Using SQL Server Management Studio

[pedie]

Hi, I heard that "Using SQL Server Management Studio" is easy to use...I just it today and 'm downloading one...
Can someone please tell me in laymans langauge what this does and how usefull is this? I did read things here and there however I would like to hear from experts and seniors/expirienced users....


Thanks in advance.
And this question is connected to "SQL SERVER" that i can see in access 2007; LINK; that tells me how to upgrade db to sql server....

 

[xenou]

SQL: just a programming language for working with relational databases.
SQL Server: one such relational database (there are many others - Oracle, IBM DB2, MySQL, etc etc)
.NET: just another way to create programs using languages like VB.NET or C#.NET (there are hundreds if not thousands of ways to write programs). .NET could be used to create stand alone programs.

You can call Access a database in a general sort of way. This corresponds well with our concept of what we do when we use Access. But nothing stops you from using another database as your back end with Access as your front end (in which case the real database is the back end database, whatever that is, and Access is your platform for interfacing with the database).

 

[pedie]

What's SQL?

SQL - Structured Query Language, a 'programming' language used to managing data in an Relational Database management system

That's very brief, probably somewhat inaccurate description but it should give you the general idea.

What can SQL do?

A lot of things, too many to go through but the obvious one I suppose is query tables/data.

You can also use SQL to create, delete, alter tables and add/delete/update data in tables.

There's plenty of other things, and there are different versions of SQL.

In Access SQL there are some things you won't find in 'standard' SQL and vice versa.

I think you should probably concentrate on Access and SQL in general before moving to SQL Server.

Norie, thanks again for that...

Well what I was getting into at the moment was that...
I was thinking if i use this Sql Server express 2008, i should be able to connect to website database etc to retrive/update the data base etc....i think i'm wrong and i think this is something like access [in advanced way]....

Thanks again.

 

[HiTechCoach]

... however just wanted to know what SQl is actually for and what it is capable of doing it....

I think my SQL you are referring to an SQL Server. An SQl server is just a back end datsbes engine. A typical SQL Server is also a true server application used used for Client/Server applications.

The JET/ACE database engine is the default database engine used by Access. It is a file based application. It is NOT a client/server application. To turn Access into a true client/server application you must use a different back end that JET/ACE. This s typically done with an SQL Server.

 

[HiTechCoach]

I was thinking if i use this Sql Server express 2008, i should be able to connect to website database etc to retrive/update the data base etc....i think i'm wrong and i think this is something like access [in advanced way]....

Not really. SQl Serve is like the JET and ACE datsbes engoine that is the back end for Access.


As I pointed out in the article Did you know that Access is NOT a database or database engine? you can use Access with any database you can connect to through ODBC.

About remote databases:
I regularly connect to Microsoft SQL Servers and mySQL servers hosted on remote sites. Some of the database are the back end to a website.

Important Note: This does require that the remote site be properly set up to allow remote connections to the SQL Server.

A common method I use:
1) Create an ODBC connect to the database in the Windows Control Panel
2) From an Access database I link to the tables in the remote database via the ODBC connection.

Now you can use the remote tables in Access.

 

[Norie]

Pedie

What sort of 'website database' would you be tyring to connect to?

Something you've set up yourself?

 

[pedie]

Pedie

What sort of 'website database' would you be tyring to connect to?

Something you've set up yourself?

No Norie, I dont even know what kind of Database website does have...
What kind of database does website have...and can i connect to them in some way if that is database someone has created?


Thanks again

 

[Norie]

Pedie

A lot of websites don't have databases, and I don't know of any way that you can test a website to see if there's a database involved.

 

[xenou]

If the website is reasonably secure you will not simply be able to connect to any database used by the site - this is not something that the public should be able to do.

However, if the site is meant to provide services through a database you would be using them in virtue of simply going to the site. For instance, MrExcel.com (I would imagine) uses a database to store and retrieve posts such as this one. But you can't connect to the database directly, though you could use it to search for posts, create new threads, adjust your user settings, and so on - all the things you do every day on websites such as this.

 

[pedie]

Pedie

A lot of websites don't have databases, and I don't know of any way that you can test a website to see if there's a database involved.

Oh alright...thanks again Norie...

 

[Ron Coderre]

Pedie

If you want to learn about databases (Oracle, Access, SQL Server, whatever), I *always* recommend that you first learn what databases can and cannot do. Then I recommend buying a copy of "The Practical SQL Handbook". It comes with a CD containing a personal copy of mySQL and a user interface. With those tools the book will teach you the basics about building good databases and queries. Those principles will apply to any database and help you better understand the particular database you want to work with.