MS SQL Server Management Studio - What to enter for Server Name?

Question

I just installed MS SQL Server Management Studio.
SQL server is prompting with a dialog box "Connect to Database Engine" with these fields
Server Type: Database Engine Server Name: (Blank) Authentication: Windows Authentication Username: <MyComputerName>\miket What do I need to put in for "Server Name"?

Answer 1

Hi @Michael Tadyshak,

With Database Engine selected on the Registered Servers toolbar, expand Database Engine, right-click Local Server Groups, point to Tasks, and then select Register Local Servers. Expand Local Server Groups to see all the instances of the Database Engine installed on the computer displayed. The default instance is unnamed and is shown as the computer name. A named instance displays as the computer name followed by a backward slash () and then the instance's name. For SQL Server Express, the instance is named <computer_name>\sqlexpress unless the name was changed during setup.

Connecting to the Database Engine

Regards，

Zoe Hui

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Answer 2

Hi @Michael Tadyshak
In SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), the "Server Name" field is used to specify the name of the SQL Server instance that you want to connect to. The format of the server name depends on how the SQL Server instance is configured. Here are some examples:

• If the SQL Server instance is installed on the same machine as SSMS, you can use a period (.) or the machine name as the server name.
• If the SQL Server instance is installed on a different machine, you need to specify the name of the machine and the instance name. For example, if the SQL Server instance is installed on a machine named "sqlserver" and the instance name is "MSSQLSERVER", you would use "sqlserver\MSSQLSERVER" as the server name.
• If you are not sure what the server name should be, you can check with your database administrator or use the SQL Server Configuration Manager to view the instance name and port number.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.Thank you!

Answer 3

What do I need to put in for "Server Name"?

The name of the machine, where SQL Server is running. Note: SSMS is just a tool, not the database engine = SQL Server as it. If you need the database engine as well, install free SQL Server Express Edition.