roles

When creating a new user login in SQL Server, you get the option of assigning the login one or more
server roles.
Server roles (not to be confused with database roles) are available for various database administration
tasks. Not everyone should be assigned to a server role. In fact, only advanced users such as database
administrators should be assigned a server role.

Accessing the Server Roles

To access the server roles in SQL Server Management Studio, expand the Security folder:

You view the properties of a server role by right clicking on it. You can then add users to the server role
by clicking Add. In the screenshot below, Homer has been added to the securityadmin role.

Explanation of Server Roles

Here's an explanation of the server roles defined in SQL Server 2008 during setup:
Server Role

Description

sysadmin

Can perform any task in SQL Server.

serveradmin

Can set server-wide configuration options, can shut down the server.

setupadmin

Can manage linked servers and startup procedures.

securityadmi
n

Can manage logins and database permissions, read logs, change passwords.

processadmin Can manage processes running in SQL Server.

dbcreator

Can create, alter, and drop databases.

diskadmin

Can manage disk files.

bulkadmin

Can execute BULK INSERT statements.

Public

Every SQL Server user account belongs to this server role. When a server principal has
not been granted or denied specific permissions on a securable object, the user inherits
the permissions granted to public on that object. Only assign public permissions on an
object when you want the object to be available to all users.

As you can see, some of these roles allow very specific tasks to be performed. If you don't have many
technical users, it's likely that you'll only use one or two of these roles (including sysadmin).

SQL Server - Database Schemas

Ever since SQL Server 2005 was released, each object in a database has belonged to a database
schema. SQL Server 2008 has continued with database schemas, and an explanation follows.

What is a Database Schema?

A database schema is a way to logically group objects such as tables, views, stored procedures etc.
Think of a schema as a container of objects.
You can assign a user login permissions to a single schema so that the user can only access the objects
they are authorized to access.
Schemas can be created and altered in a database, and users can be granted access to a schema. A
schema can be owned by any user, and schema ownership is transferable.

Creating a Database Schema

To create a database schema in SQL Server 2008:
1.

Navigate to Security > Schemas

2.

Right

click

on Schemas and

select New

Schema....

Like

this:

3.

Complete the details in the General tab for the new schema. In this example, the schema name
is
"person"
and
the
schema
owner
is
"Homer".

4.

Add

users

to

the

schema

as

required

and

5.

Add any extended properties (via the Extended Properties tab)

6.

Click OK.

set

their

permissions:

Add a Table to the New Schema

Now that we have a new schema, we can add objects such as tables, views, and stored procedures to it.
For example, we could transfer the table that we created in the earlier lesson to the new schema.
When we created that table (called "Individual"), it was created in the default database schema ("dbo").
We know this because it appears in our object browser as "dbo.Individual".
To transfer the "Individual" table to the "person" schema:
1.

In

Object

Explorer,

right

click

on

the

table

2.

From Design view, press F4 to display the Properties window.

name

and

select

"Design":

3.

From

the

Properties

4.

Close

5.

Click "OK" when prompted to save

Design

View

window,

by

change

right

the

clicking

Your table has now been transferred to the "person" schema.

Confirm your Change

To confirm the change:

schema

the

tab

to

the

and

desired

schema:

selecting

"Close":

1.

Refresh

the

Object

Browser

view:

2.

You will now see that Object Browser displays the new schema for the table (person.Individual):

SQL Server - Linked Servers

If you've been navigating around SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), you may have come across
the Linked Servers option.
The Linked Servers option allows you to connect to another instance of SQL Server running on a
different machine, perhaps remotely in a different city/country. This can be useful if you need to perform
distributed queries (query a remote database). Setting up a linked server is quite straight forward in
SSMS, all you need is details of the remote server, and the database that you need to query.

Creating a Linked Server

To create a linked server:
1.

Navigate to Server Objects > Linked Servers

2.

Right

3.

Complete the details for the linked server. In this example, Data source refers to the name of

click

on Linked

Servers and

select New

Linked

Server....

Like

this:

the SQL Server machine ("Barts_database_server"),Catalogue refers to the name of the

database ("Barts_database"). You can also configure options in the other two tabs depending on

your

requirements.

Distributed Queries
Once you have configured your linked server, you will be able to run queries etc against it. When you run
a query against a linked server, it is referred to as adistributed query.
When you execute a distributed query against a linked server, you must include a fully qualified, fourpart table name for each data source to query.
form linked_server_name.catalog.schema.object_name.

This

four-part

name

should

be

in

the

Here's an example:
Copy to Clipboard

Barts_database_server.Barts_database.Person.Enemy
This example is based on the linked server example above. It assumes that the remote database has a
schema called "Person" and a table called "Enemy".

SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)

SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) allows you to integrate smoothly with other applications and
data sources.
You can use Integration Services to copy or download files, send e-mail messages in response to events,
update data warehouses, clean and mine data, and manage SQL Server objects and data.

In SQL Server 2005 and higher, Data Transformation Services (DTS) is no longer installed with SQL
Server. All DTS related tasks are now performed with SSIS.

Where Has DTS Gone?

If you have been working with earlier versions of SQL Server (SQL Server 2000 and earlier), you are
probably familiar with DTS. DTS allowed you to transfer data between disparate sources into one or
more destinations.
Well, starting from SQL Server 2005, DTS has been deprecated. DTS is no longer included with your SQL
Server installation.
If you need DTS-type functionality in SQL Server 2008, you will need to use SQL Server Integration
Services.

Backwards Compatibility
For backwards compatibility, Microsoft has provided installation files that provide run-time support for
DTS packages. This will be useful if you have already created DTS packages in an earlier version of SQL
Server. For more information see Support for Data Transformation Services (DTS) in SQL Server 2008 on
the MSDN website.

SQL Server Express & SSIS

SQL Server Integration Services is not available in the Express or Workgroup editions of SQL Server. If
you need to use Integration Services, you need at least SQL Server Standard edition. And, if you need to
use advanced features (such as data mining, text mining and cleansing or fuzzy transforms), you will
need SQL Server Enterprise edition.
For more information on SQL Server Integration Services, check out SQL Server Integration Services on
the MSDN website.

SQL Server - Summary

Congratulations for reaching the end of this SQL Server tutorial!
SQL Server is a powerful application, and this tutorial has provided an overview of the main concepts
involved in administering SQL Server 2008 Express.
To recap briefly, we've:

Created databases

Created database tables

Inserted data into those tables

Used the SSMS to run a query

Created a login account

Looked at server roles

Learned about database schemas

Looked at linked servers

and more

What Next?
If you haven't already, check out the SQL Server 2014 tutorial.
Also, there were a couple of areas we didn't touch on during this tutorial. This is mainly due to the fact
that it is aimed at the free SQL Server Express version, which has its limitations.
All is not lost though. My SQL Server 2000 tutorial covers some of the areas that weren't included here.
For example, you can learn about the SQL Server Agentfor scheduling jobs to run automatically. You can
also read about the SQL Profiler, which allows you to monitor events within your SQL Server.
The most logical next step from learning SQL Server is to learn SQL itself (if you haven't already done
this that is). SQL stands for Structured Query Language and enables you to perform database related
tasks programatically. Most of the tasks in this tutorial can be done programatically using SQL.
Probably the most common use for SQL is to work with the data in the database. For example, to insert
data, select data, update data, or to delete data. Any database driven website will have many SQL
statements doing this stuff.
To learn more about SQL, check out the SQL tutorial.