SQL Express Download 2017: How to Install and Use the Free Edition of SQL Server
SQL Server is one of the most popular and powerful relational database management systems in the world. It offers a rich set of features and capabilities for data storage, processing, analysis, and security. However, not everyone needs or can afford the full version of SQL Server, which can be quite expensive and complex to install and maintain.
That's why Microsoft offers a free edition of SQL Server called SQL Express. SQL Express is a lightweight and easy-to-use version of SQL Server that is ideal for development and production of desktop, web, and small server applications. In this article, we will show you how to download, install, and use SQL Express 2017, the latest release of this free edition.
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What is SQL Express?
SQL Express is a free edition of SQL Server that has some limitations compared to the paid editions. For example, it can only use up to 1 GB of memory and 10 GB of disk space per database, it can only run on one CPU core, and it does not support some advanced features such as high availability, encryption, auditing, and machine learning. However, it still provides most of the core functionality of SQL Server, such as:
Transact-SQL (T-SQL), the powerful query language for manipulating data
SQL Server Agent, the tool for scheduling and automating tasks
SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), the tool for extracting, transforming, and loading data
SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), the tool for creating and delivering reports
SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), the tool for building and querying multidimensional data models
SQL Express features and limitations
The following table summarizes some of the main features and limitations of SQL Express 2017 compared to other editions of SQL Server:
Feature
SQL Express
SQL Standard
SQL Enterprise
Maximum memory per instance
1 GB
128 GB
Operating system maximum
Maximum database size
10 GB
524 PB
524 PB
Maximum number of CPUs
1 core
Limited by number of cores in OS
Limited by number of cores in OS
Data compression
No
Yes
Yes
Data encryption
No
No
Yes
Auditing
No
No
Yes
In-memory OLTP (online transaction processing)
No No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Machine learning services (R and Python)
No No Yes
PolyBase (data virtualization)
No No Yes SQL Express use cases and scenarios
Despite its limitations, SQL Express is still a very useful and versatile edition of SQL Server that can be used for various purposes, such as:
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SQL Express is compatible with most of the tools and frameworks that work with SQL Server, such as Visual Studio, .NET, Entity Framework, PowerShell, and Azure Data Studio. It also supports the same security and authentication mechanisms as SQL Server, such as Windows authentication, SQL Server authentication, and Active Directory authentication.
How to download SQL Express 2017
There are two main ways to download SQL Express 2017: from the Microsoft website or from the Visual Studio Installer. Both methods are free and easy to follow.
Download from Microsoft website
To download SQL Express 2017 from the Microsoft website, you need to follow these steps:
Go to the and scroll down to the Express edition section.
Click on the Download now button under the Express edition title. This will download a small executable file called SQLServer2017-SSEI-Expr.exe.
Run the downloaded file and choose either Basic or Custom installation. Basic installation will install only the SQL Server database engine with the default settings, while Custom installation will allow you to choose additional components and features, such as SSMS, SSIS, SSRS, SSAS, and LocalDB.
Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the download and installation process.
Download from Visual Studio Installer
If you have Visual Studio 2017 or later installed on your computer, you can also download SQL Express 2017 from the Visual Studio Installer. This is a convenient option if you want to use SQL Express for developing applications with Visual Studio. To do this, you need to follow these steps:
Open the Visual Studio Installer from the Start menu or the taskbar.
Select the Modify option for the Visual Studio edition that you have installed.
In the Workloads tab, check the Data storage and processing workload. This will automatically select the SQL Server Express 2017 LocalDB component, which is a minimal version of SQL Express that runs in user mode and does not require a service or configuration.
If you want to install other components or features of SQL Express, such as SSMS, SSIS, SSRS, or SSAS, you can go to the Individual components tab and check them under the Database category.
Click on the Modify button at the bottom right corner to start the download and installation process.
How to install SQL Express 2017
Once you have downloaded SQL Express 2017 from either method, you need to install it on your computer. The installation process is similar for both methods, but there are some differences depending on the installation type and options that you choose. Here are some general steps that apply to most scenarios:
Choose the installation type
The first step is to choose the installation type that suits your needs. There are three main types of installation for SQL Express 2017:
New SQL Server stand-alone installation: This option will install a new instance of SQL Express 2017 on your computer. You can choose this option if you do not have any previous versions of SQL Server installed or if you want to create a separate instance of SQL Express 2017.
Add features to an existing instance of SQL Server: This option will add new features or components to an existing instance of SQL Server on your computer. You can choose this option if you already have a version of SQL Server installed and you want to upgrade it or add new functionality.
