SSMS 2016 and SSMS 2012 on same machine?

  • Dear all,

    I have installed SQL Server 2016 MS in my machine now I would to install also SSMS 2012.

    To do it I go to  install and select the client tools in the SQL Server 2012. It shows as installed but I cannot see it in the programs.

    Can both co-exist in the same machine? or do I need to unsiatll MS2016 first?

    Thank you

  • You can install both SSMS 2016 and 2012 on the same machine, yes. Not sure why you would want to install an older version though, as SSMS 2017 is compatible with SQL Server 2008+. If you use the latest version, you can connect back to any supported version; but if you have an older version you can't connect forward (for example, using 2012 SSMS to connect to a 2016 Instance doesn't work).

    Thom~

    Excuse my typos and sometimes awful grammar. My fingers work faster than my brain does.
    Larnu.uk

  • river1 - Monday, September 18, 2017 9:59 AM

    Dear all,

    I have installed SQL Server 2016 MS in my machine now I would to install also SSMS 2012.

    To do it I go to  install and select the client tools in the SQL Server 2012. It shows as installed but I cannot see it in the programs.

    Can both co-exist in the same machine? or do I need to unsiatll MS2016 first?

    Thank you

    There is normally no problems running different version instances on the same machine, one only has to use named instances, normally I use the latest SSMS with backward compatibility and don't bother about the earlier versions of SSMS.
    😎

  • Older Management Studio versions can connect to newer servers and run queries.  You could probably even get SQL 2000 Query Analyzer to connect and run a query on SQL 2016.  But you can have problems with the Object Browser and other features that use older versions of SMO and don't support newer features.  Having multiple versions installed is not a problem, I currently have SSMS 2008, 2012, 2016, and 17 installed and all work fine.

    You might need older versions installed to have a complete collection of client tools.  I still have to support SQL 2008 Integration Services packages.

    Your system will remember one version of SSMS as the official version, and this will be used when you double-click a .sql file in Windows Explorer.

    Locate the other editions and manually create separate desktop shortcuts to run them.
    SQL 2008: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\VSShell\Common7\IDE\Ssms.exe
    SQL 2012: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio\Ssms.exe
    SQL 2016: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\130\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio\Ssms.exe
    SSMS 17: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio\Ssms.exe

  • Scott Coleman - Monday, September 18, 2017 10:38 AM

    Older Management Studio versions can connect to newer servers and run queries.  You could probably even get SQL 2000 Query Analyzer to connect and run a query on SQL 2016.  But you can have problems with the Object Browser and other features that use older versions of SMO and don't support newer features.  Having multiple versions installed is not a problem, I currently have SSMS 2008, 2012, 2016, and 17 installed and all work fine.

    You might need older versions installed to have a complete collection of client tools.  I still have to support SQL 2008 Integration Services packages.

    Your system will remember one version of SSMS as the official version, and this will be used when you double-click a .sql file in Windows Explorer.

    Locate the other editions and manually create separate desktop shortcuts to run them.
    SQL 2008: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\VSShell\Common7\IDE\Ssms.exe
    SQL 2012: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio\Ssms.exe
    SQL 2016: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\130\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio\Ssms.exe
    SSMS 17: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio\Ssms.exe

    I have two clients at my place in one machine but didn't face this issue. As a work around , you can just go to the installed location of the exe and put a shortcut where you like to launch it from.

  • Yeah, you have to do this sometimes. I have both SSMS 2017 and SSMS 2016 on some boxes because it turns out 2017 can't see SSIS 2016. A while back there was an issue whereby SSMS 2016 couldn't display the database mirroring monitor on 2012 instances (it's fixed now), too.

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