SQL Server 2005 Express ~ Getting Started

What I always find the most incomprehensible thing about SQL Server is that it is so hard to actually know what to do to get started. Take Windows Vista, click on the Start button and its likely that you will see the SQL Server Configuration Manager in the recently used program list. Now as this is the only SQL server program that is obvious, you would expect that you could create a database and start doing things. Well you cannot, its simply a more fancy version of the old SQL Server Service manager for SQL 2000. It starts and stops the SQL program and does a few other administration tasks. So stop there, dont worry about it.


Type in "sql server management studio express" in the internet search engine and download that product. Install it. Now you will know the name of your Server, be able to create databases and all other things that you expect in a database backend.