Perform a new installation of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS): This option will install a new instance of SSRS on your computer. You can choose this option if you want to use SSRS for creating and delivering reports with SQL Express 2017.
You can select one of these options from the Installation tab in the setup wizard. Depending on your choice, you may need to provide some additional information, such as the product key (which is not required for SQL Express Configure the instance and features
The next step is to configure the instance and features that you want to install with SQL Express 2017. An instance is a copy of the SQL Server database engine that runs as a service on your computer. You can have multiple instances of SQL Server on the same computer, each with its own name, settings, and databases. A feature is a component or functionality of SQL Server, such as SSMS, SSIS, SSRS, or SSAS.
You can configure the instance and features from the Instance Configuration and Feature Selection tabs in the setup wizard. Here are some of the options that you can choose:
Instance ID: This is the name of the instance that you want to install or modify. You can use the default name (SQLEXPRESS) or enter a custom name. The instance ID will be used to identify and connect to the instance.
Instance root directory: This is the folder where the instance files will be stored. You can use the default location (C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server) or browse to a different location.
Features: This is the list of features that you want to install or add to the instance. You can check or uncheck the features that you need or don't need. Some of the features are required for SQL Express 2017, such as Database Engine Services, while others are optional, such as Full-Text and Semantic Extractions for Search.
Complete the installation wizard
The final step is to complete the installation wizard and start using SQL Express 2017. Before you finish, you may need to provide some more information or settings for some of the features that you have selected, such as:
Server Configuration: This is where you can specify the service accounts and startup types for the SQL Server services, such as SQL Server Database Engine, SQL Server Agent, and SQL Server Browser. You can use the default values or change them according to your preferences and security requirements.
Database Engine Configuration: This is where you can configure the authentication mode, administrators, data directories, and tempdb settings for the SQL Server Database Engine. You can choose between Windows authentication mode (which uses Windows accounts to access SQL Server) or Mixed Mode (which also allows SQL Server accounts). You can also add Windows users or groups as administrators of SQL Server. You can also change the default locations for the data, log, and backup files, as well as the size and number of files for tempdb, which is a system database that stores temporary data.
Reporting Services Configuration: This is where you can configure the mode, service account, web service URL, and database settings for SSRS. You can choose between Native mode (which runs SSRS as a standalone service) or Integrated mode (which integrates SSRS with SharePoint). You can also specify the account that will run SSRS service, the URL that will be used to access SSRS web service, and the database that will store SSRS metadata and data.
Analysis Services Configuration: This is where you can configure the server mode, administrators, and data directories for SSAS. You can choose between Multidimensional and Data Mining mode (which supports OLAP cubes and data mining models) or Tabular mode (which supports tabular models). You can also add Windows users or groups as administrators of SSAS. You can also change the default locations for the data, log, and backup files.
After you have provided all the necessary information and settings, you can click on the Install button to start the installation process. Depending on your choices and system resources, this may take some time to complete. You can monitor the progress and status of the installation from the setup wizard. Once the installation is finished, you can close the setup wizard and start using SQL Express 2017.
How to use SQL Express 2017
Now that you have installed SQL Express 2017 on your computer, you can start using it for your data needs. There are many ways to use SQL Express 2017, but here are some of the most common and useful ones:
Connect to SQL Express with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is a graphical tool that allows you to manage and interact with SQL Server instances and databases. You can use SSMS to perform various tasks, such as creating and modifying databases, tables, views, stored procedures, functions, triggers, indexes, users, roles, permissions, backups, restores, queries, reports, etc.
To connect to SQL Express 2017 with SSMS, you need to follow these steps:
Open SSMS from the Start menu or the taskbar.Enter the name of the SQL Express instance that you want to connect to in the Server name box. You can use the format computer_name\instance_name or localhost\instance_name. For example, if your computer name is DESKTOP and your instance name is SQLEXPRESS, you can enter DESKTOP\SQLEXPRESS or localhost\SQLEXPRESS.
Select the authentication mode that you want to use to connect to the SQL Express instance. You can choose between Windows Authentication (which uses your current Windows account) or SQL Server Authentication (which requires a SQL Server username and password). If you choose SQL Server Authentication, you need to enter the username and password that you have created or assigned during the installation process.
Click on the Connect button to establish the connection. If the connection is successful, you will see the SQL Express instance and its databases in the Object Explorer pane on the left side of SSMS. You can expand the nodes to view and access the objects within each database.
Create and manage databases with SQL Express
One of the main tasks that you can do with SQL Express 2017 is to create and manage databases. A database is a collection of data that is organized into tables, views, and other objects. You can use SQL Express 2017 to create and modify databases, as well as to insert, update, delete, and query data within them.
