Installing SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

• SQL_Hunt

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  January 13, 2017 at 6:57 am

  #317584

  Hello,

  While installing SQL Server 2016, I found that the SSMS was not installed. I had to download SSMS-Setup-ENU.exe from the Installation tab in the SQL Server Installation Center screen. It was earlier till 2014 was bundled in the existing SQL Install.

  Can you suggest if this is a new requirement to get it separately? Or is this just a new enhancement?

  Thanks.

• John Mitchell-245523

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  January 13, 2017 at 7:03 am

  #1922542

  Well, you decide whether you want to call it a requirement or an enhancement!  But yes, from 2016 SSMS is no longer bundled in the server product, but instead is a available as a separate free download.

  John

• SQL_Hunt

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  January 13, 2017 at 7:16 am

  #1922548

  John Mitchell-245523 - Friday, January 13, 2017 7:03 AM

  Well, you decide whether you want to call it a requirement or an enhancement!  But yes, from 2016 SSMS is no longer bundled in the server product, but instead is a available as a separate free download.

  John

  Thanks John. Little bit confusing as from high level do not see any benefit.

  Thanks.

• John Mitchell-245523

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  January 13, 2017 at 7:26 am

  #1922550

  Here's some benefits I can see:
  (1) If you want to install client tools on a server (which I think is a bad idea), you have to make a conscious effort to do so;
  (2) SSMS can be updated and tweaked without releasing service packs for the whole server product.  I believe Microsoft are updating SSMS every month or so;
  (3) You don't need the whole installation DVD (does anyone still use DVDs?) just to install SSMS.

  John

  Edit - sounds as if you're opting to call it a "requirement"!

• Phil Parkin

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  January 13, 2017 at 7:28 am

  #1922551

  SQL-DBA-01 - Friday, January 13, 2017 7:16 AM

  John Mitchell-245523 - Friday, January 13, 2017 7:03 AM

  Well, you decide whether you want to call it a requirement or an enhancement!  But yes, from 2016 SSMS is no longer bundled in the server product, but instead is a available as a separate free download.

  John

  Thanks John. Little bit confusing as from high level do not see any benefit.

  The benefit is that the development and release of the client-side management tool is decoupled from the server-side SQL Server platform.

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