SQL Server Tutorial

Learn how to use SQL Server starting with the basics. Create a database, add data, run queries, backup a database, restore, and more.

SQL Server 2017

Screenshot of SQL Operations Studio (SQLOPS).

SQL Server 2016

Screenshot of SQL Server Management Studio.

SQL Server on Mac

Install SQL Server on a Mac

SQL Server is now available on the Mac (starting from SQL Server 2017). This tutorial outlines all steps you need to do, from installing Docker, to installing a management tool such as sql-cli and SQL Operations Studio.

Install SQL Operations Studio on a Mac

SQL Operations Studio (SQLOPS) is a free, lightweight tool for managing SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and Azure SQL Data Warehouse. If you've just installed SQL Server on your Mac, this is the perfect GUI tool to get you started.

Install Docker for SQL Server on a Mac

You need to install Docker before you install SQL Server on your Mac. This is because SQL Server runs in a Docker container. This tutorial also shows you how to increase the memory allocation in Docker so that it's all set to run SQL Server.

Screenshot of sql-cli in the Terminal on a Mac

Install sql-cli on a Mac

Once you've installed SQL Server on your Mac, you'll probably want to run some queries. sql-cli is a command line tool that allows you to run SQL queries right from your Mac's Terminal window.

Screenshot of the command for copying a file in Docker

How to Copy a File from the Host to a Docker Container

Handy if you need to restore a database .bak file to SQL Server running inside a Docker container.

Screenshot of the Restore button in SQLOPS

Restore a Database .bak File using SQLOPS

Use SQL Operations Studio to restore a database from a .bak file. It's all done by pointing and clicking your way through the GUI.

Install DBeaver on a Mac

DBeaver is a free GUI database management tool that you can use to manage SQL Server. This step by step tutorial shows you how to download and install it on a Mac.

Screenshot of a DBeaver connection dialog

Connect to SQL Server with DBeaver

Once you've installed DBeaver, you'll probably want to connect to a database. This is a step by step tutorial to get you up and running.

Older SQL Server Versions

Here are some tutorials for previous versions of SQL Server.

SQL Server 2014 Tutorial

SQL Server 2014 is the predecessor of SQL Server 2016.

Covers similar topics to the 2016 tutorial, but using SQL Server 2014.

SQL Server 2008 Tutorial

This tutorial uses SQL Server 2008.

If you're still using SQL Server 2008, this is the tutorial for you.

SQL Server 2000 Tutorial

This SQL Server 2000 tutorial was written a really long time ago!

Check out what SQL Server used to look like. Or if you're still using SQL Server 2000... maybe it's time to think about an upgrade!