Click . This opens an external browser link to download the latest SSMS installer. Launch the downloaded executable ( SSMS-Setup-ENU.exe ). Select an installation path and click Install .

At the bottom, you can specify a custom directory for the installation, or leave it at the default C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server . Click . Step 7: Instance Configuration

Before beginning, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

The database engine is installed, but you need a tool to manage it. SSMS is the standard integrated environment for managing SQL Server.

A: Yes, you can upgrade from the Developer Edition to the Enterprise Edition by purchasing a license and performing an upgrade installation.

Now that the SQL Server Engine is installed, you need a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to actually interact with your databases, run queries, and manage your tables.