---
title: "SQL Server Management Studio | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "06/13/2017"
ms.prod: "sql-server-2014"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: ssms
ms.topic: conceptual
ms.assetid: 66a6b7b1-de6a-4161-82bd-98ded486947b
author: stevestein
ms.author: sstein
manager: craigg
---
# SQL Server Management Studio
  [!INCLUDE[ssManStudioFull](../includes/ssmanstudiofull-md.md)] is an integrated environment for managing your SQL Server infrastructure. [!INCLUDE[ssManStudio](../includes/ssmanstudio-md.md)] provides tools to configure, monitor, and administer instances of SQL Server. It also provides tools to deploy, monitor, and upgrade the data-tier components, such as databases and data warehouses used by your applications, and to build queries and scripts.  
  
## Benefits of SQL Server Management Studio  
 [!INCLUDE[ssManStudioFull](../includes/ssmanstudiofull-md.md)] is a comprehensive utility for managing SQL Server objects that combines an easy-to-use graphical interface with rich scripting capabilities. [!INCLUDE[ssManStudio](../includes/ssmanstudio-md.md)] can be used to manage [!INCLUDE[ssDE](../includes/ssde-md.md)], [!INCLUDE[ssASnoversion](../includes/ssasnoversion-md.md)], [!INCLUDE[ssISnoversion](../includes/ssisnoversion-md.md)], and [!INCLUDE[ssRSnoversion](../includes/ssrsnoversion-md.md)].  
  
## SQL Server Management Studio Components  
  
|Description|Topic|  
|-----------------|-----------|  
|Describes common tasks performed by using [!INCLUDE[ssManStudio](../includes/ssmanstudio-md.md)], such as customizing keyboard shortcuts and viewing property pages.|[Use SQL Server Management Studio](../database-engine/use-sql-server-management-studio.md)|  
|Describes using **Object Explorer** to view and manage all of the objects in one or more instances of [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)].|[Object Explorer](object/object-explorer.md)|  
|Describes how to use **Template Explorer** to build and manage files of boilerplate text that can be used to speed the development of queries and scripts.|[Template Explorer](template/template-explorer.md)|  
|Describes how to use the deprecated **Solution Explorer** to build projects used to manage administration items such as scripts and queries.|[Solution Explorer](solution/solution-explorer.md)|  
|Describes how to connect [!INCLUDE[ssManStudio](../includes/ssmanstudio-md.md)] to instances of the [!INCLUDE[ssDE](../includes/ssde-md.md)] and [!INCLUDE[ssASnoversion](../includes/ssasnoversion-md.md)].|[F1 Help for Server Connections (SQL Server Management Studio)](f1-help/f1-help-for-server-connections-sql-server-management-studio.md)|  
|Describes how to use the visual design tools included in [!INCLUDE[ssManStudio](../includes/ssmanstudio-md.md)].|[Visual Database Tools](visual-db-tools/visual-database-tools.md)|  
|Describes how to use the [!INCLUDE[ssManStudio](../includes/ssmanstudio-md.md)] language editors to interactively build and debug queries and scripts.|[Query and Text Editors (SQL Server Management Studio)](../relational-databases/scripting/query-and-text-editors-sql-server-management-studio.md)|  
  
## See Also  
 [Tutorial: SQL Server Management Studio](tutorials/tutorial-sql-server-management-studio.md)   
 [Tutorial: Writing Transact-SQL Statements](../t-sql/tutorial-writing-transact-sql-statements.md)