To create and manage databases with SQL Express 2017, you can use either SSMS or T-SQL. SSMS provides a graphical interface that allows you to perform various operations on databases and their objects, such as creating, renaming, deleting, backing up, restoring, etc. T-SQL is a query language that allows you to write and execute commands and scripts that manipulate databases and their objects.
For example, to create a new database called TestDB with SSMS, you can follow these steps:
Right-click on the Databases node under the SQL Express instance in the Object Explorer pane and select New Database...
In the New Database dialog box, enter TestDB as the database name and click OK. This will create a new database with the default settings and options.
To view and modify the properties of the new database, right-click on it in the Object Explorer pane and select Properties. This will open the Database Properties dialog box, where you can change various settings and options for the database, such as files, options, permissions, etc.
To create a new database called TestDB with T-SQL, you can follow these steps:
Click on the New Query button in the toolbar of SSMS. This will open a new query window where you can write and execute T-SQL commands and scripts.
In the query window, type the following command: CREATE DATABASE TestDB;
This command will create a new database with the default settings and options.
To view and modify the properties of the new database, type the following command: ALTER DATABASE TestDB ...;
This command will allow you to change various settings and options for the database, such as files, options, permissions, etc. You need to replace ... with the specific parameters that you want to change.
To execute the commands that you have typed in the query window, click on the Execute button in the toolbar or press F5 on your keyboard. This will run the commands and display the results in the Messages pane at the bottom of SSMS.
Backup and restore databases with SQL Express
Another important task that you can do with SQL Express 2017 is to backup and restore databases. A backup is a copy of a database that can be used to restore it in case of data loss or corruption. A restore is a process of applying a backup to a database to recover it to a previous state. You can use SQL Express 2017 to backup and restore databases, as well as to schedule and automate these tasks.
To backup and restore databases with SQL Express 2017, you can use either SSMS or T-SQL. SSMS provides a graphical interface that allows you to perform various operations on backups and restores, such as creating, deleting, restoring, verifying, etc. T-SQL is a query language that allows you to write and execute commands and scripts that manipulate backups and restores.
For example, to backup a database called TestDB with SSMS, you can follow these steps:
Right-click on the TestDB database in the Object Explorer pane and select Tasks > Back Up...
In the Back Up Database dialog box, select Full as the backup type and Disk as the destination. You can use the default location (C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL14.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup) or browse to a different location.
Click on the OK button to start the backup process. This will create a backup file with the name TestDB.bak in the selected location.
To view and manage the backups of the TestDB database, right-click on it in the Object Explorer pane and select Tasks > Manage Backups... This will open the Manage Database Backups dialog box, where you can see the details, properties, and history of the backups, as well as delete, restore, or verify them.
To backup a database called TestDB with T-SQL, you can follow these steps:
Click on the New Query button in the toolbar of SSMS. This will open a new query window where you can write and execute T-SQL commands and scripts.
In the query window, type the following command: BACKUP DATABASE TestDB TO DISK = 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL14.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup\TestDB.bak';
This command will create a full backup of the TestDB database and save it as a file with the name TestDB.bak in the specified location.
To view and manage the backups of the TestDB database, type the following command: RESTORE HEADERONLY FROM DISK = 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL14.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup\TestDB.bak';
This command will display the header information of the backup file, such as backup name, date, size, type, etc. You can also use other RESTORE commands to delete, restore, or verify the backup file.
To execute the commands that you have typed in the query window, click on the Execute button in the toolbar or press F5 on your keyboard. This will run the commands and display the results in the Messages pane at the bottom of SSMS.
To restore a database from a backup with SSMS, you can follow these steps:
Right-click on the Databases node under the SQL Express instance in the Object Explorer pane and select Restore Database...
In the Restore Database dialog box, select Device as the source and click on the Browse button. This will open the Select Backup Devices dialog box, where you can select the backup file that you want to restore from.
Click on the OK button to return to the Restore Database dialog box. You can see the details and options of the backup file in the General and Options tabs. You can change some of these options according to your preferences and requirements, such as database name, files location, recovery state, etc.
Click on the OK button to start the restore process. This will restore the database from the backup file to the SQL Express instance.
To restore a database from a backup with T-SQL, you can follow these steps:
Click on the New Query button in the toolbar of SSMS. This will open a new query window where you can write and execute T-SQL commands and scripts.
In the query window, type the following command: RESTORE DATABASE TestDB FROM DISK = 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL14.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup\TestDB.bak';
This command will restore the database from the backup file to the SQL Express instance with the default options.
