Microsoft SQL Server
SQL Server is the foundation of Microsoft's data platform, delivering mission-critical performance with in-memory technologies and faster insights on any data, whether on-premises or in the cloud.
This is the landing page for the SQL Server technical documentation library. Under this page is the MSDN technical documentation for all supported versions of SQL Server.
Downloads!
Technical documentation
- Transact SQL Language Reference T-SQL reference documentation for all SQL offerings
- SQL Server Drivers
- SQL Server Tools, including SSMS
Documentation for the current version of SQL Server includes documentation that applies to SQL Database and SQL Data Warehouse Azure services.
Visit the SQL Server marketing page for descriptions of new features, comparison of editions, links to case studies, resources for planning, data sheets, virtual labs, and more.
Visit the SQL Server Update Center for links and information for all supported versions of SQL Server.
SQL Server 2016 and later
SQL Server 2016 delivers breakthrough mission critical performance, deeper insights across any data on many devices, and enables the power of hyperscale cloud to unlock new hybrid scenarios.
Try 2016
- Download SQL Server 2016 from the Evaluation Center.
- Have an Azure account? Spin up a Virtual Machine with SQL Server 2016 already installed.
Blogs and resources
- The Analysis Services & Power Pivot Blog
- Microsoft Support (CSS) SQL Server Engineers Blog
- Microsoft Support (CSS) articles
- File a SQL Server support incident
- SQL Server courses on Virtual Academy
- MSDN Forum
- Stackoverflow, Connect
Product documentation
Sample databases
- Wide World Importers sample database
AdventureWorks sample databases and scripts for SQL Server 2016
Watch some videos
SQL Server 2016 overview on Channel 9 (6/21/2016) - BI enhancements in SQL Server 2016 on Channel 9 (6/21/2016)
- SQL Database Technologies for Developers (3/26/2016)
- Enhancements to extended events in Analysis Services 2016 (9/22/2015)
- SQL Server 2016 Always On (8/30/2015)
- Mission critical features in SQL Server 2016 (9/12/2015)
Azure SQL Database
SQL Server on an Azure Virtual Machine
Host your SQL Server databases on our cloud!
Azure SQL Data Warehouse
Take advantage of our fully-managed, scalable, data warehouse service.
DocumentDB
Check out our fully managed NoSQL database service.
SQL Server 2014
Install SQL Server 2014 Express and other older SQL Server versions. (Thank you to Scott Hanselman for collecting all of the installer package links in one place!)