Experiment Name: Introduction to database servers & installation.
Introduction:
The objective of this experiment is to install and configure the tools required for
.NET development with SQL Server, specifically focusing on setting up Microsoft
SQL Server, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), and configuring the
connection between a .NET application and SQL Server.
SQL Server is a relational database management system by Microsoft that
supports SQL-based data manipulation. SSMS provides a graphical interface to
manage SQL Server databases efficiently. .NET is a development framework by
Microsoft, enabling us to build applications that can interact with databases such
as SQL Server for data-driven functionalities.
Methodology:
Installing .NET SDK
The .NET SDK is required to develop and run .NET applications.
Go to the official .NET download page.
Choose the latest version (either .NET Core, .NET 5, 6, or 7,
depending on project requirements).
Download the installer for your operating system (Windows, macOS,
or Linux).
Run the downloaded installer.
Follow the on-screen instructions, accepting the license agreement.
Once installed, open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal
(macOS/Linux) and type dotnet --version to verify the
installation.
Installing SQL Server:
SQL Server comes in different editions like Developer, Express, and Enterprise.
The Developer edition is full-featured and free for development use.
Go to the SQL Server download page.
Download the Developer or Express edition installer, depending on use
case.
Run the SQL Server installer.
Choose the "Basic" or "Custom" installation option. Custom installation
lets configure more settings, while Basic is quicker.
Select Authentication Mode to use both SQL Server.
Configure other options as needed (e.g., ports, memory limits).
Once installed, open SQL Server Configuration Manager (it should be
included with SQL Server) and check that the SQL Server service is
running.
Installing SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS):
SSMS is a graphical tool to manage SQL Server databases, execute queries,
and handle data.
Go to the SQL Server Management Studio download page.
Download the latest SSMS installer.
Run the downloaded SSMS installer.
Follow the installation prompts to complete the setup.
Launch SSMS.
Click Connect. You should now be able to manage your SQL Server
instance and databases.
Result & Discussion:
Successful installation of SQL Server, SSMS. The .NET application should
connect to SQL Server, retrieve data, and display it on the console. Installation
and configuration of SQL Server and SSMS were successful, and the database
was accessible.
The installation required configuring Windows Firewall to allow SQL Server
connections. Setting the connection string correctly in the .NET application was
crucial to establish the connection.
Conclusion:
This experiment demonstrated the process of setting up a .NET development
environment integrated with SQL Server and using SSMS to manage databases.
Connecting a .NET application to SQL Server allowed for practical experience in
database-driven application development.
