You’ve just installed Visual Web Developer and SQL Server 2005 Express Editions. You won’t use SQL Server until later in the book when we discuss relational databases, but we’ll install all the required software here so that when the time comes you’ll have the complete environment properly set up.
In order to use your SQL Server 2005 instance effectively, you’ll need an administration tool to work with your databases. SQL Server Management Studio Express is a free tool provided by Microsoft that allows you to manage your instance of SQL Server 2005. To install it, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to http://www.microsoft.com/express/sql/download/ and click the Download link under the SQL Server Management Studio Express section.
2. Download the file. After the download completes, execute the file and follow the steps to install the product.
Once it’s installed, SQL Server Manager Express can be accessed from Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2005 > SQL Server Management Studio Express. When executed, it will first ask for your credentials, as Figure illustrates.
Figure Connecting to SQL Server
By default, when installed, SQL Server 2005 Express Edition will only accept connections that use Windows Authentication, which means that you’ll use your Windows user account to log into the SQL Server. Since you’re the user that installed SQL Server 2005, you’ll already have full privileges to the SQL Server. Click Connect to connect to your SQL Server 2005 instance.
After you’re authenticated, you’ll be shown the interface in Figure 1.5, which offers you many ways to interact with, and manage, your SQL Server 2005 instance.
SQL Server Management Studio lets you browse through the objects that reside on your SQL Server, and even modify their settings. For example, you can change the security settings of your server by right-clicking COMPUTER\SQLEXPRESS (where COMPUTER is the name of your computer), choosing Properties, and selecting Security from the panel, as shown in Figure 1.6. Here we’ve modified the Server authentication mode to SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode. We’ll need this setting a bit later in the book, but you can set it now if you want, and then click OK.
Figure : Managing your database server
Figure : Changing server settings with SQL Server Management Studio
That’s it. Your machine is now ready to build ASP.NET web projects and SQL Server databases. Now the fun starts—it’s time to create your very first ASP.NET page!
In order to use your SQL Server 2005 instance effectively, you’ll need an administration tool to work with your databases. SQL Server Management Studio Express is a free tool provided by Microsoft that allows you to manage your instance of SQL Server 2005. To install it, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to http://www.microsoft.com/express/sql/download/ and click the Download link under the SQL Server Management Studio Express section.
2. Download the file. After the download completes, execute the file and follow the steps to install the product.
Once it’s installed, SQL Server Manager Express can be accessed from Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2005 > SQL Server Management Studio Express. When executed, it will first ask for your credentials, as Figure illustrates.
Figure Connecting to SQL Server
After you’re authenticated, you’ll be shown the interface in Figure 1.5, which offers you many ways to interact with, and manage, your SQL Server 2005 instance.
SQL Server Management Studio lets you browse through the objects that reside on your SQL Server, and even modify their settings. For example, you can change the security settings of your server by right-clicking COMPUTER\SQLEXPRESS (where COMPUTER is the name of your computer), choosing Properties, and selecting Security from the panel, as shown in Figure 1.6. Here we’ve modified the Server authentication mode to SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode. We’ll need this setting a bit later in the book, but you can set it now if you want, and then click OK.
Figure : Managing your database server
Figure : Changing server settings with SQL Server Management Studio
That’s it. Your machine is now ready to build ASP.NET web projects and SQL Server databases. Now the fun starts—it’s time to create your very first ASP.NET page!