Installing SQL Server & SSMS

What You Will Install

To follow this course hands-on you need two pieces of software: SQL Server Developer Edition — the database engine itself — and SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) — the free GUI used to write queries, manage databases, and explore server objects. Both are free and maintained by Microsoft.

SQL Server 2022 is the recommended version. It runs on Windows 10 and above. SSMS is Windows-only but can connect to SQL Server instances running anywhere on the network. If you are on macOS or Linux, Azure Data Studio is the cross-platform alternative and covers everything in this course.

• SQL Server Developer Edition — the full engine, free for development and learning
• SSMS — the GUI for writing T-SQL, managing objects, and viewing execution plans
• Minimum requirements: 1.4 GHz CPU, 4 GB RAM recommended, 6 GB free disk space
• Both installers are from Microsoft — no third-party downloads needed

Step 1 — Download SQL Server Developer Edition

Click the button below to go to the official Microsoft SQL Server downloads page. Select Developer from the free specialised editions section. The installer is a small bootstrapper (~5 MB) that downloads the full installation files during setup — make sure you have a stable internet connection.

On the downloads page scroll past the Evaluation edition and look for "Or, choose a free specialised edition". Click Developer — not Evaluation. Developer is free with no time limit and includes every Enterprise feature for non-production use.

• File downloaded: SQL2022-SSEI-Dev.exe — approximately 5 MB bootstrapper
• The bootstrapper downloads the remaining ~1.5 GB during setup
• If you need an offline installer, a full ISO is available on the same page

Step 2 — Install SQL Server

Run the downloaded installer as Administrator. The setup wizard offers three installation types — choose Basic. This installs the Database Engine with sensible defaults and is sufficient for everything in this course. Accept the licence terms, note the installation path, and let setup run to completion.

When setup finishes, the success screen shows a button labelled Install SSMS — click it. This opens the SSMS download page directly. SQL Server installs as a Windows service and starts automatically on boot. The default instance name is MSSQLSERVER and you connect to it using localhost or a single dot (.).

• Choose Basic installation — applies Microsoft's recommended defaults, fastest path to a working instance
• Default installation path: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\
• SQL Server service starts automatically — no manual start needed after reboot
• Click Install SSMS on the success screen to proceed directly to Step 3

Step 3 — Download and Install SSMS

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is the primary tool you will use throughout this course to write T-SQL, explore database objects, manage logins, and view execution plans. It is a separate download from SQL Server and updated more frequently than the engine — always get the latest version.

Run the installer as Administrator and accept the defaults. SSMS may prompt a restart on some systems. Once installed, open SSMS — the Connect to Server dialog appears automatically. Fill in the fields as shown in the table below, then click Connect.

• If the Object Explorer populates on the left with system databases — you are connected and ready
• If connection fails, check the SQL Server service is running in services.msc — look for SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)
• Press Ctrl + N to open a new query window, or click New Query in the toolbar

macOS and Linux — Azure Data Studio

If you are on macOS or Linux, use Azure Data Studio instead of SSMS. It is Microsoft's cross-platform query and management tool — it supports T-SQL with IntelliSense, notebooks, and extensions, and covers everything needed for this course. It does not include every advanced SSMS feature, but everything taught here works identically in both tools.

• Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Lighter than SSMS — faster to start, lower memory footprint
• Supports notebooks — mix T-SQL with markdown explanations in a single document

Step 4 — Verify Your Installation

With SSMS open and connected, press Ctrl + N to open a new query window and run the statements below. Press F5 to execute. If all four system databases appear in the results, your SQL Server installation is complete and working correctly.

-- Confirm SQL Server is installed and responding.
-- Run these immediately after connecting for the first time.
-- Quick version check — shows edition and build number
SELECT @@VERSION AS SQLServerVersion;
-- List all databases on this instance
-- A fresh install always has exactly four system databases
SELECT
    name              AS DatabaseName,   -- database name
    database_id       AS ID,             -- internal identifier
    state_desc        AS State,          -- ONLINE, OFFLINE, RESTORING, etc.
    recovery_model_desc AS RecoveryModel -- SIMPLE, FULL, or BULK_LOGGED
FROM sys.databases
ORDER BY database_id;                    -- system databases always have the lowest IDs

• Four system databases always appear after a clean install — master, tempdb, model, and msdb
• master holds server-level config and logins — tempdb holds temporary objects and is rebuilt on every restart
• model is the template for new databases — anything in model is copied into every new database you create
• msdb stores SQL Server Agent jobs, backup history, and scheduled alerts
• If you see all four rows your installation is working — move on to the next lesson

Essential SSMS Shortcuts

Common Installation Issues

Lesson Summary

Practice Questions

Quiz

Next up — SQL Server Architecture — How the Database Engine, memory manager, storage engine, and transaction log all work together to process queries and keep your data safe.