Hey there! Let me share my practical take on your questions from years of working with SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2015.

Do You Really Need to Install SSMS? #

The short answer: it depends on your workflow, but for most database work beyond basic app-database integration, yes, SSMS is absolutely worth installing.

• If you’re only focused on writing application code that connects to an existing database, running simple queries, or spinning up basic test databases right alongside your VS project, the built-in SQL tools in VS 2015 might get the job done. They’re handy for staying in your IDE without context-switching for quick dev tasks.
• But if you need to do any of the following, SSMS is non-negotiable:
  • Manage database permissions, backups, restores, or routine maintenance (like shrinking logs, rebuilding indexes)
  • Debug and optimize complex queries with execution plans, performance metrics, or query tuning tools
  • Configure advanced SQL Server features (like replication, mirroring, or custom file groups)
  • Run large script batches, bulk-edit database objects, or monitor server health

SSMS is purpose-built for SQL Server administration and deep database work—VS’s tools are just a convenience for developers to avoid leaving their IDE. Even if you don’t need it today, it’s a free, lightweight tool (for 2008 versions) that will save you tons of time down the line.

Differences Between Creating Databases in VS 2015 vs. SSMS #

Let’s break down the key distinctions:

1. Core Purpose & Workflow #

• VS 2015: Creates databases as part of a development project. You’ll typically use a SQL Server Database Project template, where every database object (tables, stored procs, etc.) is saved as an individual file in your VS solution. This ties your database schema directly to your application code, making it easy to version-control the entire stack and deploy changes consistently across environments.
• SSMS: Creates databases directly on the server (local or remote) as standalone entities. It’s designed for immediate administration and use—you can create a database via a graphical wizard or raw T-SQL script, and manage its full lifecycle right from the tool.

2. Feature Depth & Configuration Options #

• VS 2015: When creating a database via a project, you’re limited to basic settings (name, initial size) in the project properties. Advanced configurations like recovery mode, filegroup rules, auto-growth policies, or collation require editing project files or writing custom scripts. It’s not built for fine-grained database administration.
• SSMS: The database creation wizard gives you full control over all SQL Server 2008 database settings. You can define multiple data/log files, set auto-growth limits, choose recovery models, configure collation, and even toggle database options like read-only mode—all in one intuitive interface.

3. Deployment & Version Control #

• VS 2015: Database projects excel here. You can use schema comparison tools to generate incremental deployment scripts that sync your project’s schema with a target database. This is perfect for team environments where you need to track schema changes alongside code changes in Git or TFS. You can also publish the entire database directly from VS to your server with a few clicks.
• SSMS: You can generate a script for an existing database, but it’s a one-off task. There’s no built-in integration with version control, and deploying changes means manually running scripts or using the wizard to transfer objects. It’s far less streamlined for iterative development workflows.

4. Post-Creation Management #

• VS 2015: After creating the database, you can run queries and edit basic objects, but tasks like backup, restore, index maintenance, or performance monitoring are either missing or clunky to access. You’ll likely end up switching to another tool for these tasks anyway.
• SSMS: Once the database is created, you have full access to all management tools—you can back up the database, shrink files, rebuild indexes, view detailed query execution plans, monitor server activity, and more. It’s a one-stop shop for everything database-related.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者waroxx