n00b question: Connecting to SQL Server at ISP?

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turnstyle - 28 Jul 2005 19:40 GMT

Hey all, sorry for asking such a grunt question, and thanks in advance
for any help...

My hosting ISP offers access to their MS-SQL database, and my
understanding is that it's generally simplest to use some sort of
client app to do stuff like adding tables and whatnot.

SQL Server includes Enterprise Manager, but since my ISP is running the
server, I don't need my own copy of SQL Server, just the client.

Any tips? I couldn't seem to find an appropriate download on the
Microsoft site...

thanks again, -Scott

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Erland Sommarskog - 28 Jul 2005 22:35 GMT

> Hey all, sorry for asking such a grunt question, and thanks in advance
> for any help...
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Any tips? I couldn't seem to find an appropriate download on the
> Microsoft site...

You could download Evaluation Edition. I believe that the tools don't
expire. But you may violate some license that way.

Developer Edition is 49 dollars only. Then again, if this is a production
database, I don't know if the license permits use.

As for creating tables, the best is to run T-SQL script. Then
again, the best tool for this is Query Analyzer, which is among
the SQL Server Tools you are looking for.

Signature

Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinfo/productdoc/2000/books.asp

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turnstyle - 29 Jul 2005 11:28 GMT

So there isn't an authorized way to simply download the client tools in
order to connect to a properly licensed server?

1) Does anybody here know if Evaluation Edition tools expire?

2) Another option seems to be Aqua Data Studio
(http://www.aquafold.com) -- should I use something like that, or stick
with Enterprise Manager and its Query Tool?

3) I think I have a copy of SQL-7 somewhere, I suppose I could use that
client, but are the client tools now much better with 2000?

4) Sorry, one last question -- I actually *tried* to purchase an
upgrade from SQL-7 to SQL-2000 but I couldn't figure out what I was
supposed to get -- any tips on how to actually do that?

thanks again & sorry for so many questions...
-Scott

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Erland Sommarskog - 29 Jul 2005 16:39 GMT

> So there isn't an authorized way to simply download the client tools in
> order to connect to a properly licensed server?

No, I don't think so. But I've directed a question on my Microsoft contacts
to see what the exact status is.

> 2) Another option seems to be Aqua Data Studio
> (http://www.aquafold.com) -- should I use something like that, or stick
> with Enterprise Manager and its Query Tool?

I can comment on any third party tools, as I have not use them. But
indeed that may be the only option.

> 3) I think I have a copy of SQL-7 somewhere, I suppose I could use that
> client, but are the client tools now much better with 2000?

I would expect Query Analyzer from SQL 7 to be able to connect, although
it would be able to handle bigint and sql_variant columns correctly. As
I recall QA in SQL 7 was quite a bleak tool; had I at the time had reason to
work with SQL 7, I would probably have stuck to the 6.5 tools. (As it
turned out, we went directly to SQL 2000.)

EM 7 may be barred from access altogether, but you could always try.
Again, bigint and sql_variant, will not make a huge success. I
can't comment on how much better EM 2000 is than EM 7, but I can't
say I'm overly excited over EM 2000.

> 4) Sorry, one last question -- I actually *tried* to purchase an
> upgrade from SQL-7 to SQL-2000 but I couldn't figure out what I was
> supposed to get -- any tips on how to actually do that?

I guess you would get the edition of SQL 2000 that matches your SQL 7
license. If that's a developer license, I would not expect that there
are any special upgrades available today, since DevEdition been slashed
to 50 USD.

Signature

Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinfo/productdoc/2000/books.asp

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helmut woess - 30 Jul 2005 16:47 GMT

Am 29 Jul 2005 03:28:11 -0700 schrieb turnstyle:

> So there isn't an authorized way to simply download the client tools in
> order to connect to a properly licensed server?
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> (http://www.aquafold.com) -- should I use something like that, or stick
> with Enterprise Manager and its Query Tool?

For managing SQL-Server there is a nice free Tool here:
http://sqlmanager.net/products/mssql/manager/
look for the Lite version.

bye,
Helmut

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