Microsoft SQL Server vs. SQL Server Management Studio

Asked 8/3, 2014 at 19:21 Answered 7/3, 2017 at 15:11

c#visual-studio-2012 ssms-2012 database-diagram

What is the difference between Microsoft SQL Server and SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and how can I integrate SSMS in Visual Studio 2012 so I can use database diagrams?

Tibetan answered 8/3, 2014 at 19:21 Comment(4)

SQL Server = database engine; SQL Server Management Studio = GUI Administration Tool for working against the SQL Server engine – Morass 8/3, 2014 at 19:23

How can i integrate SSMS to VS 2012? – Tibetan 8/3, 2014 at 19:26

You cannot - SSMS is based on Visual Studio but it's a separate, own tool. – Morass 8/3, 2014 at 19:43

SQL Server Object Explorer (SSOX) (works in VS2015, not sure 2012) – Deonnadeonne 7/3, 2017 at 15:23

Credit to marc_s:

SQL Server = database engine; SQL Server Management Studio = GUI Administration Tool for working against the SQL Server engine

Icy answered 7/3, 2017 at 15:11 Comment(6)

But isn't SQL Server massive, and Studio much smaller? The installation for MS SQL Studio is 800MB file, and doesn't need MS SQL server installed. so it must have its own SQL server. Installing Ms SQL Server instead of Studio, is surely much bigger? – Burst 11/12, 2017 at 13:41

Yes I think SQL Server is more "massive" in the sense of required disk space, afterall it's the engine. Studio is the GUI tool and hence might require less disk space, I think this sounds reasonable. When you install SSMS you have an option to also install SQL Server (and if you dont - then you have a GUI tool but no local database, however you can still connect to a remote database through the GUI) – Icy 12/12, 2017 at 7:33

But the SMSS installation file is 800MB so it has some option to install a server and you choose it I can't see how it'd be anywhere near as big as installing Ms SQL Server. – Burst 12/12, 2017 at 13:27

Not sure what that means actually, but good point. Here it says 2016 version requires minimum 6GB disk space. – Icy 14/12, 2017 at 10:9

And worth noting that when you say the 2016 version requires 6GB you're talking about MS SQL Server, not SMSS which is much smaller and I think includes a server. – Burst 14/12, 2017 at 16:13

Well yes that is true. And also - it could be the case that during install of SSMS it will install a database engine, can't rember if that option is optional or not. Think SQL Server Express might be included at least when you install SSMS – Icy 15/12, 2017 at 9:34

It seems like Microsoft is trying to make SSMS look like Visual Studio, but there is still no integration. Use the Entity Framework 6.0 within Visual Studio 2012 to generate those diagrams for you.

Download here: Entity Framework 6.0

Synchroflash answered 3/4, 2015 at 20:38 Comment(1)

SSMS is actually built on Visual Studio Shell, so there is some commonality between the two. – Neritic 9/7, 2024 at 9:40

Recommended topics

Hot tags