To view and modify the options of the restore command, type the following command: RESTORE DATABASE TestDB FROM DISK = 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL14.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup\TestDB.bak' WITH ...;
This command will allow you to change some of the options of the restore command, such as database name, files location, recovery state, etc. You need to replace ... with the specific parameters that you want to change.
To execute the commands that you have typed in the query window, click on the Execute button in the toolbar or press F5 on your keyboard. This will run the commands and display the results in the Messages pane at the bottom of SSMS.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to download, install, and use SQL Express 2017, the free edition of SQL Server. SQL Express 2017 is a lightweight and easy-to-use version of SQL Server that is ideal for development and production of desktop, web, and small server applications. It offers most of the core functionality of SQL Server, such as T-SQL, SQL Server Agent, SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS. However, it also has some limitations compared to the paid editions, such as memory, database size, CPU cores, and advanced features.
You can use either SSMS or T-SQL to perform various tasks with SQL Express 2017, such as creating and managing databases, backing up and restoring databases, querying and manipulating data, creating and delivering reports, etc. You can also use other tools and frameworks that work with SQL Server, such as Visual Studio, .NET, Entity Framework, PowerShell, and Azure Data Studio.
We hope that this article has helped you to understand and use SQL Express 2017 for your data needs. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
FAQs
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about SQL Express 2017:
Q: How can I update SQL Express 2017 to the latest version?
A: You can update SQL Express 2017 to the latest version by downloading and installing the latest cumulative update (CU) or service pack (SP) from the . You can also use Windows Update or Microsoft Update to automatically check for and install updates for SQL Express 2017.
Q: How can I uninstall SQL Express 2017 from my computer?
A: You can uninstall SQL Express 2017 from your computer by using the Control Panel or the setup wizard. To use the Control Panel, go to Programs and Features and select Microsoft SQL Server 2017 (64-bit) or Microsoft SQL Server 2017 (32-bit) depending on your system architecture. Then click on Uninstall/Change and follow the instructions on the screen. To use the setup wizard, run the SQLServer2017-SSEI-Expr.exe file that you have downloaded and select Remove from the Installation tab in the setup wizard. Then select the instance and features that you want to remove and follow the instructions on the screen.
Q: How can I connect to SQL Express 2017 from another computer or device?
A: You can connect to SQL Express 2017 from another computer or device by using the same tools and frameworks that you use to connect to SQL Server, such as SSMS, Visual Studio, .NET, Entity Framework, PowerShell, Azure Data Studio, etc. However, you need to make sure that the SQL Express instance is configured to allow remote connections and that the firewall settings on your computer or device are not blocking the connection. You also need to know the name or IP address of the computer or device that hosts the SQL Express instance and the name of the instance that you want to connect to.
Q: How can I migrate data from SQL Express 2017 to another edition of SQL Server?
A: You can migrate data from SQL Express 2017 to another edition of SQL Server by using various methods, such as backup and restore, detach and attach, export and import, copy database wizard, SSIS, etc. The method that you choose depends on your preferences and requirements, such as the size and complexity of the data, the availability and compatibility of the source and destination servers, the level of automation and customization that you need, etc. You can find more information and guidance on how to migrate data from SQL Express 2017 to another edition of SQL Server .
Q: How can I get help and support for SQL Express 2017?
A: You can get help and support for SQL Express 2017 by using various resources, such as documentation, forums, blogs, videos, podcasts, webinars, books, courses, etc. Some of the official resources that you can use are:
: This is the official documentation for SQL Server, including SQL Express 2017. You can find information and guidance on how to install, configure, use, and troubleshoot SQL Express 2017.
: This is the official forum for SQL Server, including SQL Express 2017. You can ask questions and get answers from other users and experts of SQL Express 2017.
: This is the official blog for SQL Server, including SQL Express 2017. You can find news and updates on SQL Express 2017, as well as tips and tricks on how to use it effectively.
: This is the official video channel for SQL Server, including SQL Express 2017. You can watch tutorials and demos on how to use SQL Express 2017 for various scenarios and purposes.
You can also use other resources that are not official but still useful and reliable, such as:
: This is a popular online community for programmers and developers. You can find many questions and answers related to SQL Express 2017 on this website.
: This is a leading website for SQL Server professionals. You can find articles, forums, scripts, webinars, podcasts, books, courses, etc. related to SQL Express 2017 on this website.
: This is a website that provides articles and tutorials on various topics related to SQL Server, including SQL Express 2017. You can learn how to use SQL Express 2017 for different tasks and challenges on this website.
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