John Gordon Professor & Researcher
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Install SQL Server Developer Edition and SSMS

An introduction to Microsoft SQL Server, how to install the free SQL Server 2025 Developer edition and SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) on Windows, and a beginner T-SQL example.

Databases Beginner Updated October 2026

By John Gordon © 2026

Disclaimer & Important Cautions

These Tech Guides and instructions are provided in good faith as a general educational guide. Technology changes over time, and settings, software versions, installation steps, and security practices may vary by system.

I cannot guarantee that these steps will work in every environment, and I am not responsible for data loss, configuration problems, system errors, security issues, downtime, or other problems that may result from following this guide.

  • Download SQL Server and SSMS only from Microsoft's official websites.
  • Use administrator privileges carefully when installing software.
  • The Developer edition is licensed for development and testing only, not for production use.
  • If you enable SQL Server (mixed mode) authentication, use a strong sa password and store it securely.
  • When in doubt, consult official documentation or a qualified technician.

Overview

Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDBMS) used by businesses of every size. You interact with it using Transact-SQL (T-SQL), Microsoft's version of the SQL language. The current version is SQL Server 2025.

To manage SQL Server and write queries, you use a separate tool, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). In this guide you will install the free Developer edition of SQL Server and SSMS, connect to your server, and run a beginner T-SQL example.

Main idea: Install the SQL Server database engine first, then install SSMS, then connect SSMS to localhost and run queries.

SQL Server Editions

EditionCostUse
Standard DeveloperFreeDevelopment and learning on Windows 10 or 11, with Standard edition features. New in SQL Server 2025, and the choice for most students.
Enterprise DeveloperFreeDevelopment and testing with all Enterprise features. Microsoft lists it for Windows Server, not Windows 10 or 11.
ExpressFreeSmall production databases, with limits on database size, memory, and CPU.
Standard and EnterprisePaidProduction systems for businesses.

The two Developer editions include the same database engine as the paid editions, but their license does not allow production use.

Requirements

  • A 64-bit Windows computer with an Intel or AMD (x64) processor: Windows 10 or 11, or Windows Server. Windows on ARM computers are not supported. Check Microsoft's hardware and software requirements for the exact supported versions.
  • At least 4 GB of RAM (8 GB or more recommended) and about 10 GB of free disk space.
  • Administrator privileges.
  • Internet access.

Important Notes

  • Mac users: SQL Server and SSMS don't run on macOS. Use a Windows virtual machine or a campus computer, or run SQL Server for Linux in a Docker container (an advanced option not covered here).
  • SQL Server also runs on Linux. See Microsoft's SQL Server on Linux documentation.
  • SQL Server runs in the background as a Windows service, so it uses memory even when SSMS is closed.

Installation Instructions

Work through the tabs in order.

Installing SQL Server and SSMS

Click the tabs above in order. Allow about 30–45 minutes.

The guide covers these major tasks:

  1. Download the SQL Server installer.
  2. Install the Developer edition.
  3. Download SSMS.
  4. Install SSMS.
  5. Connect SSMS to your server.
  6. Confirm the version.

Beginner Example: A Course Enrollment Database

You will create a database with two related tables, add data, and query it. Click New Query in SSMS for each step, type or paste the code, and press F5 to run it.

Step 1: Create the database

CREATE DATABASE SchoolDB;
GO

USE SchoolDB;
GO

GO tells SSMS to run everything above it as one batch. After running, right-click Databases in Object Explorer and choose Refresh to see SchoolDB.

Step 2: Create two related tables

CREATE TABLE Students (
    StudentID   INT IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
    FirstName   NVARCHAR(50)  NOT NULL,
    LastName    NVARCHAR(50)  NOT NULL,
    Major       NVARCHAR(50)  NULL
);

CREATE TABLE Enrollments (
    EnrollmentID INT IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
    StudentID    INT          NOT NULL REFERENCES Students(StudentID),
    Course       NVARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,
    Grade        DECIMAL(3,1) NULL
);

IDENTITY(1,1) numbers new rows automatically, starting at 1. REFERENCES creates a foreign key so every enrollment must belong to an existing student.

Step 3: Insert data

INSERT INTO Students (FirstName, LastName, Major)
VALUES ('Ana',   'Lopez',  'Information Systems'),
       ('Ben',   'Carter', 'Accounting'),
       ('Chloe', 'Nguyen', 'Information Systems');

INSERT INTO Enrollments (StudentID, Course, Grade)
VALUES (1, 'IS 4420', 3.7),
       (1, 'IS 2010', 4.0),
       (2, 'IS 4420', 3.3),
       (3, 'IS 4420', 3.9),
       (3, 'IS 2010', 3.5);

Step 4: Query the data

-- All students
SELECT * FROM Students;

-- Each student's enrollments, joining the two tables
SELECT s.FirstName, s.LastName, e.Course, e.Grade
FROM Students AS s
JOIN Enrollments AS e ON e.StudentID = s.StudentID
ORDER BY s.LastName, e.Course;

-- Average grade per course
SELECT Course, COUNT(*) AS Students, AVG(Grade) AS AvgGrade
FROM Enrollments
GROUP BY Course
ORDER BY Course;

The last query returns:

Course    Students  AvgGrade
IS 2010   2         3.750000
IS 4420   3         3.633333

Step 5: Update and delete

UPDATE Students SET Major = 'Finance' WHERE StudentID = 2;

DELETE FROM Enrollments WHERE Course = 'IS 2010' AND StudentID = 3;

SELECT * FROM Students WHERE StudentID = 2;

Always include a WHERE clause with UPDATE and DELETE; without one, every row in the table changes.

Check yourself: In Object Explorer, expand SchoolDB → Tables and refresh. You see dbo.Students and dbo.Enrollments. Right-click dbo.Students and choose Select Top 1000 Rows to see Ben's major is now Finance.

Starting Over

To remove the practice database and start again, run:

USE master;
GO
DROP DATABASE SchoolDB;
GO

Next Steps

  • Practice creating diagrams of your tables with Database Diagrams in Object Explorer.
  • Compare SQL Server with MySQL and SQLite.
  • Work through Microsoft's T-SQL reference and tutorials.
Final Notes:
  • SQL Server Developer edition is free for development and learning, but not for production.
  • Install the database engine first, then SSMS.
  • Connect to localhost with Windows Authentication and Trust server certificate checked.
  • Use WHERE carefully with UPDATE and DELETE.
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