SQL Server 2005 Tools and Utilities Reference Overview

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 includes a complete set of graphical tools and command prompt utilities that allow users, programmers, and administrators to:

• Administer and configure SQL Server.
• Determine the catalog information in a copy of SQL Server.
• Design and test queries for retrieving data.
• Copy, import, export, and transform data.
• Provide diagnostic information.
• Start and stop SQL Server.

In addition to these utilities, SQL Server contains several wizards to walk administrators and programmers through the steps needed to perform more complex administrative tasks.

This section of SQL Server Books Online provides general information about the tools and utilities as well as topics that you can access directly from through Help or by pressing F1.

Note

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition includes the SQLCMD utility for the execution of Transact-SQL statement, and a limited version of the SQL Server Management Studio. Tools connect to SQL Server 2005 Express Edition as a named instance.

The following table contains a list of tools and utilities that ship with Microsoft SQL Server 2005.

Tool	Description
SQL Server Management Studio	Tool for managing relational and business intelligence databases, and for writing Transact-SQL, MDX, and XML code. For more information, see Introducing SQL Server Management Studio.
Business Intelligence Development Studio	Tool for developing business intelligence cubes, data sources, reports, and SQL Server 2005 Integration Services (SSIS) packages. For more information, see Introducing Business Intelligence Development Studio.
SQL Server Surface Area Configuration	Tool for configuring basic auto start and connectivity options. For more information, see SQL Server Surface Area Configuration.
SQL Server Configuration Manager	Tool for configuring auto start and complex advanced options. For more information, see SQL Server Configuration Manager.
SQL Server Profiler	Tool for capturing and monitoring activity. For more information, see SQL Server Profiler Reference.
Database Engine Tuning Advisor	Tool for improving database performance. For more information, see Database Engine Tuning Advisor Reference.
Command prompt utilities	Command prompt tools for use with SQL Server. For more information, see Command Prompt Utilities.