Creating a New SQL Server Database

Data connections are physical connections to a database. In Server Explorer, the Data Connections node has a list of every established database connection. To start the database creation process, right-click the Data Connections node and select the Create New SQL Server Database option. In the resulting dialog box (see Figure 13.2), you need to provide a server name, login credentials, and a name for the new database.

FIGURE 13.2 Creating a new SQL Server database.

This immediately creates the indicated database and adds a connection to the new database under the Data Connections node. Figure 13.3 shows the newly created Contoso database added to the list of connections.

FIGURE 13.3 The new database added to the data connections.

FIGURE 13.4 Connecting to an existing database.

Under each connection are folders for the following classes of database objects:

Database diagrams (not available with SQL Server 2012)

Tables

Views

Stored procedures

Functions

Synonyms

Types

Assemblies

These folders are the launching point for creating corresponding objects within the database.