---
title: "Quickstart: Connect and query SQL Server"
description: Do a quickstart in which you use Azure Data Studio to connect to SQL Server and then use Transact-SQL (T-SQL) statements to create a database.
author: erinstellato-ms
ms.author: erinstellato
ms.reviewer: maghan, randolphwest
ms.date: 01/16/2023
ms.service: azure-data-studio
ms.topic: "quickstart"
ms.custom: intro-quickstart
---
# Quickstart: Use Azure Data Studio to connect and query SQL Server

This quickstart shows how to use Azure Data Studio to connect to SQL Server, and then use Transact-SQL (T-SQL) statements to create the *TutorialDB* used in Azure Data Studio tutorials.

## Prerequisites

To complete this quickstart, you need Azure Data Studio, and access to a SQL Server instance.

- [Install Azure Data Studio](./download-azure-data-studio.md).

If you don't have access to a SQL Server, select your platform from the following links (make sure you remember your SQL Login and Password!):

- [Windows - Download SQL Server 2022 Developer Edition](https://www.microsoft.com/sql-server/sql-server-downloads)
- [Linux - Download SQL Server 2022 in a container](../linux/quickstart-install-connect-docker.md)
- [Linux - Download SQL Server 2022 Developer Edition](../linux/sql-server-linux-overview.md#install) - You only need to follow the steps up to *Create and Query Data*.

## Connect to a SQL Server

1. Start **Azure Data Studio**.

1. The first time you run Azure Data Studio the **Welcome** page should open. If you don't see the **Welcome** page, select **Help** > **Welcome**. Select **New Connection** to open the **Connection** pane:

   :::image type="content" source="media/quickstart-sql-server/new-connection-icon.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the New Connection icon.":::

1. This article uses *SQL Login*, but *Windows Authentication* is supported. Fill in the fields as follows:

   - **Server Name:** Enter server name here. For example, localhost.
   - **Authentication Type:** SQL Login
   - **User name:** User name for the SQL Server
   - **Password:** Password for the SQL Server
   - **Database Name:** \<Default\>
   - **Server Group:** \<Default\>

   :::image type="content" source="media/quickstart-sql-server/new-connection-screen.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the New Connection screen.":::

## Create a database

The following steps create a database named **TutorialDB**:

1. Right-click on your server, **localhost**, and select **New Query**.

1. Paste the following snippet into the query window: and then select **Run**.

   ```sql
   USE master;
   GO
   
   IF NOT EXISTS (
         SELECT name
         FROM sys.databases
         WHERE name = N'TutorialDB'
         )
      CREATE DATABASE [TutorialDB];
   GO
   
   IF SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') > '12'
      ALTER DATABASE [TutorialDB] SET QUERY_STORE = ON;
   GO
   ```

   After the query completes, the new **TutorialDB** appears in the list of databases. If you don't see it, right-click the **Databases** node and select **Refresh**.

   :::image type="content" source="media/quickstart-sql-server/create-database.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing how to create database.":::

## Create a table

The query editor is still connected to the *master* database, but we want to create a table in the *TutorialDB* database.

1. Change the connection context to **TutorialDB**:

   :::image type="content" source="media/quickstart-sql-server/change-context.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing how to change context.":::

1. Paste the following snippet into the query window and select **Run**:

   > [!NOTE]  
   > You can append this too, or overwrite the previous query in the editor. Note that selecting **Run** executes only the query that is selected. If nothing is selected, selecting **Run** executes all queries in the editor.

   ```sql
   -- Create a new table called 'Customers' in schema 'dbo'
   -- Drop the table if it already exists
   IF OBJECT_ID('dbo.Customers', 'U') IS NOT NULL
      DROP TABLE dbo.Customers;
   GO
   
   -- Create the table in the specified schema
   CREATE TABLE dbo.Customers (
      CustomerId INT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY, -- primary key column
      [Name] NVARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
      [Location] NVARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
      [Email] NVARCHAR(50) NOT NULL
      );
   GO
    ```

After the query completes, the new **Customers** table appears in the list of tables. You might need to right-click the **TutorialDB > Tables** node and select **Refresh**.

## Insert rows

Paste the following snippet into the query window and select **Run**:

```sql
-- Insert rows into table 'Customers'
INSERT INTO dbo.Customers (
   [CustomerId],
   [Name],
   [Location],
   [Email]
)
VALUES
   (1, N'Orlando', N'Australia', N''),
   (2, N'Keith', N'India', N'keith0@adventure-works.com'),
   (3, N'Donna', N'Germany', N'donna0@adventure-works.com'),
   (4, N'Janet', N'United States', N'janet1@adventure-works.com')
GO
```

## View the data returned by a query

Paste the following snippet into the query window and select **Run**:

```sql
-- Select rows from table 'Customers'
SELECT * FROM dbo.Customers;
```

:::image type="content" source="media/quickstart-sql-server/select-results.png" alt-text="Screenshot showing the results from the SELECT query.":::

## Next steps

Now that you've successfully connected to SQL Server and run a query try out the [Code editor tutorial](tutorial-sql-editor.md).