SQL Server Management Studio For VS2010

Question

I am writing an application in VS2010. While installing VS2010 a software package of SQL Server had been installed and it is SQL Server 2008. Now I can browse the database only from VS2010. Is SQL Server Management Studio 2008 I need to install separately to browse the Database independently?

Solution 1

You need to install SSMSE (free)

Solution 2

You can open Server Explorer in View menu

Then you can choose the existing database

or create a new one

You can do the most important actions with the Database in the Server Explorer which you know from SQL Server Management Studio, but the SQL Server Management Studio provide much more possibilities and more comfortable GUI. The following screenshorts I made in Visual Studio

So I personally prefer to do all in SSMS, but if you are temporary on the foreign computer having Visual Studio only you can make all basic action inside of Server Explorer of Visual Studio.

Solution 3

Not sure for VS2010, but VS2008 doesn't install SSMS.
You need to download the SMSS bits from Microsoft and start the installation.
In this article on MSDN are explained the steps required (Look at the user community comments).
Next time, I suggest to not install SQLServer with VS2010 and proceed to a separate installation of SQLServer (Express or not) where you could choose every tool you need.